In our series Salary Stories, women with long-term career experience open up about the most intimate details of their jobs: compensation. It’s an honest look at how real people navigate the complicated world of negotiating, raises, promotions and job loss, with the hope it will give young people more insight into how to advocate for themselves — and maybe take a few risks along the way.
Been in the workforce for at least five years and interested in contributing your salary story? Submit your information here.
Age: 27
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Current industry and job title: Software, Senior Design Manager
Current salary: $175,000
Number of years employed since school or university: 7
Starting salary: $55,000
Biggest salary jump: $86,000 to $126,000 in November 2020. I changed jobs.
Biggest salary drop: My salary has never dropped.
Biggest negotiation regret: I didn't negotiate aggressively enough when I changed companies earlier in my career. I only started negotiating my pay the right way later in my career. I realize my salary is now pretty competitive for my field, but I wish I had asked for more when I made a job change in 2018. I took on a lot more responsibility in that role, but for only a little bit more pay.
Best salary advice: Don't rely on TikTok advice from unqualified "financial coaches" or "hustlers" who tell you to negotiate aggressively, but don't tell you how. Instead, use online tools for researching what the market rate is for roles of a similar job title to yours — such as levels.fyi, Glassdoor, and others — and look up what current salary/benefits packages are like for jobs with the same title, responsibilities, and company size as yours. Take that information to the table with you when you approach a salary conversation. Go in ready to advocate for yourself, and go in smart.
