Your complete guide to salary negotiation for women in tech

Makers
6 min readAug 2, 2021

Tips, tricks and guidance on negotiating your worth in a male-dominated industry.

Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

The wage gap for women in tech has always been a problem, but as it becomes more publicised and documented, it’s becoming clear that it is a truly international issue.

In Silicon Valley, the median man earns 61% more than the median Silicon Valley woman (with women in Silicon Valley earning an average salary of $56,120, alongside the men’s average of $90,353). At Facebook, Google, Apple, and other top tech companies, women are offered 3% less money than men for the same tech job at the same company, based on 2019 data from Hired.

Here in the UK, within software development, we know that at the most junior level, women are earning £2,000 per year more than their male colleagues (£34,000 versus £32,000 per year). For women, this is a starting salary 11% higher than it was four years ago and 7% higher than their male counterparts.

Yet, the reverse is true for mid-ranking software developers. Within three years, men earn £2,500 more than women, averaging £51,500 and £48,000 respectively. Overall, the UK’s gender pay gap at 18.3%, which is higher than the EU-28 average (16%).

Although salary negotiation can help to change this, a Glassdoor survey showed that 68% of women do not negotiate pay, compared to 52% of men.

There could be many reasons for this, including that women can face backlash when approaching negotiations, which has been researched and published in the Journal of Applied Psychology.

Dartmouth business professor Jennifer Dannals, the lead author of the study, shares that most people do not go into negotiations with the explicit thought of ‘hating it when women are more assertive’. Instead, she explains that the reaction can come from unconscious bias around how men and women are ‘supposed to behave.

While the pressure should not lie solely with women to fix the issue, women can arm themselves with as much knowledge as possible to navigate this area.

We’ve run events in the past to help women learn more about salary negotiation and had the chance to hear from Kate Pljaskovova and Clare Sutcliffe at SheWins. SheWins empowers women to negotiate their value at work.

“78% of UK companies have a gender pay gap that favours men. 2 in 3 UK firms have a majority of men in the top jobs. When a woman doesn’t negotiate every new job package, she misses out on earning £600,000 more,” their website shares. “We know that it’s not actually women’s fault they are paid less than men; this is why we have designed a range of corporate training courses for businesses too,” they explain on their website.

We’ve also hosted Suzi Edwards-Alexander in the past, who founded Appartenir after spending 15 years building the global recruiting function at ThoughtWorks.

Here’s what we’ve learned about how women can negotiate their salaries.

It comes down to being aware of your value, having clarity over what you want before asking for it, and then taking a strategic approach.

1. Keep a spreadsheet tracking salaries when applying for roles

To ensure you get the right salary when going for a new role, Suzi Edwards-Alexander advises: “Always keep a spreadsheet of the roles your applying for and write down the salary that’s written on the job listing in case it changes or is taken down.” While many people keep track of the job ad URLs, it’s crucial to write down the salary stated as well.

2. Beware the loaded question: “What is your current salary?”

Suzi also advises proceeding cautiously when you’re asked, “What is your current salary?” It might seem innocent, but recruiters can use this question to offer a lower salary than the company could pay, so it’s vital to prep for this part of the negotiation.’ So what should you respond? “What salary has been budgeted for the role?” This puts the emphasis back on the recruiter and allows you a wider margin of discussion. Or you can say, “It’s super early to talk about that. I’m more comfortable talking about salary expectations right now.” This answers the question while allowing you to talk about the skills you’ll bring to the table first.

3. Do some desktop research around target salaries

Going into a salary negotiation without a number gives you less control and power over the conversation. So before anything else, it’s crucial to know market figures around how much people in your position are making, especially men. Do your research on the market rate for your role in your specific industry and your geographic area. Online research on websites like Google or Glassdoor can help, as can asking others in your field. A simple google search such as ‘software developer salaries in the UK’ will reveal crucial stats and info.

4. Ask recruiters to gauge market range

Recruiters spend their days matching people with companies, and so they are well-positioned to know the latest information on what people with your experience and expertise are getting paid. Most recruiters within your industry are open to being approached if you think you might work with them someday. Even if you can’t get a specific figure around how much you can expect to be paid, you will most likely be able to find out the range you should be aiming for.

5. Time it strategically

Many people think that performance review season is the best time to ask for a salary adjustment. However, by then, decisions have usually already been made around raises. Instead, talk to your boss three to four months in advance, as that is when budgets are being decided. This gives you time to ask for feedback, know what would need to change for you to earn more, and adjust accordingly.

6. Track your wins in a Google document linked to your personal email address

Whenever you get fantastic feedback on a piece of work, make sure to keep track of it in the cloud and attached it to your personal email address so that you can easily track it even if you change computers or emails. Make sure to have a one-page version of this that lists all the accomplishments, wins and testimonials you can talk about to demonstrate your value to the company. It’s much easier to keep this in real-time and to keep track as you go, instead of relying on memory when the time rolls around.

7. Ask for what you want, then let it hang without having to over-explain it

There will be a certain element of explaining why you’ve reached that number and showing that your request is fair and deserved. When you’re nervous, it’s easy to start talking more. But there’s no need to be afraid of silence. Research done at MIT’s Sloan School of Management showed that when both sides of a negotiation pause their talking for only a few seconds, they can reach mutually beneficial results.

Some books that can also be helpful are:

  • Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It — by Chris Voss
  • Beyond Reason: Using Emotions as You Negotiate — by Roger Fisher and Daniel Shapiro
  • Negotiating at Work: Turn Small Wins Into Big Gains — by Deborah Kolb and Jessica L. Porter
  • You Are a Badass at Making Money — by Jen Sincero
  • You’re Not Broke You’re Pre-Rich — by Emilie Bellet

While it’s an industry-wide problem, many companies are trying to make it a fairer playing field for their teams. In the meantime, the onus is largely on individuals to address their situations. As Carrie Fisher said, “Everything is negotiable. Whether or not the negotiation is easy is another thing.”

To find out how we’re supporting and uplifting women in tech this year, head here to learn more about our Women in Software 2021 initiative.

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