When it comes to <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/negotiate-salary-offer">negotiating a job offer</a> or <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/how-to-ask-for-a-raise">asking for a raise</a>, most of us tend to focus solely on salary. We forget that our benefits are another piece in our total compensation package and when we ignore this, we’re leaving a ton of money on the table. In fact, according to the <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm">United States Bureau of Labor Statistics</a>, benefits make up approximately 29% of total compensation costs.&nbsp;No amount of pizza parties are going to make up for that.

Jimmy fallon gif saying that's a lot of money

Knowing which benefits are negotiable and how to approach the subject in negotiations will help you secure a compensation package that you’re happy with.Key points:<ul><li>Negotiate your entire compensation package, not just salary.</li><li>Negotiating doesn’t always mean getting paid more money. It could also mean gaining more work-life balance through your benefits package.</li><li>Some benefits are legally required based on the size of the company and type of role.</li><li>Don’t wait until the job offer phase to bring up benefits. Leverage introductory talks with recruiters and job interviews to ask about salary and benefit information.</li><li>If a company can’t budge on salary or a specific benefit, you can get creative with your counter by bringing up other benefits to negotiate for.</li></ul>

&nbsp;<h2>What else can you negotiate besides salary?</h2>There are 2 types of benefits a company offers to its employees: statutory benefits which are mandatory and voluntary benefits that an employer chooses to offer.&nbsp;Employers are legally required to cover benefits like Medicare and Social Security, unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation insurance, health coverage, and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) protections. If they don’t provide these benefits under the federal and state requirements set for each, they could be penalized. For instance, under the Affordable Care Act, employers with 50 or more full-time employees are legally required to provide health insurance or pay penalty fees to the IRS.

Then there are other benefits that a company may include in their benefits package to show employees their commitment to them and increase their ability to retain good talent. These are voluntarily offered by the company depending on their values and are usually negotiable depending on the company and their flexibility to offer more or less of a specific benefit.Benefits you can typically negotiate include:<ul><li>Better health benefits</li><li>Work flexibility like remote work, work-from-home or work-from-anywhere days, flexible hours, a 4 day work week, etc.</li><li>A later start date</li><li>A sign-on bonus</li><li>Stock options</li><li>More paid or unpaid vacation time</li><li>More paid time off (PTO) days</li><li>A higher matching percentage for employer-sponsored retirement plans such as <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/401k-rollovers">401(k)s</a></li><li>Volunteer days</li><li>Relocation assistance</li><li>Home office stipend</li><li>Company-paid phone plans</li><li>Transportation reimbursement</li><li>Performance incentives like bonuses</li><li>Tuition reimbursement</li><li>Learning or development stipends such as paid trainings, conference attendance, and other events</li><li>Professional memberships</li><li>More parental leave</li><li>Child care assistance</li><li>Family planning benefits</li><li>Sabbaticals</li><li>Wellness benefits like gym membership reimbursement and mental health resources</li><li>Guaranteed severance packages in the event of a <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/what-to-do-when-you-get-laid-off">layoff</a></li></ul>

How do you feel about a 4-day work week? NYC📍#salarytransparentstreet

If you don’t know where to begin when negotiating benefits, ask yourself this question:What benefits would have the biggest impact on your life, health, well-being, and work-life balance?Negotiating for additional benefits isn’t only about increasing your overall compensation package but also about ensuring that you have the support you need to succeed in your role and maintain a healthy work-life balance. Knowing exactly what you want is going to make this process much easier.&nbsp;

gossip girl gif saying i know what i want and I'm gonna get it

<h2>When should you negotiate benefits?</h2>You probably don’t want to go through an entire job interview process only to find out in the job offer that they don’t offer health insurance, which is a pretty important benefit. It’s a good idea to research what benefits a company offers when applying to a job. In states like Washington, there are <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/pay-transparency-laws">pay transparency laws</a> that require employers to post both the salary and benefits in the job posting. Whether they do or don’t have that information available, you’re allowed to ask them about it at any point in the interview process (it's a great question to use as an answer to the<a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/job-interview-questions-and-answers"> job interview question</a>, "Do you have any questions for us?")Similar to discussing salary expectations in the introductory interview, it’s best to ask about the benefits package upfront along with the salary range. Use this time to set expectations with the hiring manager about what you’re looking for in a total compensation package. You can even ask for any external documentation they can share that explains their benefit package.

When you receive the job offer, be prepared to ask for any additional benefits that aren’t in the benefit package. If you’re negotiating a higher salary, you can also ask for certain benefits you would like and/or ask for them when countering an offer from a company that can’t budge on salary.<h2>How to Negotiate Benefits in a Job Offer</h2>Remember that negotiations aren’t battles, they’re partnerships. You’re working with the hiring manager, not against them, to come to an agreement that works for the both of you. Avoid being short, cold, or too cut-throat in your communication with them.When receiving and <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/negotiate-salary-offer">negotiating a job offer</a>, a good rule of thumb is to use the 24-hour rule to review the offer, so you can respond with confidence, knowing exactly what you want and how you’re going to ask for it. If they didn’t share the full compensation package with the job offer, first ask for that. This should include both the salary and benefits. Then lead with excitement and gratitude before countering with a higher salary, more benefits, or both.Refer the script structure from our <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/salary-negotiation-scripts">salary negotiation scripts </a>guide to put together a response along the lines of:“Thank you so much! I really enjoyed meeting with you, getting to know the team, and think this role is a perfect fit for me. Before accepting the offer, there are a few things I want to discuss. The salary is much lower than my market rate for this position. Based on the scope of the role, my experience, skills, and the results I’ve been able to drive in my professional career that I intend to bring to this position, I am interviewing for roles that offer a salary between [$X and $X] and [insert any benefits that are important to you]. What can we do to come to an agreement?”

