Let's Get You Paid!!

A bunch of awesome recruiters who are actively hiring and open to networking have added their names to this list - I am just blown away that we had nearly 100 recruiters generously volunteer to have their info shared with jobseekers. Please check it out and reach out to recruiters with roles in your areas of interest!

I saw this great post on LinkedIn from Hang Xu about how to handle the dreaded salary expectations question.

And it inspired this entire issue of Landed! Let’s talk about GETTING PAID!!

I asked YOU what was top of mind on this topic, and you voted for the topic of salary negotiations. So let’s talk about it!

Should I share my target salary?

I’m 100% in alignment with Hang on this one - and the suggestions/phrases they shared in their post are perfect.

From my perspective, companies have the market data and have policies for setting compensation. Your expectations should not be the reason they offer a higher or lower salary. So my suggestion?

Ask for the range; if they refuse, that’s a flag for me.

Two more great resources:

Amy Miller shares some great insights on her blog including language you can use when sharing your salary expectations.

And Kristen Fife has a really wonderful article explaining more about how salary is set. This can be helpful for doing market research as you figure out what kind of salary you might expect.

Understand the total rewards package

Compensation isn’t just your salary!

When I was a teacher, all we got was a set salary with bonuses for summer school or tutoring.

My first job out of the classroom brought in the element of retirement and perks that had monetary value - we received a stipend for internet and a cell phone!

Now, I work in a space where there are bonuses, equity, and countless perks - all of which have a lot of value.

So some tips here:

1. Make sure you actually understand the total package and what everything means. Kristen has another article that touches on this! I shared a post on this topic as well. And my friends at Teal created an entire course on this topic, complete with an offer analysis tool where you can put in all of the offer components to understand and compare offers.

2. Don’t be swayed by uncapped commission/bonus. Ask questions to understand what the average bonuses or commissions have actually been over the last few years, and what data will be used to determine how much you get. If you have the potential to earn $10k in bonuses but most people in your role get $1k annually, that’s important to know.

3. Same for equity! ESPECIALLY if they are lowballing you on salary. You don’t know what the value of the company could be and many companies, particularly pre-IPO, inflate these values. So do your research and recognize that equity may or may not be worth much (and certainly won’t pay your bills today unless it’s in the form of RSUs).

4. Factor in your priorities and which benefits you’ll actually use.
   Maybe one company offers a free gym membership and a hotspot for internet, while the other gives you a $100/month stipend to cover lifestyle spending. Well if you don’t go to the gym and don’t need a hotspot, than the $100 puts money in your pocket; the gym membership and hotspot go unused. There’s a $1200 difference between those two jobs now.
   Planning to have kids in the next few years? Well taking a $75k a year job at a company that offers 4 months of paid leave is probably a far better deal than $90k at a company that only offers unpaid FMLA.

All that said, don’t forget that a strong base salary gives you more growth over time:

Job 1 offers you 100k with no bonus, and promises a 5% increase each year.

Job 2 offers you 80k with a 20k annual bonus, and that same 5% increase.

Well in year 1, they are equal.

But by Year 2, Job 1 gives you a 5% increase putting you at 105k. Meanwhile, job 2 has you at only 104k.

And in year 3, Job 1 is now at $110,250. While Job 2 now pays $108,220.

And that difference will keep widening over time.

Should you negotiate?

I have a funny answer here…I hate negotiation and think it should be unnecessary - equitable compensation would mean that compensation is fair and consistent, and someone’s skill in negotiation is irrelevant.

But we live in the real world where things aren’t fair, so yes you should negotiate.

How?

Well my biggest tip is to focus not on why you want/need more money but on what value you bring that they may have missed.

So instead of “My rent just increased, would it be possible to increase the salary from $75k to $85k?”

You’ll want to say something like:

“I really appreciate this offer, but was hoping to come in around $85k. I recently completed my PMP certification, and worked 30 hours a week through college in roles that involved a lot of marketing and project management, and I want to ensure that my compensation accurately reflects the full experience and value I am bringing to your company.”

Explain to the company how you are worth more because of the value and impact you will bring.

And remember, everything is negotiable (though not necessarily at every company)

Some companies won’t negotiate salary at all, but they may be open to negotiating remote work or a sign-on bonus.

Some companies can negotiate salary, but their bonus and equity plans are set in stone.

Some companies will let you negotiate the terms of PTO or will offer to pay for a certification.

I’ve seen people negotiate parental leave when they weren’t eligible under company policy, or get flights to visit family each month paid for.

