As a software engineer, I was always confident in situations that required technical skills and problem solving. But one of the things I struggled with early on was negotiating a raise.
The annual review didn’t know how to explain why I deserved to be paid more, even though I did an excellent job. I felt like I was at the mercy of what the company provided.
Now, at 33, I have learned a valuable lesson on how to defend myself and get what I deserve. And I used these strategies to raise my salary from his $60,000 to his $140,000 in just 5 years.
Here’s how I did it:
My lack of confidence in negotiations was due to my lack of knowledge. The more solid evidence you present, the more confident you will become.
I used resources like Glassdoor payroll tools, of Women’s Personal Finance Facebook Group and the fishbowl app Identify four key data points.
- Average market rate for positions you applied for
- MY SPECIFIC MARKET RATES BASED ON MY EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS
- my non-negotiables for profit
- the lowest salary I was willing to accept
I also kept “boasts” of my achievements to back up my claims, and asked friends and trusted colleagues about their salaries to better determine my true market rate.
Thus, even if my employer is heading towards the lower end of the range, I still have room to wiggle. to $110,000.
In reviews and price increase discussions, the most effective way to request a price increase is by asking for a percentage rather than a dollar amount.
Using percentages makes it easy for employers to see the value of the markup you’re requesting. For example, a 5% price increase might sound more reasonable than a seemingly arbitrary $5,000 price increase.
I only apply for jobs that offer my desired salary range. If it’s not on the list, ask them directly in the first interview to save time. Depending on the response, it either continues the process or walks away.
Once you get to the point where you get an offer, you don’t have to just accept it. You can take the time to review and ask questions before agreeing to anything.
Here’s a handy script I used:
“Thank you very much! This is great news and I am very excited about this opportunity. I have enjoyed meeting the team and look forward to working with them. To the remuneration. It is well below my market rate. Based on my skills, experience, and the market salary for this position, I am willing to accept a salary of. [$X] for this position. “
If your money is fixed, consider negotiating perks such as remote workadditional paid time off, sign-on bonuses, performance-based bonuses, equity, or flexible scheduling.
If you don’t ask what you want, you won’t know. One of my non-negotiable things is that he works remotely. I’ve responded in the past with scripts like this:
“How flexible are you with remote work? If the salary does not match, we are happy to accept a position with full remote work arrangements, an additional 5 days of PTO, and a $5,000 sign-on bonus.”
At my last job, I found myself doing the work of three people. I was basically a team leader, but my salary did not match my manager-level responsibilities.
When I told my boss about the situation, they said, “We can talk about your development throughout the year, but we can’t give you a raise at this time.”
I heard “we don’t see your worth”. Within a few months, I got a new job as a Principal Software Engineer at the same company, and my annual salary went from his $109,000 to his $141,000.
Daniela Flores Freelance writer and founder of i like to reach outis a financial and career literacy business dedicated to helping neurodivergent and LGBTQ+ people build wealth.Follow Daniela Instagram and twitter.
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