276. Get Your Dream Job (And More Money) in 2026 with Claire Wasserman

What It Covers

Claire Wasserman, author of *Ladies Get Paid* and founder of a career coaching platform, walks through salary negotiation tactics, job search strategies for a tough 2026 market, and the mindset shifts women need to move from financial anxiety to intentional career building and self-worth ownership.

Key Questions Answered

• •LLC of Me Framework: Reframe yourself as a business owner, not an employee. When negotiating salary or interviewing, you are pitching ROI to a client. Translate every contribution into dollars saved, time reduced, or revenue generated. If your role doesn't directly earn revenue, trace how it supports a team that does.
• •Salary Research Protocol: Before any negotiation, gather compensation data from at least three competitor companies to establish market rate. Then conduct a personal inventory: degrees, clients brought in, quantified business impact. Never anchor your ask to personal expenses — the case must be built entirely around value delivered to the company.
• •The "Not Yet" Negotiation: When a raise request is denied, ask open-ended questions — why is the answer no, and what specific milestones over the next three to six months would change that answer. Document the agreed-upon criteria via follow-up email immediately after the meeting to create a binding, trackable record.
• •Fractional Work as Job Search Strategy: Rather than applying only to posted roles, target companies directly and pursue fractional or consulting arrangements — typically 15 to 20 hours weekly or three-month contracts. This creates multiple income streams, reduces single-employer dependency, and often converts into full-time offers after a trial period.
• •Batched Job Search System: Allocate specific 20-minute blocks by cognitive task type — creative writing on Monday mornings, research on Tuesday evenings, outreach copy-paste on another slot. Commit to a 10-to-14-day experiment, then assess energy drain and adjust. Pair this with accountability partners or tools like Focusmate to reduce reliance on willpower alone.