What’s negotiable varies by company, but you never know if you don’t ask. And if you’re willing to be creative, you might end up getting some really high value increases to your total package!

👀 Here’s some interesting stuff in my world! 👀

I was on the Remote Work Life podcast with Alex Wilson-Campbell - check it out here!

I contributed to a couple of articles on Built-In around navigating the offer stage. You can see them here and here!

This week's issue is published in partnership with HireQuotient, a next-gen HR tech solution designed to revolutionize your talent-sourcing process. HireQuotient offers a Generative AI powered sourcing and outreach tool, EasySource, that redefines the way you discover and connect with top talent, propelling your organization towards unprecedented success.

Don't miss the opportunity to see how HireQuotient's EasySource can empower your organization with a seamless and highly efficient hiring journey. It's free and simple to use. No one needs to know that a free tool is supporting your work!

🙋Answering Your Questions🙋

Each week, I’ll answer a few of your questions in this section. You can submit your questions here.

Well y’all - I’ll be real - I don’t have a great answer here and I’d rather say I don’t know than make something up! Since Ashleigh was open to having her contact info shared, I wanted to share her question and see if we can crowd source tips! Feel free to share directly with her, or respond to me!!

This is a tricky situation for sure. For what it’s worth, I’ve gotten messages like this from candidates - I always appreciate knowing; I know our recruiters are juggling a lot and even great recruiters WILL drop balls. I want to know so I can help, but I don’t view it as throwing them under the bus.

Here’s the kind of message I would send:

Hi HM,
I had a wonderful interview with RECRUITER last month that left me even more eager about moving forward in the process for ROLE on your team. I’m still waiting to hear back, but in the mean time, I wanted to reach out to you to let you know how excited I am about the opportunity. I am hopeful will have the opportunity to connect more formally about this role soon.
-YOUR NAME

This message:

• Flags that there’s a pretty long delay in the process while being generally positive and assuming the best in everyone.

• Allows you to make a direct connection which may result in the HM advocating for you.

Hope this helps and good luck!!

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The In-Flight Amenities 🍱

Each week, I share job openings within my network and a featured jobseeker that I hope we can all support in their job search.

Jobs you need to check out:
Zapier is hiring as always!
Recruiter opening at One Medical - posted by the hiring manager yesterday - move quickly!!
Passionate about parental leave and building community? Let’s get you hired at Parentaly!
Contract business development opportunity for someone with military experience/military spouses (posted by the recruiter!)
Senior level ops role at the Center for Black Educators (posted by the hiring manager!)
Opportunity at Oura (posted by their Head of Talent!)
Education org Leading Now has a Membership Director opening!
Senior people leaders - great list of Head of People openings here!
Very cool people ops opportunity with Teach For All - great for anyone interested in global education!
Here’s a remote support role in Canada, posted by the recruiter!
A former colleague has several openings on her team at the YMCA!
And as always, I share jobs regularly in my Talent Collective! (If you’d like to share jobs, we’d love to have you!)

A jobseeker you need to hire: Meet Nan Doud!
Like so many, I have a windy career path featuring stints in education, entrepreneurship/wedding photography, administration, content design, and UX (Research and Design). Product, with a strong bent toward customer experience, has been the common thread weaved throughout. Creating products and experiences that delight users, whether physical goods and services or software, has been my fuel.

Most recently, I transitioned into tech in UX Research and Product Design (Growth) at global CI/CD platform, CircleCI. I absolutely loved the fast pace and the complex challenges of the problem space. In mid-December, I was impacted by a 17% RIF. Since then, aside from applying for new roles, I've thoroughly enjoyed networking with folks through LinkedIn and have also continued prioritizing professional development through courses, certifications, and even tinkering with building my own product.

Outside of work, I love gardening, painting, photography, and tackling daunting home renovation and landscaping projects.

In terms of career interests:
Industries: SaaS, Developer tooling, Small Business software solutions, HealthTech, InsurTech, EdTech, Mental health, Real estate

Titles: Product Manager/Associate PM, Business Analyst/Associate BA, UX Researcher/Associate UXR, UX Designer, UX Writer

Industries and titles I'm open to are not exhaustive. Life has taught me the art of the pivot. It's through that flexibility that I've gained some of the most valuable experiences and learnings.

Think you might have a role that’s a good fit for Nan, or be able to help make a connection? Add her on LinkedIn, and let’s get Nan hired!

Interested in having your story shared? Sign up here!

_{For more resources to support you in your search, check out my Linktree.}
My content is seen by over 4 million people each month. Need help getting the word out about your brand? Let’s connect!