Salary Story: I Got Tactical With My Salary & Now I Earn 93k

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Age: 32
Location: Birmingham
Current industry and job title: Senior programme manager, telecoms
Current salary: £93,500
Number of years employed since school or university: Seven

Starting salary and year: £27,000 in 2014
Biggest salary jump: £0 to £93,500 after regaining employment post-redundancy in 2021
Biggest salary drop: £85,000 to £0 in 2020

Biggest negotiation regret: When I moved jobs for the first time I told them my actual salary rather than market rate. They gave me a £10,000 increase on my base salary but that didn't factor in the overtime and expenses I had previously. Other people on my grade were earning more than £30,000 more than me too. I regret not researching market rate.

I learned from this with my following job moves and pushed for salaries fitting the responsibility.

Best salary advice: 1. Never enter your actual salary when they ask. Only ever enter market salary.

2. The benefit package matters, always look at the bigger picture. I changed jobs six weeks into a company as I was offered a higher paying role where I'd also get a much better maternity package. This was a £15,000 difference purely on maternity pay. Not to mention the better pension package (5% personal contribution, 10% company). 

3. Companies do not always appreciate your worth until you have another offer in your hand. I know people that have stayed in the same company and have been promoted with tiny salary increases. Even those that have been promoted to a higher seniority (director level) aren't earning the same amount. 

In my case I was able to reach higher salaries through promotions in job moves rather than in company promotions, negotiating my salary as I progressed and moved around.