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: 35
Location: New York
Current industry and job title: Ad tech, senior product manager
Current salary: $245,000/year
Number of years employed since school or university: 12
Starting salary: $15 to $17/hour
Biggest salary jump: $175,000 to $245,000. It was a job switch. I got a LinkedIn message from someone who said she was looking for more women in tech in leadership, and that sparked my interest.
Biggest salary drop: $65,000 to $22/hour. I lost a job and had to have one immediately, so I took a pay cut.
Biggest negotiation regret: For a recent job, I was offered $130,000 and I went for $190,000. In the end, we agreed to $165,000. I wish I had negotiated like this — going high — in my initial jobs, because it’s harder to move once you start, and it took me years to build up from there.
Best salary advice: No one is going to ask for a raise for you. Ask every six months — the worst thing to hear is no, but you’ll have it in their minds that you want to move up. I had a boss who told me that once, and it always stuck with me. Also, if your company does reviews, always use that as a chance to gauge where you’re at, and what they would like to see from you. And read your benefits! The impact of bad benefits can really skew what may seem like a higher-paying role. This is something I think about often.
I worked really hard and made sure I clearly understood what it took to get a raise/bonus, but also I learned a lot about how having that structure in place was important in being able to fight for those things. Not every company has a review plan and bonus structure, and it’s important that you think about that when you apply, and that you have it written in your contract.
I did get a raise after year one. I had been reporting to the CTO and when he left the company, they gave me a $10,000 bump for assuming some of his responsibilities.
For my next career move, I want to continue to be in the product space. I see myself making $500,000+, somewhere in leadership for product in tech. I do not have a dream title — I just want to continue to be in roles that are challenging, and also where I have room for growth. I don’t want to be at a place where I am comfortable coasting for a while.
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