Salary Story: I Got An Offer & My Employer Matched It

Illustrated by Other Maria.

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 women 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. Published stories receive £100.

Age: 28
Location: Leeds
Current industry and job title: UX, user research manager
Current salary: £72,000
Number of years employed since school or university: Six

Starting salary: £16,000 in 2015
Biggest salary jump: £60,000 to £72,000 in 2021
Biggest salary drop: Never dropped, luckily

Biggest negotiation regret: When accepting the initial job offer with my current company I wish I had pushed for a higher salary. When I found out how much everybody else earns I felt very underpaid for the amount of work I was doing.

Best salary advice: When applying for jobs, never tell them your actual salary as if you’ve been with your current company a while you’re probably underpaid compared to the market. Tell them what you think you should be earning as your market value, then you’ll be offered a better salary.