If you’re only negotiating for additional benefits and are happy with the salary offer, use a script similar to this:“Thank you for this opportunity and I'm excited to work with the team! Before I accept the offer, I would like to discuss the compensation package and see if we can include a few additional benefits. My experience, skills, and value I’ve been able to demonstrate in my prior roles warrants a higher compensation package. I’d be eager to accept the offer with a $10,000 sign-on bonus, an additional 5 days of PTO, and flexible hours.”If you’ve tried to negotiate a higher salary and the company can’t budge due to budget constraints, and you really want the job, use a script like this for your counter:“Thank you for working through the details of the offer with me. I understand the company doesn’t have the budget to go higher on the salary. However, I’d be eager to accept the offer with [state the benefits you’d like to negotiate for] included in my contract.”Try to read the hiring manager to see if they are at their limit or not, and if you’re able to gently push for more.<h2>How to Negotiate Benefits When Asking for a Raise or During Employee Reviews</h2>Employee<a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/how-to-prepare-for-a-performance-review"> performance reviews</a> and raise discussions have a slightly different context than negotiating during a job offer. You’ve already been at the company for quite some time and have hard evidence of the value your work brings. Lead with that!During employee reviews, use this script as a guide to draft out your own:“Thank you for meeting with me today. I’ve been with the company for [X] years now and love the work I do, as well as the team I work with. Together, we’ve completed a number of successful projects together that yielded results like [explain some results you’ve driven in your role]. However, in that time, the scope of the role has changed with several additional responsibilities. Before I can fully commit to those, I would like to review my compensation package and reach an agreement that better suits these new responsibilities. Considering the value I bring, in addition to industry standards, similar positions recently posted on the company’s website, my experience, skills, &amp; market rate, I believe a salary of [$X] makes the most sense moving forward. I’m also interested in discussing more paid time off and a fully remote work arrangement.”

prince harry motioning a mic drop with the word Boom

<h2>Stand Your Ground</h2>You have every right, and the power, to negotiate for the benefits that matter most to you. After you state or send over your requests, leave it at that. Don’t add any fluff or passiveness that might show these are flexible and aren’t that much of a big deal to you. Embrace awkward silences and try not to cave under the pressure.&nbsp;Most importantly, once both sides come to an agreement, make sure that any negotiated benefits, perks, and salary are in writing as a part of your contract. If they’re not in your contract, they can change and take them away at any time.&nbsp;That wraps it up for this week. Until then, stay awesome, stay strong, and keep advocating for yourself! I’m Daniella, writer, engineer, and creator of <a href="https://iliketodabble.com/">I Like to Dabble </a>and <a href="https://iliketodabble.com/remote-work-bestie/">Remote Work Bestie</a> - my blog and podcast for leveling up your money, career, and side hustles. I’m extremely passionate about workers' rights and financial freedom, so it’s a pleasure to be able to bring you this type of content through the <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub">Salary Transparent Street blog</a> (thank you for the opportunity, Hannah!) You can also follow me on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/iliketodabbleblog/">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@iliketodabble">TikTok</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellamarquez/">Linkedin</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/iliketodabble">Twitter</a>. Chat soon!Do you know if you're being underpaid? <a href="https://salarytransparentstreet.beehiiv.com/p/underpaid-quiz">Take our free quiz</a> to find out!Need help determining your market rate? Download our free <a href="https://view.flodesk.com/pages/626ccc8e1e8046b220253e47">Market Research Guide</a> to learn what you should be making.Explore over 5,000+ individually reported salaries nationwide across all industries in our <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/salary-database">Salary Database</a>!Follow us on <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@salarytransparentstreet">TikTok</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/salarytransparentstreet/">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/salarytransparentstreet">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/salarytransparentstreet">YouTube </a>and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/salarytransparentstreet/">LinkedIn </a>for daily pay transparency interviews and career news you can use!Subscribe to our <a href="https://salarytransparentstreet.beehiiv.com/subscribe">weekly newsletter</a> for news updates, professional deep dives, learning opportunities, and more!Send us an email ➡️ hello@salarytransparentstreet.com

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Featured image with a green background and title text overlay that reads how to negotiate benefits

