Techniques for Talking About Salary Expectations with Your Boss

If I had a dollar for every man who has walked into my office and told me with utter conviction that what I was paying him was a crime against humanity and would be considered an act of war in some small countries, I would be a billionaire. I’ve never been approached like this by a female employee. I’m not advocating that women do this since it never works for the men who try, but I’m worried still by how quiet women are when it comes to comp conversations. Avoiding the comp conversation is a terrible strategy; so is approaching it like a war crime tribunal at The Hague. Regardless of your gender, here’s what you do:  🧠 Mindset before method. 🧠   Forget your fears. Ditch the imposter syndrome – even if you can only manage to do that for the length of the conversation. You’re in a market. Claim value. If you’re delivering the goods, there is nothing untoward about having a compensation conversation with your boss. (If your boss recoils from a comp conversation, it might be time to find a new one.) 📊 Show up to the table with facts. 📊 Plainly share the projects you’ve been working on. “Here are my contributions, and here are the outcomes that I’ve achieved.” Rehearse it in front of a mirror until you feel confident and clear. Focus on facts, not feelings. 📍Situate yourself.📍 “Here’s my understanding of the role and where it sits in the market. Here are comps.” 💰Make the ask.💰   “I’m looking to be considered for xyz in compensation which I believe is more commensurate with my contributions.” 👎If it’s a no, find out what you need to do to get to a yes. 👍 Look, the answer might be “no” for all sorts of reasons (including the possibility that you have a meaningful amount of equity you’re not ascribing enough value to) – but you can’t walk out of the room (or the Zoom) without a clear understanding of A. Why the answer is no, and B. What you need to accomplish in your role to get to a “yes.” Ask for specifics.

TLDR: If you identify as a woman, you should assume you are underpaid unless you have specific data showing you’re not. In a perfect world, your employer would fix that on their own. We do not live in a perfect world; it is time to ask for a raise. — In a capitalist system, wage should be correlated with value. Your pay conversation should be on in the value you provide, which is an equation: market x level = value (and therefore wage). So never bid against yourself. When asked about salary expectations, simply say “I expect to be paid fairly so I can focus on my work and I know you want the same. When we get to the stage where we both want to move forward, we should look at the data together and determine what is fair and equitable given both the current market and my unique experience.” That should be met with respect by your prospective employer and if it isn’t, you probably don’t want to work for them. When you come to the conversation, you want to make sure you have your own data. You can look at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (link in comments) and other open roles that list a range (legally required in many states). If your role doesn’t have a posted salary, remind them that it should and ask them to let you know what it is before starting the conversation. Then you want to make an argument for why you are uniquely positioned above the median. What unique skills and experiences do you have that will bring more value to the business than the average candidate for this role? Is there something that will help you hit the ground running? Something that will raise your overall ability to have impact? The more objective those reasons, the better, but this is also a moment for persuasion - practice your storytelling on a friend (or on me; link in comments will let you schedule a free call and I’m happy to coach you a bit). Women remain underpaid in almost every country in the world and that is intersectional with ethnicity, credential, and many other factors. Every time you negotiate, you make it easier for others to do the same and together, we move the needle. At the same time, there is data that shows that women in the US now ask for raises more often than men and yet are still less likely to get them. So managers: if someone asks you for a raise and proves their value, you owe them money. It is not a favor you owe them, it is literally how compensation works. Helping them find the right market and uniqueness data, and then pushing it through the appropriate channels, is your job. Do your job.

