Since starting his career in 2014, Sara Bonuh Worked in consulting giant Accenture and three big tech companies. But she was still struggling along Imposter syndromeEspecially around Talk of compensation.
“Going into negotiations is always, at least for me, a very uncomfortable discussion,” Baunoh told Business Insider. “I just want to go ahead and ask for what I deserve.”
Bounoh, originally from Morocco, worked at Accenture in Paris and later moved to the US, where she worked at Microsoft and Snap. She is currently a Product Manager at Meta in the company’s Seattle office.
She shares three tips for negotiating compensation before joining a company or when trying to get a promotion.
Competitive offers
“The best strategy is if you have competing offers,” she said.
It gives you options and more confidence.
“It doesn’t mean you won’t be respected or anything like that, but it gives you more negotiating chips,” Baunoh said. She added that she is one Most data-driven strategiesBecause you can give numbers from competing offers.
Baunoh said she tried unsuccessfully Negotiating his salary That’s when she converted her internship into a full-time role at Accenture. It was her first job, and she had no competing offers.
“When I joined Microsoft, I had a few years of experience behind me so I could try to negotiate the level and the salary that comes with it.”
Practice the pitch
Negotiating a promotion or raise is a difficult conversation, and it is Helpful to practice Exactly what you are going to say, Baunoh said.
She considers how her skills map to the job and considers a reasonable counteroffer.
Baunoh said he practiced his pitch for each job after Accenture and offered salary increases for all three jobs: 32% at Microsoft, 19% at Snap and 37% at Meta.
Avoid giving the number first
If you can, avoid offering the first number. If you do, don’t do it without research, Baunoh said.
She suggests using resources like Levels.fyi or Glassdoor and selecting your role and geography to view Latest offers and returns It makes sense for the role.
“Some recruiters actually ask about compensation expectations from the first call,” she said. “I personally don’t like to have a detailed conversation with a recruiter about level and compensation from that first call because I want to meet the team, I want to meet the hiring manager, I want to be excited about the role.”
Baunoh prefers to negotiate his level and compensation once an offer is on the table.
She said she is often asked about salary expectations early in the process because recruiters have good intentions and want to save time for both parties.
She politely refuses to share the number, telling the recruiter: “I don’t have your number right now. I will have to do some research before contacting you. At this point in the process, I’m more focused on meeting the hiring manager and the team.”
See multiple components
Tech compensation typically has three main components: a base, which is determined by seniority; sign-on or annual bonuses; and restricted stock units.
Negotiating the level of your role, which determines compensation in all three categories, is difficult to do. It’s nearly impossible for new hires, as Baunoh transitioned into a full-time Accenture employee.
She said she was focused Most of his negotiations revolve around RSUs and bonusesExcept at Microsoft, when she didn’t feel the level offered aligned with her experience.
“They didn’t consider my consulting experience, but after I made the right arguments about how the consulting skills were transferable, they managed to raise my level,” she said.
Increasing base salary can also help increase target performance bonuses, which can range from 10% to 20% of base depending on the level and company, Baunoh said.
Another strategy is to come up with competitive offers with a highly personalized component.
“You don’t have to share numbers from competing offers, but I would recommend it if you want the company to match it,” she said. “However, I would certainly not recommend starting a “bidding war” between competing offers.
Instead of negotiating different components at different stages, ask for your full refund at once, she said.
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