How to Negotiate Benefits & Other Things Besides Salary

Your gender shouldn’t have anything to do with how much you get paid. It also shouldn’t have anything to do with how much you’re able to negotiate for. However, we unfortunately live in a world where discrimination happens and that discrimination can even lead to long-term financial impact.The <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2023/03/01/the-enduring-grip-of-the-gender-pay-gap/#:~:text=The%20gender%20pay%20gap%20%E2%80%93%20the,every%20dollar%20earned%20by%20men.">gender pay gap</a> shows that women earn 82 cents for every dollar earned by men. Additionally, transgender women earn 60 cents, and transgender men and non-binary folks earn 70 cents for every dollar a cisgender man earns, according to the <a href="https://www.hrc.org/resources/the-wage-gap-among-lgbtq-workers-in-the-united-states">Human Rights Campaign</a>. These can lead to thousands and even millions of dollars less earned over the lifetime of their careers.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/faculty/margaret-neale">Margaret Neale</a>, a professor at Stanford, did an interesting analysis that shows that not negotiating is equivalent to working an additional 8 years. This shows that <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/negotiate-salary-offer">negotiating salary</a> is absolutely important for not only your financial well-being, but also your professional success in your career trajectory.&nbsp;Negotiations themselves can’t solve <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/pay-discrimination">pay discrimination</a>, the gender pay gap, and wealth gap in America - but they are still important. No matter your gender, you should have that skill in your back pocket ready to go at any time.&nbsp;This is why we spoke with Kathryn Valentine, the CEO of<a href="https://worthmorestrategies.com/"> Worthmore Strategies</a>, a consulting firm focused on advancing women in the workplace, to dig into negotiating regardless of your gender.&nbsp;

Key points:<ul><li>There are gender stereotypes that play into negotiations.</li><li>A collaborative mindset combined with effective language during negotiations can increase your chances of success.</li><li>It isn’t your fault that a company is discriminating against you in negotiations based on gender. It’s the company’s fault.</li></ul><h2>Is there a gender gap in salary negotiations?</h2>No, there is actually not a gap between which gender negotiates more. That happens to be a myth. But there is a gap between how different genders are treated in certain situations due to gender stereotypes.

Kathryn dug into research from <a href="https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/sds/people/faculty/linda-babcock.html">Linda Babcock</a>, a professor at Carnegie Mellon, on the topic that sheds some light into the progress of negotiations over time. “Back in the early 2000s, men were negotiating about 7 times as often as women. The good news is there has been a lot of media attention and education on that in the past 20 years and recent research by Lee and Kray showed that men and women are negotiating at equal rates, but women are only successful half as often.”&nbsp;A big factor that holds people back from successful negotiations or <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/how-to-ask-for-a-raise">asking for a raise</a> is the fear of backlash. “New research by <a href="https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/hbowles/home">Hannah Riley Bowles</a>, a professor at Harvard, shows that the risk of backlash is highest in gender non-congruent negotiations, for example, when men negotiate flexibility or women negotiate pay.” Fears of backlash can even lead to workers thinking that they could possibly <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/can-you-lose-a-job-offer-by-negotiating-salary">lose a job offer by negotiating salary</a>.Knowing how to get around those fears, manage risks, and find strategies that work the best for you is key for a successful negotiation.&nbsp;<h2>Strategies for a Successful Negotiation</h2>Thanks to <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/pay-transparency-laws">pay transparency laws</a> spreading across the country, several companies now list salary ranges on job postings. These numbers can help immensely to set expectations when talking about pay.Before diving into any negotiation, first determine what your market salary would be. Use our free <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/free-market-research-guide">Market Research Guide</a> to help with that.&nbsp;Once you have that number, determine the absolute lowest you’re willing to accept a job for and the highest you can go based on your market rate. This will help you determine an estimated salary range when negotiating.During any negotiation, it’s important to know what you can and can’t negotiate for. Things like salary, signing bonus, and commissions are all acceptable things to negotiate for. Benefits like flexibility, remote work, additional training, retirement savings and even vacation days are all <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/negotiate-benefits">negotiable benefits</a>.

broad city gif driving in a blue convertible

When thinking of what you want to negotiate for, Kathryn recommends asking yourself what it is you truly want, “Ask yourself: what can I ask for that will help me be more successful? Less stressed? Happier?”. Once you know exactly what it is you want, ask for these relationally.<h2>Examples of Effective Language</h2>Kathryn gives a great example <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/salary-negotiation-scripts">salary negotiation script</a> for some effective language to use when negotiating, “For example, ‘As you know, last year I delivered 10% over my annual target. I think I can hit 15% this year, but to fully focus. I recently came across this benchmarking study and was surprised to see the average in my role is 10% higher than my current pay, even though I’m a top performer. How can we close that gap?’”.

darryl office gif saying make it happen captain

Another strategy that Kathryn recommends is to approach negotiations with a collaborative mindset. “Instead of approaching a negotiation as me vs. you, go in with an ‘us vs. the problem’ mindset. The problem is anything that prevents you from delivering the highest impact at the lowest stress level. Those things are a problem for the employee and the employer.”“Approaching the negotiation as something we can solve together increases chances of success and reduces the risk of backlash. For example, in a job offer negotiation you could say something like, ‘Given my background, I can deliver in this role. However, I do have another offer for a 20% higher salary. I've really enjoyed getting to know you and this company and I want to be here. Can you help me close that gap so I can join your team and start contributing here?’”<h2>Things That Are Out of Your Control</h2>As we know with every negotiation, there are things out of your control and toxicity in company culture that you should be aware of. If something doesn’t feel right to you during any negotiation, know when to walk away.

devil wears prada gif getting out of the elevator

Kathryn shares what she would do in a situation where it isn’t a good fit. “We know that combative (or assertive) negotiations is a gender-stacked situation in which women are set up to fail because it triggers societal gender norms that result in backlash. So whenever I'm negotiating with someone who refuses to discuss these topics collaboratively, I get wary. Is this someone I really want to work with?”&nbsp;I echo what Kathryn said but would add that transgender and gender nonconforming folks may feel this backlash as well.<h2>It’s Not You, It’s Them.</h2>Negotiating salary is one of the most important skills you need in your career, regardless of your gender. It’s always in your best interest to do so and if a company ever makes you feel like your gender is the problem in those negotiations, it’s not you – it’s them. Know when to walk away.

