Talking about salaries, negotiating offers, and asking for a raise are a bit of a taboo. Depending on where you are in your career and employment cycle, you might have a variety of questions about money in the workplace. How to respond when the company asks about salary expectations during the first interview? Will the company retract their offer if you negotiate a higher offer? How to request a raise? I share suggestions about how to handle these and similar situations as they relate to money and work. I hope to help build your confidence in approaching and navigating this taboo topic for your financial success.

1. EVELINA DELEANU | NOV 2020
LET’STALKABOUT MONEY

2. MONEYISTABOO

3. SOMESTATS
- Women earn $0.82 for every $1 earned by men
- Wage gap is larger for most women of color
- Current wage gap translates to at least $0.5M+ earning power
- 31% of women are uncomfortable negotiating salary

4. GENDERWAGEGAP
Source: https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/women/reports/2020/03/24/482141/quick-facts-gender-wage-gap/

5. EARNINGSGAP
Source: https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/women/reports/2020/03/24/482141/quick-facts-gender-wage-gap/

6. MONEYISTABOO

7. - Work + money basics
- Looking for a job
- Negotiating an offer
- Asking for a raise
TOPICS

8. DISCLAIMER

9. WORK+MONEYBASICS

10. TYPESOFWORK
- Full-time, contract, freelance
- Full-time vs. contract/freelance hires are treated differently in the
workplace (and it is legal)
- Full-time, contract, freelance pay and benefits differ

11. FULL-TIMEWORKBASICS
- Organizations establish salary bands for each group of roles
- Salary bands are reviewed regularly
- Hiring an employee costs more than just salary, up to 25-40% extra
- Compensation package can include salary, health and dental
insurance, retirement savings plans, BOYD and office allowances,
stock, bonuses, PTO, etc.

12. SALARYBANDEXAMPLE
Source: https://hr.tulane.edu/content/career-band-and-salary-structure-enhancements

13. THEHIRINGMANAGER
- S/he does not determine but can influence pay
- S/he is usually not involved in negotiations

14. LOOKINGFORAJOB

15. DECIDEWHATYOUWANT/NEED
- Your skills and experience
- Job role and responsibilities (not just title)
- Job location
- Company size, type, industry
- Have a range

16. RESOURCES
- Glassdoor
- LinkedIn
- Salary.com
- ZipRecruiter
- UXPA Salary survey
- UXRC Salary Guide 2020
- Economic Research Institute (ERI)
- Robert Half Technology Group 2020 Salary Guide
- The Creative Group/Robert Half Creative &
Marketing 2020 Salary Guide
- MODIS Technology & Engineering 2020 Salary
Guide
- Vitamin Talent 2020 Salary Guide
- Onward Search Creative, Marketing and
Technology 2020 Salary Guide
- Robert Half 2020 Salary Guide
- Ranstad 2020 Salary Guide
- The DICE 2020 Tech Salary Report
- Paladin 2020 Salary Guide – Marketing, Creative,
Communications & Digital
- Payscale Accounting & Finance 2020 Salary
Guide
- Adecco 2020 Salary Guide
- Ajilon Professional Salaries Salary Guide 2020

17. SALARYCALCULATOR
Source: https://measuringu.com/salary-survey2018/

18. - Someone will ask
- Have a range
- Know your minimum
- Keep contract rates as an
option, but don’t share up front
KNOWYOURNUMBERS

19. - What if they ask me what I
make currently?
FAQ

20. - What if I just really need a job,
any job?
FAQ

21. - What if my number is too big?
FAQ

22. - Can we afford this candidate?
- Does the candidate have
reasonable and realistic
expectations?
MANAGER’SPERSPECTIVE

23. NEGOTIATINGANOFFER

24. YOUGOTANOFFER.YAY!
- Always take time to review the offer
- Be mindful of the timeline for you to make a decision
- Always ALWAYS A.L.W.A.Y.S. negotiate
- Decide what are must haves and nice to haves
- Be open to options that may not be base salary increases
- Any “special” benefit you are given might have an expiration date

25. CONTRACT/FREELANCEOFFER
- Ensure clear scope of work
- Examine cancellation clause
- Whose equipment and/or software will you use?
- Understand invoicing/payment schedule and time tracking
- Review the NDA

26. REDFLAGS
- Contract is not detailed, not explicit for standard items
- Lacking details about benefits
- Probation/cancellation clauses are generous to the company
- Make a decision on the spot
- Tight timeline for you to decide*

