What Is a Competitive Salary - And How To Negotiate One
You see an ad for your dream job. And by some miracle, you actually have all 20 of the preferred qualifications!
So you hurriedly scroll to the bottom of the publication to see what the salary range and benefits are… only to find that "competitive salary" is all that's listed.
What the heck does competitive salary actually mean?!
Phrases like "competitive salary" and "competitive pay" are often used by employers in job listings, but they can leave candidates scratching their heads. So what do these phrases actually mean?
Competitive Salary Definition:
A salary that is at or above market rate for similar positions and geographical locations.
The Good News: While not quite as transparent as listing a number or a range, if the company has said that they pay a competitive salary, then you can assume that they intend to pay you at or above market rate.
The Bad News: "Competitive" can mean different things to different people. It can vary based on the local market, and with remote jobs, this only gets more confusing.
So, when you see these phrases, your first move should be to use resources like Glassdoor, Payscale, and Github to research the market rate for the role (I'll talk more about this later). Once you know the average salary for the position in whichever city you're based, you should expect the company to make an offer at or above that level.
If you get an offer and their competitive salary turns out not be as competitive as you expected, you can share your research and tell them you were expecting something a bit higher.
Remember, companies have access to the same resources you do - and many, many more! So they know very well what is "competitive" and what is not.
If they ask you what your salary expectations are, they are likely hoping that you are expecting less than market rate - or that at a minimum, you don't want much more than it. (If you need help answering the ever-tricky salary expectations question, check out these expert tips.)
So, the real question becomes, once a company does actually give you a number - whether or not they said upfront that they consider it to be competitive - what do you do if it's not?
You negotiate.
How To Negotiate a Competitive Salary
There's no doubt that salary negotiation can be uncomfortable - but if you don't ask for what you deserve, you'll never get it.
For women in particular, this can be challenging, because we've been conditioned to be agreeable, and to trust that we've been offered what we deserve. But companies don't want to pay you more than they have to, so you need to be your own advocate. No one else will. The men are asking for more, and you should too.
In these situations, it's crucial that you know your own worth - a modest account of your accomplishments won't get you to the number you deserve. (If you don't yet know the importance of valuing yourself, just check out this story about a designer who was underselling herself by 50k!!)
And if that's not enough to convince you to ask for what your worth, consider the fact that your negotiation today will not only impact your current role, but your entire career earnings trajectory (AND the trajectory of women to come after you, lateral to you, and across the industry).
With a little research, role-playing, and honest communication, you'll be ready to negotiate the salary you deserve.
1. Remind Yourself of Your Value
Have you self-assessed recently? Taking time to reflect on your achievements will help you evaluate your current worth and bring an undeniable strength to your interview. I find that muting the hustle and bustle by stepping into nature with paper and pen helps me to recognize my achievements. From there, my self-confidence and self-respect grows and I can start outlining a game plan to reach my desired salary.
I've achieved XYZ. Here is where I've seen success. Add numbers to back it up. Voilà.
2. Research the market.
First, investigate your field's competitive salaries online. Some of our current partners at PowerToFly use platforms like GitLab's Compensation Calculator to adjust their salaries based on the role, experience, and location. Resources like Payscale, Glassdoor, and Comparably are also great for checking salary ranges.
But don't just rely on the internet - ask 5 friends in similar roles/industries/locations what their compensation package looks like. DO NOT JUST ASK WOMEN! If you truly want to understand what a competitive salary is for your position, you need to understand what other people are making - this includes equity, benefits, bonuses, and other forms of compensation. Don't let the taboo topic of money keep you from earning your worth!
3. Watch how your favorite thought leaders present themselves and mimic them - practice makes perfect.
Research how some of your favorite thought-leaders and innovators present themselves in public so you can adopt some of their presentation skills. TedTalks are a good example. There's a reason these people are chosen as speakers - they have charisma! Have some fun and mimic your gurus as you practice presenting yourself and lead to your competitive salary ask. Now is the time to practice your ask word for word, citing why you deserve this compensation. Role-playing with friends and colleagues is crucial for practicing different scenarios and practicing authentic answers. Don't forget to ask for feedback!