<a href="https://hbr.org/search?term=kathryn%20valentine&amp;search_type=search-all">Kathryn Valentine</a> is the CEO&nbsp; of Worthmore Strategies, a consulting firm focused on advancing women in the workplace. She has spoken at Harvard, Wharton, and Darden business schools, and her work has been featured in  <a href="https://hbr.org/2022/10/3-negotiation-myths-still-harming-womens-careers">Harvard Business Review</a>, the <a href="https://f1v3ff69.r.us-east-1.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F%2Fwww.wsj.com%2Farticles%2Fyou-found-out-your-co-worker-makes-more-can-you-ask-for-a-raise-11670128550/1/01000184ea35b281-a129ff62-f1ed-4c74-865a-29b6eb928748-000000/DY3R0_XjdmMGYZl4FF7KaSRzZzo=299">Wall Street Journal</a>, <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90683849/want-to-prevent-burnout-try-negotiating?partner=feedburner&amp;utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=feedburner+fastcompany&amp;utm_content=feedburner">Fast Company</a>, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferpalumbo/2021/12/29/how-women-can-negotiate-a-raise-and-advocate-for-their-careers/?sh=2f0b156e1e78">Forbes</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/gender-pay-gap-2022-3">Business Insider</a>. You can download her free list of <a href="https://view.flodesk.com/pages/5fd8ba0b7f6569a396ccbbd2">75 Things Women Can Negotiate</a>.<h2>Are you being underpaid? Find out with our free quiz 👇</h2>&nbsp;

That wraps it up for this week. Until then, stay awesome, stay strong, and keep advocating for yourself no matter what! I’m Daniella, a writer, engineer, and creator of <a href="https://iliketodabble.com/">I Like to Dabble </a>and <a href="https://iliketodabble.com/remote-work-bestie/">Remote Work Bestie</a> - my blog and podcast for leveling up your money, career, and side hustles. I’m extremely passionate about workers' rights and financial freedom, so it’s a pleasure to be able to bring you this type of content through the <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub">Salary Transparent Street blog</a> (thank you for the opportunity, Hannah!) You can also follow me on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/iliketodabbleblog/">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@iliketodabble">TikTok</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellamarquez/">Linkedin</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/iliketodabble">Twitter</a>. Chat soon!Do you know if you're being underpaid? <a href="https://salarytransparentstreet.beehiiv.com/p/underpaid-quiz">Take our free quiz</a> to find out!Need help determining your market rate? Download our free <a href="https://view.flodesk.com/pages/626ccc8e1e8046b220253e47">Market Research Guide</a> to learn what you should be making.Explore over 5,000+ individually reported salaries nationwide across all industries in our <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/salary-database">Salary Database</a>!Follow us on <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@salarytransparentstreet">TikTok</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/salarytransparentstreet/">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/salarytransparentstreet">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/salarytransparentstreet">YouTube </a>and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/salarytransparentstreet/">LinkedIn </a>for daily pay transparency interviews and career news you can use!Subscribe to our <a href="https://salarytransparentstreet.beehiiv.com/subscribe">weekly newsletter</a> for news updates, professional deep dives, learning opportunities, and more!Send us an email ➡️ hello@salarytransparentstreet.com

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How to Get Paid More Regardless of Your Gender

Thank you to our partner Capitalize for collaborating with us and allowing this resource to come to life.Jobs aren’t quite the same as they were in the 90s. People don’t spend a decade or more at the same job anymore. They experience more <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/what-to-do-when-you-get-laid-off">layoffs</a> and switch employers more often. With frequent job changes, it’s not a surprise that people leave their 401(k)s behind, often forgetting about them completely.&nbsp;Forgotten 401(k)s actually grew to $1.65 trillion in assets during 2021 and 2022, <a href="https://www.hicapitalize.com/?utm_source=STS&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=q32023">according to Capitalize</a> which is a free service that helps people claim and rollover their old retirement accounts.

