This 37-Year-Old IT Professional Got A $8,000 Raise With A Counter Offer
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In our series My Salary Story, 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 eight years, and interested in contributing your salary story? Email us here.
Previously, we talked to a 31-year-old Managing Director who quadrupled her salary in nine years and a 29-year-old Senior Product Marketing Manager who was denied a raise based on her age.
Age: 37
Current Location: Greater Phoenix, AZ
Current Industry & Title: Project Manager/Tools Engineer, IT
Starting Salary: $55,000 (2003)
Current Salary: $127,000-$137,000 ($112,000 base, with a bonus of $15,000 to $25,000 depending on company performance)
Number Of Years Employed: 15
Biggest Salary Jump: $5,000 base increase plus a $3,000 bonus, and the $15,000-25,000 yearly bonus
Biggest Salary Drop: "I am lucky to say I have not yet had to deal with a salary drop."
Biggest Salary Negotiation Regret: "Not asking for more out of college. I have realized that the lower your base pay, the harder it is to negotiate up. That being said, my initial offer was fair, but I know now that I could have gotten more if I had asked. My regret is not asking."
Best Salary-Related Advice: "The best salary-related advice came from one of the engineers on my team that ironically reported up to me. We became friends and I shared with him that I had an offer from a company I was considering moving to, but was a little unhappy with the initial offer. He and a few friends at work helped me draft a counter-offer letter. Then while editing the letter, he added an additional $10,000 to my original counteroffer. I remember looking at him in shock, and he told me that I deserved it and he was sure I would get it. I decided to leave the number as is and I'm grateful I did because they gave me $8,000 out of the $10,000 I asked for. That's an extra $8,000 that year that I wouldn't have gotten if I hadn't asked for it.
Current Location: Greater Phoenix, AZ
Current Industry & Title: Project Manager/Tools Engineer, IT
Starting Salary: $55,000 (2003)
Current Salary: $127,000-$137,000 ($112,000 base, with a bonus of $15,000 to $25,000 depending on company performance)
Number Of Years Employed: 15
Biggest Salary Jump: $5,000 base increase plus a $3,000 bonus, and the $15,000-25,000 yearly bonus
Biggest Salary Drop: "I am lucky to say I have not yet had to deal with a salary drop."
Biggest Salary Negotiation Regret: "Not asking for more out of college. I have realized that the lower your base pay, the harder it is to negotiate up. That being said, my initial offer was fair, but I know now that I could have gotten more if I had asked. My regret is not asking."
Best Salary-Related Advice: "The best salary-related advice came from one of the engineers on my team that ironically reported up to me. We became friends and I shared with him that I had an offer from a company I was considering moving to, but was a little unhappy with the initial offer. He and a few friends at work helped me draft a counter-offer letter. Then while editing the letter, he added an additional $10,000 to my original counteroffer. I remember looking at him in shock, and he told me that I deserved it and he was sure I would get it. I decided to leave the number as is and I'm grateful I did because they gave me $8,000 out of the $10,000 I asked for. That's an extra $8,000 that year that I wouldn't have gotten if I hadn't asked for it.
"In the end, my biggest advice is to see your worth and ask for it. They can always say no, but what if they say yes? As a woman in IT, where we are so few and far between, it's especially important to see our worth and fight for it."
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