The Best Career Advice From R29’s Salary Stories In 2024

Talking about salaries is important. It's how we know what to ask for and how to ask for it. It's also how we know what boundaries to have. I was once offered a low salary and it was only through talking to my peers about it that I realised the offer wasn't worth accepting. I walked away and found a better salary elsewhere. I'm lucky I have industry peers who are willing to be honest about these things.

But talking about money on the whole is still very much taboo. It's hard to know whether colleagues will reciprocate the desire to talk about it, or whether to risk making friends uncomfortable by asking. What it boils down to, though, is that the less we know, the less well paid we might end up being.

A little over a year ago, the state of New York enacted a law requiring all job postings located in the state to be transparent about the salary on offer. What a win for employees. How many times have you applied for a position, not knowing whether the offer would even be enough for you to live on? Unfortunately, no such law exists here in the UK. There's still work to do around attitudes towards pay transparency.

At R29, we've been trying to bridge that conversational gap through our series Salary Stories. Every fortnight we post a new, anonymous career journey, sharing how our readers' salaries have gone up or down, and how they fought (or, often, didn't know they could fight) for a pay rise. Having edited this series for over a year now, it always pains me when I read how few women feel they have the agency to push for better pay. The pattern I've noticed is that our readers tend to get the confidence to negotiate around four jobs in. That's four jobs too late, as far as I'm concerned. But the pattern confirms that, if anything, these conversations must continue. Women must feel empowered about their salaries much sooner than they currently do.

Each article always includes the anonymous reader's best piece of advice, from stressing the importance of always negotiating to taking risks like job hopping. This year, Salary Stories took us from a £27,000 salary in book publishing to a £143,000 salary in health. Here's some of the best advice from the last year.

Best salary advice: Don’t be afraid to take contract roles! Everyone seems to be scared about the “lack of security” but what is job security nowadays? Your permanent job could let you go at any time. At least you’ll be prepared and be well compensated if you contract.

Best salary advice: Base salary isn't everything. When plotting your next move, ensure you consider the whole benefit package on offer. You never know when you might need to use your benefits.

Best salary advice: When there's a pay band and you're offered a salary that's in the middle, always ask for the top end. It means they have it in budget and can pay you that if they really want you. As someone who has hired people, I've always offered mid-band and the employees have accepted. But if they'd asked for more, I would have said yes!

Best salary advice: As long as you can cover your living costs (which I am finding difficult currently), then it's not all about salary. The job has to work for you and enable you to live the life you want.

Best salary advice: Don't be shy about knowing market rates and where you sit within that, and don't let job changes or adversity such as redundancy stop you knowing your worth. Always be prepared to demonstrate all the amazing skills you have and what you bring to the table in every single interview and appraisal.

Best salary advice: Don’t accept the first offer or job just because you’re happy to be employed — usually there is something much better out there.

Best salary advice: Be open and honest with friends about salaries, look to those in positions you’re aspiring to move into and learn from their experiences and take the time to record your successes during your work and not just when you need to or are actively looking to apply for promotions or new jobs.

Best salary advice: Learn your market value — always engage with recruiters that reach out so you can get an idea of what they’d currently offer you. You don’t even have to apply to any jobs they’re offering, but those 15 minute recruitment chats are valuable insights into your worth.