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝘆. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝘂𝗱𝗲. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁. I’ve coached many smart professionals. They worked hard but still felt underpaid. Not because they lacked skills. But because they didn’t know how to ask. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱, 𝗮𝘄𝗸𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱, 𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲. Some stayed silent and regretted later. Others spoke too fast and lost respect. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗜 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲. It helps you ask — with confidence. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟱 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸: 🔹 𝟭. 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 • Don’t guess your worth. • Look up what others earn. • Use sites like Glassdoor or Levels.fyi. • Ask people in the same field. • Know your role, your skills, your price. 📌 When you know the real range, you stop asking for too little. 🔹 𝟮. 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗔𝘀𝗸 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 • Don’t ask about money too early. • Wait until they offer you the job. • Once they like you — you have power. • Now, it’s your turn to ask well. 📌 Asking too soon weakens your position. Let them want you first. 🔹 𝟯. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 • Don’t say one fixed number. • Say a salary range instead. • Start from the higher side. 𝗦𝗮𝘆 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲: “Based on my research, $150K–$195K seems fair.” 📌 A range shows confidence and research. It opens room to talk, not fight. 🔹 𝟰. 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 Don’t just say “I worked hard.” 𝗦𝗮𝘆 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗻. Did you save time or money? Did you help grow revenue? 📌 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲, 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲: “My last project saved $215K.” That turns your ask into a business case. 🔹 𝟱. 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗮𝗴𝗲 • Salary is not the only thing. • Also ask about bonus, perks, growth. • Maybe the base pay is fixed, • but you can get better rewards elsewhere. 📌 𝗦𝗮𝘆: “Can we talk about bonus or raise plans?” This shows you’re thinking long-term. 🔹 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁: • They check what others earn first. • They wait until they get the offer. • They give a range, not one number. • They talk about their value clearly. • They ask about bonus and growth too. 𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀. 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸. 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝘆. 📌 You’ll find all this in my infographic below. ✅ Easy to follow. ✅ Real sentences you can use. ✅ A full example at the end. 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁 + 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁? Comment “𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗬 𝗧𝗢𝗢𝗟𝗞𝗜𝗧” and I’ll DM it. • You can ask. • You can stay respectful. • And you can get paid better. 𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁. 👉 𝗗𝗠 me if you want 1-on-1 help.   #peakimpactmentorship #growth #leadership #dnaofinfluence #success  

If you accept the first salary offer, you just left money on the table. Most people do this. They get an offer, and instead of pushing back some… they just take it. That’s exactly what one of my students almost did, until I showed them how to negotiate like they should. Here’s what happened: They were working as a Systems Engineer and landed an offer for $10K more than their current salary. Not bad, right? But then they did some research. The market rate for their role was actually $10K-$20K HIGHER than what they were offered. So they came to me and said, “Broadus, I know I deserve more, but how do I ask for it?” This is what I told them: You don’t just ask for more money. You PROVE why you’re worth it. Here’s the exact script I gave them: 👉🏾 Hey [Recruiter’s Name], based on my research and experience, I’d love to revisit the salary discussion. Here are four key reasons why: 1️⃣ I’ve been in an engineering role for over a year and a half, gaining the necessary experience. 2️⃣ During interviews, hiring managers told me I exceeded expectations. 3️⃣ As an internal hire, I understand the company’s process, reducing ramp-up time. 4️⃣ I already have 70-80% of the required skills for this position. Based on industry data, this role in my location typically pays between $X and $Y. 👉🏾 What are the chances we can meet at [$X] instead? And guess what? The recruiter came back with a $10K increase. Here’s why this works: 👉🏾 It’s a logical, value-based argument, not an emotional plea. 👉🏾 It provides specific proof, you’re showing, not just telling. 👉🏾 It uses market data, you’re backing your ask with facts. 👉🏾 It’s a COLLABORATION, not a demand, the phrase “What are the chances?” makes it a discussion. If you’re about to negotiate your salary, do these three things: ✅ Research your salary range (Glassdoor, Levels.fyi, LinkedIn Salary Insights). ✅ List out your key value points, what makes you the best choice? ✅ Use this script and ask with confidence. The first offer? It’s NEVER their best offer. Negotiate. Ask. Demand your worth. If you want more real-world strategies to land high-paying cloud roles, drop a "Script" in the comments, and I will send you a script you can use on your negotiations!

How to answer "What are your salary expectations?" 👇 I still remember the first time I was asked this question. I panicked. I didn’t want to ask for too much and risk losing the job… but I also didn’t want to lowball myself. So I said something vague like, "I’m open to anything." And guess what? After getting hired, I realized they paid me the lowest end of their range. I learned 3 lessons. ↳ You have to come in prepared ↳ You have to know your worth AND know how to communicate it. ↳ I will never make that same mistake again. 👇 So here’s how to answer this question with confidence: ✅ Step 1: Do Your Research Look up the industry standard for your role in your location. Use sites like Glassdoor, Levels FYI, or #LinkedIn Salary to get a ballpark figure. ✅ Step 2: Anchor Your Value Instead of throwing out a number blindly, connect it to your skills and experience: "Based on my experience in [specific skills] and the value I bring, a competitive range for me would be [$X–$Y]." ✅ Step 3: Flip the Question Back If possible, get them to reveal their range first: "I’d love to understand more about the budget for this role. Could you share the range you had in mind?" This way, you'll ensure you come in prepared to land the BEST offer! 🧡 You've got this --------- PS: If you found this helpful ♻️ Share this post to help others on their career journey! 🧡 Follow Karla Aljanabi for more interview advice that actually works!