4. Ask.
You've done your research. You know what the market rate is, what number you're looking for, and what your walkaway is. The worst that can happen is they say no.
Elevating Black Women Virtual Summit: Learn more about Our Partners, Sponsors & Speakers
Learn more about our amazing speakers and sponsors at our April 2021 virtual summit Diversity Reboot: Elevating Black Women, three days of conversations and panels plus an interactive virtual career fair.
From everyone here at PowerToFly we want to extend a BIG thank you to everyone who tuned into last week's Diversity Reboot: Elevating Black Women. In case you missed a talk or you'd like to revisit one of our great conversations, don't worry, all of the fireside chats and panels will be available to watch for free on PowerToFly soon.
We were thrilled to present conversations on such important subjects as the racial wealth gap, the importance of affordable child care, how BIPOC youth are leading the way on combatting the climate crisis, the importance of black women in entrepreneurship and business, being an ally for communities outside of your own, plus tech talks, fireside chats with Black woman founders, panels with DEI leaders and much more.
We want to extend a HUGE thanks to our amazing sponsors MINDBODY, Smartsheet, NGA, Procore Technologies, S&P Global, PayPal and PwC whose support made this event possible.
Finally, don't forget to visit our Merch Store and grab yourself some PowerToFly apparel. 100% of the proceeds from our sales will be going to TransTech Social, supporting transgender people in tech.
Our Sponsors
Smartsheet
In 2005, Smartsheet was founded on the idea that teams and millions of people worldwide deserve a better way to deliver their very best work. Today, the company delivers a leading cloud-based platform for work execution, empowering organizations to plan, capture, track, automate, and report on work at scale, resulting in more efficient processes and better business outcomes.
Smartsheet went public on the New York Stock Exchange in April 2018 and currently enables collaboration, better decision making, and accelerated innovation for over 76,000 domain-based customers in 190 countries, including 96 of the Fortune 100.
Smartsheet is a passionate team of 1500+ employees spanning offices in Seattle, Boston, London, Edinburgh and Sydney.
MINDBODY
MINDBODY is a health, wellness and fitness company that helps promote healthier and happier lives. Many women already have a strong connection to MINDBODY as a result of their use of the app in their daily lives. Working for a wellness company like MINDBODY is more than just having a job; it is a way for women to relate to something they are passionate about and can now incorporate into their careers.
NGA
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) delivers world-class geospatial intelligence that provides a decisive advantage to policymakers, warfighters, intelligence professionals and first responders. Anyone who sails a U.S. ship, flies a U.S. aircraft, makes national policy decisions, fights wars, locates targets, responds to natural disasters, or even navigates with a cellphone relies on NGA.
Procore Technologies
Procore Technologies is building the software that builds the world. We provide cloud-based construction management software that helps clients more efficiently build skyscrapers, hospitals, retail centers, airports, housing complexes and more. At Procore, we have worked hard to create and maintain a culture where you can own your work and are encouraged and given resources to try new ideas. Our headquarters is located on the bluffs above the Pacific Ocean in Carpinteria, CA, with growing offices worldwide.
S&P Global
S&P Global is more than just a place to work. It's a place to learn and grow, surrounded by the best and brightest. A place to challenge yourself and advance your career. If you're a pioneer or a thinker, there's a role for you to play in our mission to help accelerate progress in the world. S&P Global provides essential intelligence for companies, governments and individuals to make decisions with conviction. Our legacy is built on an unwavering ability to deliver data and insights that are vital to the world's economy.
PwC
Together we can create change. Together we can make an impact. And the only way we can tackle the challenges of a fast-changing world is with people like you. Powered by integrated digital tools of today, you'll provide services, build innovative products and technology solutions that will refine the ways we work and support our clients. The firm is committed to gender equality and focuses on creating an inclusive culture that develops our people to be future leaders.
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TransTech Social Enterprises
TransTech is an incubator for LGBTQ Talent with a focus on economically empowering the T, transgender people, in our community. TransTech is a co-working, co-learning community dedicated to empowering trans, lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer people and allies with practical, career-ready skills.
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Honor all work. Come as you are. Show up. Be of service.