Enter the job hopper. “Job hopping” is a buzzword created online to give name to a phenomenon of when employees spend less than a year at a job before quitting to move to the next one in hopes of <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/negotiate-salary-offer">negotiating a higher salary</a> and increasing their benefits, flexibility, and experience. It’s also what helped our founder, Hannah Williams, increase her own salary and eventually <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/why-i-started-salary-transparent-street">start Salary Transparent Street</a>. Job hoppers are some of the most affected by forgotten 401(k) accounts and savings.When leaving a job after any amount of time, it’s your responsibility to decide what to do with your old 401(k). Unfortunately, these accounts don’t follow you from job-to-job and the longer you procrastinate dealing with them, the more you could lose out on those hard earned gains on investments, resulting in decreased retirement funds.&nbsp;Let’s dig deeper into how you can roll over your 401(k) after leaving a job and how to recover lost or forgotten 401(k) accounts.Key points:<ul><li>It’s most common to roll over your 401(k) to an IRA account after leaving a job.</li><li>Leaving your 401(k) with your employer could cost a ton in fees and you could lose out on significant gains.&nbsp;</li><li>401(k) rollovers are surprisingly easy and completely free, including lost and forgotten accounts.</li></ul><h2>What is a 401(k) Rollover?</h2>An employer-sponsored 401(k) is a common <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/negotiate-benefits">work benefit</a> at many jobs that allows you to start contributing funds from your paycheck towards your retirement. Oftentimes the employer will match your contributions at a certain percentage, which is essentially free money invested into that account for you. Rolling over your 401(k) account after leaving a job is a process that makes sure you don’t lose this money.401(k) rollovers consist of transferring funds from an employer-sponsored retirement savings account to an individual account or new employer’s 401(k) plan. This financial strategy allows individuals to consolidate their retirement savings, providing greater control, less fees, investment flexibility, and potential for growth. You may actually be able to retire up to 4 years sooner just by reducing your 401(k) fees alone.&nbsp;

Rollovers are especially important for individuals who <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/12/25-year-old-went-from-40k-to-115k-in-3-yearsher-negotiation-trick.html">change jobs frequently</a>, as they enable a seamless transition of retirement funds without incurring taxes or penalties, while also preserving a tax-advantaged status.<h2>401(k) Rollover Options and Rules</h2>When considering a 401(k) rollover, there are several options and rules to keep in mind. If you’re rolling over a traditional 401(k) account, you have the option to transfer those funds into another qualified retirement account, such as an Individual Retirement Account (IRA), a Roth Individual Retirement Account (Roth IRA) for rolling over Roth 401(k) accounts, or a new employer's 401(k) plan.&nbsp;Rollovers to a traditional IRA or a new employer's traditional 401(k) plan usually have no immediate tax consequences. The same goes for rolling over Roth 401(k) accounts into a Roth IRA. However, if you're moving funds from a traditional 401(k) to a Roth IRA or Roth 401(k), that is considered a Roth conversion and you'll need to pay income taxes on the converted amount.Generally, you have 60 days from the time you receive a distribution from your old 401(k) to complete the rollover if you do an indirect rollover. If you fail to do so, the distribution might be subject to taxes and penalties.

schitts creek gif with text that says we don't want drama

The rules and options can vary, so it's essential to understand your specific circumstances and consult with professionals who can provide personalized advice based on your financial goals and needs. The professionals at <a href="https://www.hicapitalize.com/?utm_source=STS&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=q32023">Capitalize </a>are a great place to start (and it’s completely free).<h2>How to Roll Over Your 401(k)</h2>To start your 401(k) rollover using Capitalize, <a href="https://www.hicapitalize.com/?utm_source=STS&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=q32023">select the “Get Started” button on the Capitalize website</a>. From there you’ll be asked to provide a few details about your old retirement account and where you’d like to roll it over.With Capitalize, you can successfully transfer your old retirement account into an IRA that you control, not your old employer. It’s usually most common to rollover your old 401(k) to an IRA instead of a new employer’s plan. IRAs generally come with more flexibility for investment options and less fees than employer-sponsored 401(k) plans.

capitalize screenshot to initiate 401k rollover

If you don’t have any details about your old account, there is an option to select in which Capitalize will find your account for you. This is honestly my favorite Capitalize feature and has helped me find and rollover 3 lost 401(k)s of mine.

Once you locate your old 401(k), choose an IRA that best fits your needs for your rollover. This can be an existing IRA that you have, or a completely new one. If you don’t know where to begin with finding where to open an IRA at, Capitalize will also give you a few of their own suggestions based on what’s most important to you.

After all of the information is submitted, Capitalize takes it from there. Their team will begin processing your rollover, including all paperwork and communicating with your retirement account provider(s). They also don’t miss a beat in making sure the status is promptly communicated back to you, with up-to-date widgets for each rollover that are updated in real-time on the Capitalize dashboard.

capitalize screenshot of old 401k rollover status

Once the process is complete, Capitalize will notify you for any additional action needed on your part and you’re done!

capitalize screenshot of a completed 401k rollover notification

<h2>How Job Hopping Might Actually Help You Save More for Retirement</h2>Job hopping seems like a term that would reflect workers in a negative light. But that’s far from the truth.In today’s context, the term could potentially open up hiring managers to negative bias towards candidates with less than 1 year at a job listed on their resume. Realistically, job hopping represents people standing up for what they deserve and taking action. Their employers would dump them in a second in the name of profits. So, why can’t we do what’s best for our own finances? One of the ways job hoppers do this is by taking advantage of 401(k) matching benefits at each job that helps them to save significantly more, especially when moving to a job that has a better match.Then on top of that, they save more money on fees from making sure they rollover their old 401(k)s to an IRA using <a href="https://www.hicapitalize.com/?utm_source=STS&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=q32023">Capitalize</a>, which could potentially help them retire even sooner!If you want to learn more about 401(k) rollovers and how to get started with your own today, check out <a href="https://www.hicapitalize.com/welcome/?utm_source=STS&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=q32023">Capitalize </a>and initiate your first rollover for free. With 1,000+ 5-star reviews on TrustPilot, you really can’t go wrong.

