50InTech | What I really really want: Salary Negotiation Bootcamp Edition 2 — Recap Day #1
If you missed the Bootcamp, you probably have the same preoccupations as my female colleagues and friends such as “I have grocery shopping to do”, “I have my twin girls to check”, “Sorry I do not have time during the lunch break”, “Do not worry, I will watch the replay whenever I have some time”.
Obviously, these women do not have the time, have higher priorities such as children, home, rendez-vous…
These notes were supposed to stay in a google doc shared with my dearest female friends but I decided this year to make it public to help a larger number of women.
Here is the recap and take-aways of the conferences of the day.
- The state of salaries and the gender pay gap in European Tech
- How to miss out on your potential
- How to negotiate your first offer
1. The state of salaries and the gender pay gap in European Tech
by Caroline Ramade — CEO at 50InTech and Virgile Raingeard — CEO at Figures
50 InTech introduction
18,45% Gender pay gap for women in tech in Europe.
50InTech address the gender pay gap on two fronts:
- Salary transparency, fair hiring, promotion practices
- Better negotiation, women empowering women
Representation
- 41% of women in product and design
- 26% of women in data
- 10% of women in software
Glass ceiling in Tech
The glass ceiling represents the social barrier preventing women from begin promoted to top jobs in management.
Why it can be difficult for women to break the glass ceiling:
- Missing representation in C-level roles
- Not enough attractive for women
- Mainly because other factors
“Gender pay gap is more a symptom of other factors. We need to find the root causes to fix the gender gap.” by Virgile Raingeard
The salaries numbers
Slide from 50InTech What I really really want bootcamp Edition #2
Why pay gap
Here is a sample of reasons for the pay gap:
- Underrepresentation of women in tech
- Discrimination
- Unconscious biases
- Conscious Biases
- …
Even if the pay gap numbers do not seem huge, there is a tiny chance you could break the glass ceiling. It is currently more likely you would stay stuck at a medium place, never access leaders and C-levels roles, and do not earn male top management salaries.
Negotiation is the main factor when coming to the same roles.
How it works in companies
Women negotiate less than men. Even when they negotiate they are less likely to get what they ask for.
Most of the time, companies keep a grid salary to have a pay reference. As a candidate, you can negotiate in the range (e.g.: 50K to 60K) corresponding to your role and experience.
Nevertheless, when you enter a company, pay rise negotiations are done at a higher level and end individually really low (0% to 1 %).
At the end of the day, this budget is out of your control, which justifies the importance of negotiating at the entry.
Entry salary is crucial. This Bootcamp is about to be well equipped to negotiate.
What does it mean for you?
Never provide your current salary but give your expected one.
Use tools such as PayScale, Glassdoor, or the coaching provided by 50InTech to know your worth on the market. Do your research and prepare your numbers.
Solutions
- The compensation calculator
- Tools like PayAnalytics for HR
- Communities such as 50InTech
You can read more in detail about the solutions in Caroline Ramade’s article.
2. How to miss out on your potential
by Yasmine Guerin, creator of the Negotiatress method and expert in negotiation
I help women negotiate authentically for themselves without feeling like they have to give up their identity.
She began her talk with the question: What are you worth?
Be paralyzed into inaction
Do not be paralyzed even if it is scary. Take the lead of your future and take action.
Avoid Conflict
Even though it can be tricky, you should feel comfortable with conflicts. Do not avoid conflict by saying “I know my boss is going upset”. Do not disregard the “phobia” of conflicts but understand what is in front of you.
To be properly grown, the only way to get out of that is to face conflicts. A slight level of conflict can be the way to get what you want.
“I encourage you to notice if you are standing out from conflicts and to do an introspection of the why.” by Yasmine Guerin
Fear the wonky
Most of the time, we aka women are afraid to express ourselves and fear ruining everything.
Making mistakes is okay. Imperfections and mistakes are a way to grow. You do not have to be 100% or 200% percent to try to get the things you want. Where do you want to be, where do you want to grow when you ask for more That fear is the one holding you back.
Do not be paralyzed, Embrace conflicts, embrace your wonky!
Growing through mistakes is amazing!
Ask yourself: How do I feel more confident?
3. How to negotiate your first offer
by Morgane Dion, founder of EquallyWork and the author of the book “Petit manuel de combat contre le sexisme au travail”
Equal pay for equal work
For 1$ earned by men, women earn $0,80.
You are not paid what you are worth, you are paid what you negotiate.
Cost of Negotiating
Nice girls don’t get paid, and the women well paid are seen as bossy.
Morgane advice: Keep it rational. (More info below)
The silence comes with a price: $1 million.
Research revealed that no negotiation of a starting salary can result in a 45-year career to a loss between $650,000 and $1 million.
Salary negotiation 101
1. Know your worth
- List your budget, what you need to have a comfortable life.
- List what will the job afford you (dream company, opportunities, network)
- Balance with the sacrifice you are willing to make for the job
Check the internal culture, employees' postures, policies. It is not always about what you know, but what your network knows.
Write your numbers:
- F*** You number: Below it, you refuse the offer
- Oh Yeah number: F**c number + 10%
- Hallelujah! number: Oh Yeah number + 10%
Hallelujah! number is the one you are going to ask for. Be ambitious by staying realistic. At the end of the day, you should get the Oh Yeah number.
Watch out: Do not base your numbers on your current/previous salary because you are going to replicate the possibly underpaid one.
As a side note, do not take into account the compensations!
2. Keep it rational
Use rational facts such as accomplishments, how you contributed to previous projects to explain why you are worth the investment.
Follow the money!
Understand how the company makes money, their goals, and how your previous achievements can help them reach them.
3. Define your superpower
Leadership, enthusiasm, positivity, interpersonal skills…
Do your Homework
Speak the right body language, practice role-play with friends, family.
Feel comfortable in your close.
Take the power pose! The body can influence the mind, reciprocally. Practice the scenario
Now, go get paid!
Hit the common button to share your feelings about negotiations! Tag me on LinkedIn Donia Chaiehloudj and spread the word! If you are too shy, please shoot me a message.
If you did not see my top 5 women in cloud-native development in 2021 and me talking about the importance of role models here is a link.
My Top 5 Women Motivational Speakers in Cloud-Native Development in 2021