From the first incubator space where we tested coworking with onsite, full-time childcare, to our expanding digital community of 500+ Janes from all across the country and around the world, these have been our guiding principles.
Use code FLY50 for 50% off first month at The Jane Club.
APCO Worldwide
APCO Worldwide is an advisory and advocacy communications consultancy helping leading public and private sector organizations navigate the challenges of today, act with agility, anticipate social risk, and build organizational reputations, relationships and solutions to succeed. APCO is an independent and majority women-owned business. Most importantly, we are a trusted partner to our clients. We help them anticipate, plan, execute and secure their futures through our in-depth expertise, astute counsel and creative strategies.
Thumbtack
At Thumbtack, we're building more than a product. We're building local economies and stronger communities. Leveling the playing field so even the smallest of businesses has a fair shot at success.
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Randstad
We provide outsourcing, staffing, consulting and workforce solutions within the areas of engineering, accounting and finance, healthcare, human resources, IT, legal, life sciences, manufacturing and logistics, office and administration and sales and marketing. We can't wait to tell you all about it.
Indeed
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Marva For Judge
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The Mom's Hierarchy of Needs framework was developed with input in our first study and Mom's Hierarchy of Needs research is focused on making us stronger, healthier and happier.
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Move the Crowd is led by CEO and author Rha Goddess, and provides life coaching, business consultation and online courses that help entrepreneurs and leaders. The True.Paid.Good philosophy evolved from Rha's own journey as a struggling artist/activist who was short on dollars but huge on change. From the mouths of her own influential life coaches and mentors, Rha realized that if she had more, she could do more. Even more importantly, she could BE more. Whatever your end game, aspiration or dream: we got you.
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We provide relationship coaching and matchmaking services to professionals of color. What differentiates us from other matchmaking services is our focus on serving diverse populations and promoting intentional dating. Many other matchmaking services cater to white men that have a high net worth.
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Speaker Spotlight: DEI Book Club Picks!
by Kryss Shane
The Calling: 3 Fundamental Shifts to Stay True, Get Paid and Do Good
by Rha Goddess
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Thank you to all of our wonderful, amazing speakers! And thank you again for supporting Diversity Reboot 2021 and PowerToFly!
Prepare for Your Interview at S&P Global with These Tips from Recruiter Kiana Labuhn
Kiana Labuhn, Recruiter at S&P Global, shares an exclusive take on the most important tips to keep in mind when preparing for an interview.
She talks about how S&P Global looks for candidates that not only fit the skills needed for the role but are aligned with their values.
Kiana stresses the importance of preparing for the interview in advance, first by researching the company and your interviewers and then identifying the core competencies needed for the position—thinking of times when you demonstrated these skills in your past. Have you heard about the STAR model? It's a great tool that Kiana shows us how to use in the video.
"At S&P Global, we will embrace and support the qualities that make each candidate a unique fit. Building and embracing diversity is a priority for us, and we're committed to unleashing the potential of every individual who works with us," Kiana says.
Take a look at her list of resume dos and don'ts and her own experience when preparing for her interview process at S&P Global.
To learn more about S&P Global and their open roles, click here.
How Bumble’s Director of Engineering Learned to Be Herself at Work—and Encourages Team Members to Do the Same
Rose Hitchcock found out she was pregnant with her third child halfway through the process of interviewing to be Director of Engineering at Bumble.
She told the team at the social media and dating app and that didn't change their plans to hire her. "They were completely fine with it, really supportive," says Rose.
She started her new role while pregnant and plans to take six months off when she gives birth.
"They were like, 'Oh, take what time you need,'" she says. "That was another reason for me to come and work for the company, there was just no issue there."
We sat down with Rose to discuss her path to Director of Engineering, how she has found professional success by being herself (including as a working mother), what companies can do to create pathways to leadership for as many women and underrepresented people as possible, and why that matters.
Finding what energizes her in environments where she can be herself
Though Rose's role is in engineering, she doesn't have a formal background in computer science or engineering. She studied management science during university, and her first true exposure to programming came just after undergrad when she took a job as a business analyst at an IT consulting firm, which included five weeks of coding training.