That’s it for this week! I hope you enjoyed this resource on a wealth building tool that often gets overlooked. Until next time, stay awesome, stay strong, and keep advocating for yourself! I’m Daniella, writer, engineer, and creator of <a href="https://iliketodabble.com/">I Like to Dabble </a>and <a href="https://iliketodabble.com/remote-work-bestie/">Remote Work Bestie</a> - my blog and podcast for leveling up your money, career, and side hustles. I’m extremely passionate about workers' rights and financial freedom, so it’s a pleasure to be able to bring you this type of content through the <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub">Salary Transparent Street blog</a> (thank you for the opportunity, Hannah!) You can also follow me on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/iliketodabbleblog/">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@iliketodabble">TikTok</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellamarquez/">Linkedin</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/iliketodabble">Twitter</a>. Chat soon!Download our free <a href="https://view.flodesk.com/pages/626ccc8e1e8046b220253e47">Market Research Guide</a> to learn what you should be making.Need help negotiating? Our free <a href="https://view.flodesk.com/pages/64c03066207ff6fa282b6bac">Salary Negotiation Guide</a> has scripts and tips to get you a higher salary at your current (or new) job.&nbsp;&nbsp;Explore thousands of individually reported, contextual salaries across all industries in our <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/salary-database">Salary Database</a>!Follow us on <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@salarytransparentstreet">TikTok</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/salarytransparentstreet/">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/salarytransparentstreet">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/salarytransparentstreet">YouTube </a>and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/salarytransparentstreet/">LinkedIn </a>for daily pay transparency interviews and career news you can use!Subscribe to our <a href="https://salarytransparentstreet.beehiiv.com/subscribe">weekly newsletter</a> for news updates, professional deep dives, learning opportunities, and more!Send us an email ➡️ hello@salarytransparentstreet.com

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A Guide to 401(k) Rollovers

If you’ve just found the perfect <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/highest-paying-jobs-without-a-degree">high-paying job</a> for you and know in your heart of hearts that you can’t let this opportunity slip through your fingers, don’t just stop at creating an eye-catching resume. It’s time to learn how to write an unignorable cover letter to help you stand out and show the employer that you’re more than just what’s on your resume.&nbsp;

brooklyn 99 gif of Amy says okay, I got this

Cover letters are typically needed when you have to explain a career pivot, a career gap from <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/what-to-do-when-you-get-laid-off">when you got laid off</a>, relevant side hustle or business-owner experience that’s on your resume, or anything else from your resume that you think needs additional context.&nbsp;However, <a href="https://resumegenius.com/blog/cover-letter-help/cover-letter-statistics">83% of managers</a> say differently and actually prefer job applicants to submit cover letters for every application they submit. When a cover letter is done well, it could be the deciding factor that pushes the hiring manager to give you a call.

&nbsp;Key points:<ul><li>Hiring managers only spend 1 to 2 minutes reviewing a cover letter.</li><li>Avoid bells and whistles in your cover letter. You don’t need them.</li><li>Talk about your accomplishments and results that align with the position and needs of the company.</li><li>Don’t stop at the results, include some proof of those results with a link!</li><li>You need a new cover letter for every job you apply to, but our template can help with that.</li></ul>

<h2>3-Part Cover Letter Structure</h2>A cover letter is short, sweet, and straight to the point. It shouldn’t be any longer than one page.After your contact details, stick to a simple 3-part format for your cover letter:<ol><li>Introduction: The “what, where, and why” you’re applying. Provide a brief statement that helps you stand out, along with what position you’re applying for, the company you’re applying at, and why you’re applying.</li><li>Body: Provide a story of your achievements that align with the position, including results, metrics, and any other proof.</li><li>Conclusion: Thank the reader with a call to action to meet and discuss.</li></ol>

<h2>How to Write a Cover Letter Step-By-Step (With Examples)</h2>The majority of cover letters are horrible. They’re generic, bland, and boring. That’s where you and all your unique qualities come in.&nbsp;“The best cover letters I’ve read have one thing in common—they feel personal and intentional,” says Julia Stalnaya, CEO at Unbench. “A strong cover letter connects the applicant’s experience to the company’s challenges and needs. It’s not just about listing skills. It’s about showing how those skills can solve problems or add value.”Get creative and flip the traditional cover letter format on its head by using it to show exactly what you’re good at.&nbsp;<h2>Avoid anything unnecessary.&nbsp;</h2>Common advice for writing a perfect cover letter includes a lot of things that you just don’t need. You don’t need to pull any design punches on your cover letter (unless you’re applying for a designer position, of course). Your cover letter also doesn’t need your picture, street address, nor the street address of the employer.&nbsp;