27. PROMISES
- Ask questions during the interview/negotiation process:
- What’s the path for promotion?
- How many people do you typically promote each year?
- What’s the average time to promotion?
- What portion of employees get a bonus each year?
- Some items will never make it into the offer/contract - follow up via
email during negotiations

28. - Will you retract the offer if I
negotiate?
FAQ

29. - Do you make an offer to more
than one candidate at once?
FAQ

30. - What if the offer is exactly
what I asked for?
FAQ

31. - What if I am waiting to hear
back from another company?
FAQ

32. - What if I have two offers?
FAQ

33. - Informal vs. formal offers
- How soon might you leave?
MANAGER’SPERSPECTIVE

34. ASKINGFORARAISE

35. SELF-AWARENESSCHECK
- You think you are ready for a promotion. Does your manager agree?
- Ask for clear promotion guidelines, accomplishments you need
- Document all your successes and regularly check in with your
manager about your progress
- Own your promotion path!

36. YOUFEELYOU’REUNDERPAID
- Recruiting and hiring is costly; smart companies focus on retention
- Research your salary market, focus on responsibilities over titles
- Ask where you are within the company’s salary band
- Ask about the likelihood of a raise, promotion, and the timeline
- Document your contributions, accomplishments
- Decide on your options before you ask for a raise and/or promotion
- Ask, then document the request and all related conversations

37. KEEPINMIND
- Promotion may or may not give you a raise
- A raise is a salary adjustment; other benefits are usually off the table
- Your manager plays an important role in your promotion
- Many factors that have nothing to do with you determine whether
you will get a promotion and/or a raise
- Switching jobs is what usually gives a salary the biggest increase

38. - Will I lose my job if I ask for a
raise?
FAQ

39. - I have an offer from a different
company, but I don’t really
want to leave. What should I
do?
FAQ

40. - My manager does not
advocate for my raise
FAQ

41. - I have a poor relationship with
my manager
FAQ

42. - Are you a retention risk?
- You’re part of a business
machine
MANAGER’SPERSPECTIVE

43. Q&A

44. - Graphic Design Salary Transparency project: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/
1aFoSJr1qWBH3nWMeoEdFP4her8NvI7RZf6skyQmOAsU/edit#gid=257041397
- MeasuringU + UXPA 2018 salary calculator: https://measuringu.com/salary-survey2018/
- Salary calculator on Hired.com: https://hired.com/salary-calculator?&primary_role_id=3&years_experience=2-4&market_id=1
- Graphic Design Salary Transparency Google spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/
1aFoSJr1qWBH3nWMeoEdFP4her8NvI7RZf6skyQmOAsU/edit#gid=257041397
- Design Census 2019: https://designcensus.org/
- Global Design Salary 2019 by Dribbble: https://dribbble.com/global-design-survey-2019
- Product Design salaries at big tech companies: https://www.levels.fyi/comp.html?track=Product%20Designer
- Salary Guide by Vitamin T: http://images.e.aquent.com/Web/Aquent/%7Bc851a607-
be91-4273-935a-3ca4c785005e%7D_Vitamin_T_Salary_Guide_2020_s.pdf
- Design Salary Guide by Coroflot: https://www.coroflot.com/designsalaryguide
- The Complete Graphic Designer Salary Breakdown (2020): https://www.shillingtoneducation.com/blog/graphic-designer-
salary/
- UX Research Salary Report 2020: https://www.uxrsalary.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/UXRC_Salary_Report_2020.pdf
- Game UXR salary survey: https://grux.org/career/salary-survey/
SALARYINFO

45. - Quick Facts about the Gender Wage Gap: https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/women/
reports/2020/03/24/482141/quick-facts-gender-wage-gap/
- A Woman’s Guide to Salary Negotiation: https://www.nytimes.com/guides/working-womans-
handbook/salary-negotiation-woman
- Shocking Facts about Negotiating Your Salary: https://www.payscale.com/salary-negotiation-
guide/8-surprising-facts-about-salary-negotiation
- 11 Tips when Negotiating Salary: https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2020/09/03/11-important-
tips-to-keep-in-mind-when-negotiating-your-salary/#2b5755d9780e
- Salary Negotiation Tips From White Men in Tech: https://www.keirstenbrager.tech/salarytips-part1/
- 10 Rules for Negotiating a Job Offer: https://haseebq.com/my-ten-rules-for-negotiating-a-job-offer/
- Salary negotiation strategies by Candor: https://candor.co/guides/salary-negotiation
- Salary Negotiation Scripts For Any Job by Glassdoor: https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/salary-
negotiation-scripts-for-any-job/-
WAGEGAP+NEGOTIATING