Working as an analyst, she served as the liaison between the tech and business sides of various companies before transitioning into a technical project manager. That role was when she really "started to learn more about leading teams," and discovered that leadership and people management challenges were what she most loved solving.
"I really enjoyed helping people progress, promoting them and...working with people who were struggling to improve," she says. As her capabilities grew, Rose progressed into a more strategic role, coming back from her second maternity leave as a manager of other delivery managers. That's where she confirmed that management was where her passion lies.
"I have lots of colleagues and friends who are in management and they probably spend half their day doing coding stuff that they're not supposed to be doing, just because that's what energizes them and that's what they enjoy," she says. "For me, I get to enjoy my job and actually do the things that motivate me and that I'm really passionate about without feeling like I'm missing out on getting my hands dirty."
Throughout her career, Rose realized that she could only really enjoy her job if she was in an environment where she felt comfortable being herself. When she worked in consulting, that wasn't quite the case. "It felt like you had to behave in a certain way," she says. "To have the same attitude in order to get ahead, like being very self confident and self-promoting. You couldn't just do a good job—you then had to go and tell everybody what a good job you were doing."
That isn't who Rose is, so she ended up leaving consulting and going into industry, where she found the career growth she was looking for. "When you're in a smaller company, it's a lot easier to be recognized for your work, because people can see what you're doing," she says. "If you want extra responsibility or challenges, you always hear about them and can put your hand up."
But company size isn't the only important metric Rose considers. In a past job, she'd worked for an inspirational woman founder and wanted the chance to do that again, which is why the Bumble opportunity appealed to her so much.
"Obviously Whitney [Wolfe Herd, Bumble's CEO] is a strong woman founder. The passion she brought into the mission and what the company was trying to do, [with] this mission to support women to make healthy and equitable relationships really appealed to me," she says.
From the tech side, the fact that Bumble is still building most of its tech internally was another plus. "Teams that are building their own products are so much more motivated and engaged," adds Rose.
Encouraging others to grow and creating space for them
As a Director of Engineering, a big part of Rose's focus is creating a culture of growth for the teams she oversees. This starts with remembering the things that helped her to grow.
Those include:
- Giving praise in public. "I tell people that I've noticed when they're doing a good job and praise them or thank them," she says.
- Giving pass-through praise. Rose doesn't stop by telling individuals when they're doing well—she also talks them up to other members of the leadership team, including the CTO. "I advocate for them," says Rose.
- Providing opportunities to shine. "It's important to communicate the talent within your team to folks outside of your immediate department. This allows room for a cross-functional awareness of your team's incredible work and how other departments can tap into a member of your team for future projects," says Rose. "I look for opportunities for my team members to showcase their unique set of skills and expertise, whether that's giving a presentation or attending a meeting."
She also works to create a healthy attitude towards work that avoids the self-aggrandizing and presenteeism that she found exclusionary in previous roles by:
- Focusing on output rather than time. Instead of worrying whether people are getting to work late or leaving early, Rose just asks one question: "Are they delivering?"
- Modeling behavior. Rose says that she started to work more flexibly after she became a parent, coming in early and leaving early to see her kids before bedtime, and working only four days each week. She encourages other people to set the schedules that work for their lives. "I try to consciously make an effort not to apologize [about my schedule] so that other people don't feel it's something to feel guilty about," she says.
- Planning with outside commitments in mind. "When we're talking about project delivery, I work really hard to consider things about people's home lives," says Rose. An example: if she has a project launch date in mind, she won't assume that everyone is okay with working overtime to make it. Rose also asks the managers on her team to consider things like school breaks and holidays when planning. "It's actually trying to put the people side of things first, rather than always the delivery side of things," she says.
Why a diverse team matters at work
Rose thinks about diversity in everything she does, from recruiting to promoting to retaining talent. Here's what that looks like:
- Finding diverse talent: "If you say, 'Oh, it's really hard to find woman developers,' well, let's train some, then," says Rose, who works with recruiters to bring in strong junior technical candidates and trains them up in-house.