A heading with your name, phone number, email, LinkedIn profile link, and date is all you need.&nbsp;<h2>Start off strong and don’t waste any time in your introduction.</h2>Your introduction should lead right into why the position is perfect for you and what you bring to the table. Talk about why you’re interested in the position and company and show that you understand the company and its challenges. You can even list 1 or 2 things you would do or past results from what you’ve done to address those needs.“When it comes to writing a unique cover letter, I recommend starting with a bold, specific opening that immediately demonstrates your knowledge of the company,” says Lauren Mastroni, a career expert at Resume Genius. “For example, ‘When I read about [Company's] recent innovation in [specific area], I knew my experience in [your expertise] could provide exactly the strategic approach you're seeking.’”

a gif of a person saying i'm perfect for this job

When crafting a cover letter, remember that it’s you writing it and not some corporate drone desperate for a job. As much as it may seem like you need to fall in-line with everyone else in a corporate landscape – or any work environment for that matter – and follow a set script, that’s not true.While yes, employers are looking for people that fit into their work culture, they also want employees with diverse perspectives and creative thinking skills that will help them get the results they need. Start off any cover letter you write with that in mind.<h2>Be short, sweet, and straight to the point.&nbsp;</h2>Avoid giving a generic summary of your resume or adding excessive flattery and filler words. A cover letter shouldn’t be longer than one page.&nbsp;Imagine you’re a hiring manager who’s short on time. They may review your cover letter in 1 to 2 minutes and judge from that short amount of time if they’ll be calling you for an interview. You’ll need to pull some creative punches in that amount of time to keep them engaged and curious to talk to you.<h2>Write your cover letter with intention and purpose.</h2>Don’t only talk about why you’re perfect for this position. Back up your claims with past results that align with the job description. Show them your value and why you aren’t like every other job candidate.&nbsp; &nbsp;

ron burgundy gif of him saying i don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal"

This will also help you when <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/negotiate-salary-offer">negotiating salary</a> and why your market salary is what it is. Your value illustrated in your resume and cover letter will naturally lead to the <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/job-interview-questions-and-answers">interview questions and answers</a>, and will stay at the top of the hiring manager’s mind.<h2>Put your unique spin on it</h2>The secret sauce to writing an unignorable cover is not only showing off how you stand out, but also being able to grab the reader in ways they might not expect.&nbsp;For instance, if you’re applying for a writer position, you know your target audience and how to hook them. They’re most likely a hiring manager that also has writing experience and will judge your writing throughout the letter.&nbsp;“One cover letter that stood out to me started with a simple, bold statement: ‘I know how to solve [specific problem related to the role]. Let me show you how,’ Stalnaya says. “Clearly, this person had researched the company, understood the role, and came in ready to make an impact. Ignoring it wasn’t an option.”

If you’re a marketer, show that you know how to market yourself well for the position. Even refer to it when concluding the letter with something like, “I’m excited about this opportunity and know I’m the perfect fit for this position, especially from how well I marketed myself in this letter.” You can show your cleverness as long as you keep it professional.For a few other examples, cover letters for designers that include an appealing design will help them stand out, while software engineers can include a code snippet they wrote that solved a past significant issue. This shows exactly how they solved a problem that aligns with the job description and the results it had.<h2>Catch their attention and don’t let go.&nbsp;</h2>Go above talking about your results and show them actual proof of your results. This can be a link to a public facing marketing campaign that you helped put together, a video you helped produce, published articles or designs, or any way that you can show results of your work and the quality of your work.&nbsp;

a gif of a workout trainer saying I'm all about results 

Hiring managers love links where they can easily navigate to your results and see first-hand how you’ll fit into the role.<h2>Wrap it up.</h2>Briefly summarize why you’re a good fit and how you’re excited for the opportunity to possibly be able to contribute to their team. Also Thank them for their time and consideration, and a call to action to discuss further with contact details attached.&nbsp;<h2>Cover Letter Template (With Examples)</h2>Do you need to create a new cover letter for each job you apply to? Yes.

gif of person crying with the text that says "job application"

It’s a good thing we have a template for that!😊&nbsp;Use the below template and examples to put together your own cover letter:Your NameCity, State | Phone number | <a href="mailto:email@email.com">email@email.com</a> | <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/">LinkedIn</a>Month Day, YearDear Hiring Manager,Introduction: [Start off with something that catches their attention, the position title you’re applying for, the company you’re applying at, and why you’re interested]&nbsp;Example: “With over 11 years of experience in IT and technical writing, I’m excited to apply for the Lead Technical Writer position at Oracle. I’m passionate about closing the communication gap in tech and that is not possible without data – something that was revolutionized thanks to Oracle. With the type of influence and the values Oracle holds, I feel like I would be making a real impact while being able to take the next big step in my career.”Body: [Go into a story that shows some of your accomplishments (2 or 3) and results that align with the position you’re applying for]&nbsp;Example of accomplishment 1: “The reason I’m so interested in this position is my proven track record as an engineer and technical writer. In my current Technical Writer role, I was able to increase the company’s monthly tech blog output by 100% [link to tech blog], with some of them reaching the first page of Google search results and boosting web traffic. Not only that, but their top competitors that already had entirely built out tech blogs, are now outdated compared to the output quality and frequency of my technical articles. This also caught the attention from other teams to have me help with other writing projects, such as product guides and internal knowledge hubs.”

mark cuban gif of him nodding and writing

Example of accomplishment 2: “My past role as a Lead Reliability Engineer, after I was promoted from a Senior Software Engineer, really shows my experience and results in documentation and process improvement. Having governed a team of 40 ITSM (IT Service Management) managers and assisted them in building out their knowledge article hubs, internal documentation, and incident response processes, I was able to help reduce incident durations and decrease financial impact by 50% in one year for that department.”Example of how you would explain unconventional items on your resume, such as recent self-employment or employment gaps: “What might seem a little unconventional on my resume is my self-employment experience for the blog I run and the freelance writing I do: [link to a writing portfolio]. I still work on these projects part-time for only a few hours a week and it doesn’t interfere with my work as a technical writer. It was actually what helped me get my current job and grow my writing skills.”

