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Q. What are the best approaches to salary negotiation?

Do your research and have a network of people that you can tap into to get a gauge. Have a great relationship with an executive recruiter that can give you a sense of the industry landscape and where you fit.

Often the hard to fill assignments (cigarettes and pharmaceutical accounts and sometimes digital roles) pay more than positions that are the sexiest and fun (athletic footwear, gaming, fashion, soft drinks).

Stay focused on your long-range career goals and don’t ever take a job only because it pays more. The most respected and high profile agencies and most desirable and coveted positions are not going to pay the most in the short term but provide the credentials and connections that last your whole career and allow you to negotiate competitive salaries in future positions.

Please check the site for updates as we'll bring more expert advice from Carol Watson. If you have a question you'd like to ask, e-mail it to
questions@marcusgrahamproject.org.

About Carol Watson
Carol is the President of the only executive search and talent sourcing firm specializing in multicultural advertising and marketing talent, Tangerine-Watson, Inc. She serves as a consultant to ad agency, media and marketing companies on career development strategies, recruitment and retention initiatives for multicultural talent.


Carol has built a reputation for matching the right talent and opportunity and facilitating the growth of the multicultural advertising talent pool from college recruiting to senior management retention. She has been featured in Ad Age and a regular blogger under Ad Age’s multicultural blog, The Big Tent, The New York Times, Crain’s Business and Black Enterprise and is on the Board of Directors of Advertising Women of New York and the steering committee for AdColor. Carol is a self-described evangelist for diversity driving innovation, creativity and business.