- Making diverse talent feel welcome: As a working parent, Rose knows the importance of a flexible schedule. While recruiting for open roles on her team, she saw that some candidates didn't want to change jobs because they didn't want to lose the existing flexible working arrangements they had with their current employers. So she made sure to let them know that the roles she was hiring for would come with flexible scheduling, including it in job postings as well as bringing it up in interviews. "I've had people, especially women, say to me that flexible schedules were a big driver in their decision to come and work for us," says Rose. "They knew they could have [flexibility] from day one and they didn't feel penalized asking for it."
- Promoting diverse talent: As soon as someone new joins her team, Rose sits down with them and helps to identify personal and professional goals. "I make a conscious effort to set objectives around where the individual's gaps are and what skills they would need to build on if they are interested in leadership positions in the future," she says. From that point, Rose starts giving them tailored stretch opportunities and exposure. Some examples include: asking a direct report to prepare a presentation for a small audience of 20 team members, having them represent a project at a tech-wide meeting, having them host a lunchtime session for an external audience, or sponsoring them to talk at a tech conference.
Building and retaining diverse team members isn't a priority of Rose's just because it feels right—it also makes for better work products and procedures, she says.
For Bumble, the perspectives of people with different gender identities and sexualities are especially relevant. "If you have a diverse team, their ideas and their expectation of what they want in our products is moving at the same speed as what our customers are expecting because they are representative of our community," she says. "How do we make sure that we're actually meeting the needs and wants of our community and bringing them new things that they actually want? [Well,] if you get people with more diverse experiences and different ways of thinking, you'll get innovation."
Learn more about Bumble's open roles in Austin, London, Barcelona, Moscow, and more.
How These 9 Companies Are Celebrating Difference This Autism Awareness or Acceptance Month
Five million adults in the U.S. have autism spectrum disorder, per the CDC. More are considered neurodivergent, which can refer to people with autism, ADHD, and dyslexia.
You've met some of them—maybe they're your family, friends, classmates, or coworkers, or perhaps you identify as neurodivergent yourself.
You may have recognized that some neurodivergent people are exceptionally skilled, excelling in things like pattern recognition and mathematics, and that those skills deserve to be celebrated, as the Harvard Business Review did in their report "Neurodiversity as a Competitive Advantage" in 2017.
But whether highlighting the significant contributions that neurodivergent employees have made or just honoring who they are as people, we wanted to take a moment this April to share some ways that industry leaders are marking World Autism Awareness Month.
We also want to acknowledge that Autism Speaks, the organization that began World Autism Awareness Month in the 1970s, has had a complicated relationship with the autism community. (Here's a good guide on that context.) We recognize that some prefer to celebrate Autism Acceptance Month, or to align with other organizations' World Autism Awareness activities, like the UN's.
However you decide to "Celebrate Difference"—the Autism Society of America's theme for April 2021—this month, PowerToFly and these 9 companies are celebrating right along with you!
Sharing inclusivity, not stereotypes, at Raytheon Technologies
"Raytheon Technologies and our Raytheon Alliance for Diverse Abilities (RADA) Employee Resource Group (ERG) is committed to trying to bring focus on invisible disabilities, as they are among the most misunderstood. Autism/neurodiversity isn't a mental illness and we recognize how important it is to bring awareness, be inclusive of everyone and avoid stereotypes. During Autism Awareness Month RADA is featuring a multi-regional presentation about Autism Awareness & Acceptance, as well as neurodiversity overall. The presentation is focused on educational information, including what Autistic people want in terms of inclusion and meaningful work, as well as dispelling common misconceptions."
Learn more about Raytheon Technologies.
Hiring a world-class workforce at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
"The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency recently launched the Neurodiverse Federal Workforce (NFW) pilot program, a collaborative effort between NGA, MITRE, and Melwood. The NFW pilot aims to help government agencies hire neurodiverse talent for U.S. Federal Government agencies. 'NGA mission success is contingent on a world-class workforce with a wide diversity of opinions and expertise,' said NGA Deputy Director Dr. Stacey Dixon. 'Neurodiverse talent can bring new perspectives to the NGA workforce and make important contributions to the mission.' The pilot is a great learning opportunity for NGA to continue to grow and improve our first-class workforce."
Learn more from the podcast "The National Geospatial Intelligence Agency Takes Workforce Diversity In A New Direction"
Learn more about the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.
Supporting each individual's preferred environment at Elastic
"We distribute anonymous surveys that allow anyone, including neurodiverse folks, to address potential barriers that we should address.
Our accessibility working group acts as an employee resource as well as an equity-seeking team that works to create and develop a disability inclusive workplace at Elastic.
The majority of our Elasticians work from home. Our hope is that this empowers neurodiverse employees, including those who may be on the spectrum, to have more control over their environment so that they can manage noise and light sensitivity, control their personal space, and manage their own schedule to reduce anxiety."
Learn more about Elastic.
Pioneering neurodiversity at Freddie Mac
"Freddie Mac values the insights and different perspectives that result from employees bringing their authentic selves to work. Our Office of Inclusive Engagement works with several organizations to identify qualified candidates, consider them for suitable roles and pair them with mentors who can help them adapt to an evolving new normal. In 2020, we evolved our neurodiversity internship initiative into a more robust training, education and hiring process called 'Neurodiversity at Work' to directly place candidates with Autism Spectrum Disorders into full-time roles."
Learn more about Freddie Mac.
Decoding inclusion at MongoDB
"MongoDB supports the neurodivergent community through interview accommodations, providing new hires the opportunity to select equipment and denote special requests, and onboarding checklists broken down into useful sections. To raise awareness about neurodiversity in the workplace, we have a learning and development (L&D) platform which has content on collaborating with different working styles. Our L&D Program focuses on building skills in managing teams inclusively. We also host Decoding Inclusion, a series of events aimed at building community and sharing foundational knowledge about D&I topics, including neurodiversity, to further our understanding of differences."
Read more about how MongoDB celebrates difference in this interview with their VP of Corporate Comms
Learn more about MongoDB.
Encouraging allyship at Folsom Labs
"At Folsom Labs, we are passionate about building a culture of acceptance and inclusion. Our goal is not just to spread autism awareness but to strive to be allies and elevate the voices of those with disabilities. Now more than ever, this is important as many are facing the added weight of mental health and wellness challenges due to the pandemic. Encouraging allyship throughout the community and building a culture where everyone can thrive are at the forefront of our current initiatives. We are proud to celebrate Autism Acceptance Month — to set a stage where we can celebrate our differences and continue to create a space of inclusion and support."
Learn more about Folsom Labs.
Recruiting for diverse problem solvers at Dell Technologies
"Dell's Neurodiversity Hiring Program provides professional development training, internships, and full-time career opportunities for neurodivergent job seekers. The program rethinks the traditional interview process by removing barriers that may limit an individual from fully showcasing their skills and capabilities. Additionally, program participants benefit from job coaching and mentorship provided by our community partners and True Ability ERG members.
A variety of critical positions across the company have been filled through the program. In doing so, we are bringing in diverse perspectives for problem solving that have helped us differentiate ourselves within the marketplace all while cultivating a culture of inclusion."
Learn more about Dell.
Supporting professionals with autism throughout their talent journey at Deloitte
"At Deloitte, everyone contributes to our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Our inclusive culture, empowers all of us, including those with diverse abilities, to connect, belong, and grow. Deloitte's Autism@Work program supports our professionals with autism throughout their talent journey. A customized, autism-friendly assessment process helps draw out our candidates' strengths. Our employees have an internal Coach, an Onboarding Advisor, and access to external job coaching. Our Onboarding Mentor/Buddy Program pairs professionals with autism with other Deloitte colleagues/allies. Through Neurodiversity Training, our professionals can help support and manage our differently-abled professionals. We also have our Abilities First Business Resource Group for people with disabilities plus allies."
Learn more about Deloitte.
Sharing stories to support awareness at Lockheed Martin
"Lockheed Martin shares employee stories internally to help others understand Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and hosts internal events to support ASD awareness and education. The Able & Allies business resource group, whose mission is to build an environment that empowers employees with disabilities, has recently partnered with ASD advocacy organizations to offer resources to assist with managing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic with persons who have ASD and their families. Missiles and Fire Control (MFC) is a member of the Florida Ability Inclusion Network and strives to educate employees and leaders on disabilities and recommend best practices to promote a disability-friendly workplace."
Learn more about Lockheed Martin.