A gif of someone saying that's what makes me unique

Conclusion: [Show that you’re excited about the opportunity and look forward to speaking with them. Include a call-to-action with your contact details to set up a meeting and then thank them for their time.]&nbsp;Example: “I am excited about the opportunity to bring my expertise to Oracle and am looking forward to the possibility of contributing to your team. Please contact me at (XXX)XXX-XXXX or email@email.com to set a meeting to discuss the role further. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I look forward to hearing from you soon!”Sincerely,Your Name<h2>Last-Minute Tips for The Perfect Cover Letter</h2>When you think you’ve done your best work putting together your cover letter, it’s time to get a second set of eyes on it. You can ask a mentor or a colleague to take a look at it and provide any feedback they have.&nbsp;If you keep in contact with any past managers on LinkedIn, it might be a good idea to message them and ask them to review it. It’s best to get a perspective from someone who regularly reads cover letters and is involved in hiring processes.

a gif from michael from the office that says "I think that pretty much sums it up"

Once you've submitted your cover letter, don’t forget to follow up!&nbsp;Either way, you’re on your way to blow some hiring managers’ minds. We just know it.Need more help with landing your next job and increasing your income? Browse our other resources, including <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/salary-negotiation-scripts">salary negotiation scripts</a> and <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/salary-negotiation-myths">myths</a>, <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/negotiate-benefits">how to negotiate benefits</a>, <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/how-to-ask-for-a-raise">how to ask for a raise</a>, and more!That wraps it up for this week. Until next time, stay awesome, stay strong, and keep advocating for yourself no matter what! I’m Daniella, a writer, engineer, and creator of <a href="https://iliketodabble.com/">I Like to Dabble </a>and <a href="https://iliketodabble.com/remote-work-bestie/">Remote Work Bestie</a> - my blog and podcast for leveling up your money, career, and side hustles. I’m extremely passionate about workers' rights and financial freedom, so it’s a pleasure to be able to bring you this type of content through the <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub">Salary Transparent Street blog</a> (thank you for the opportunity, Hannah!) You can also follow me on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/iliketodabbleblog/">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@iliketodabble">TikTok</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellamarquez/">Linkedin</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/iliketodabble">Twitter</a>. Chat soon!If this guide helps you land a higher-paying job, let us know! Send us an email ➡️ <a href="mailto:hello@salarytransparentstreet.com">hello@salarytransparentstreet.com</a>For more Salary Transparent Street resources:<ul><li>Want to join the movement? Explore thousands of individually reported salaries nationwide across all industries in our <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/salary-database">Salary Database</a>!</li><li>Do you know if you're being underpaid? <a href="https://salarytransparentstreet.beehiiv.com/p/underpaid-quiz">Take our free quiz</a> to find out!</li><li>Need help determining your market rate? Download our free <a href="https://view.flodesk.com/pages/626ccc8e1e8046b220253e47">Market Research Guide</a> to learn what you should be making.</li><li>Need help negotiating your salary? Download our free <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/free-salary-negotiation-guide">Salary Negotiation Guide</a>!</li><li>Follow us on <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@salarytransparentstreet">TikTok</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/salarytransparentstreet/">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/salarytransparentstreet">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/salarytransparentstreet">YouTube </a>and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/salarytransparentstreet/">LinkedIn </a>for daily pay transparency interviews and career news you can use!</li><li>Subscribe to our <a href="https://salarytransparentstreet.beehiiv.com/subscribe">weekly newsletter</a> for news updates, professional deep dives, learning opportunities, and more!</li></ul>

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How to Write An Unignorable Cover Letter (With Examples)

You finally did it. You conducted your market research, wrote the perfect email asking to meet with your boss, and successfully negotiated your salary to get paid what you’re worth. Feels amazing, right?

So…what do you do, now that those biweekly paychecks finally look the way you’ve always wanted them to? First: Celebrate a job well done. And second: Get smart about how you’re putting this newfound extra income to work.Because your money can (and should!) work as hard as you do. Today, I’m breaking down three super-savvy ways to make your money go the extra mile.<h2>First up: Make a plan.</h2>Just like you write out what to say before you ask your boss for a raise, you should write out the money journey you want to go on. Before you make any investments or open any new accounts, think about the answers to some big questions:<ul><li>How much extra money do you have to invest per pay period, once you’ve handled regular expenses like rent, groceries, gas, etc.?</li><li>What’s your risk tolerance as an investor? Do you like the bigger swings, or are you looking for more stability?</li><li>What are your goals as an investor? Are you saving for retirement, trying to make some side income, putting money aside for a big purchase, or just getting your feet wet?</li></ul>And it never hurts to familiarize yourself with the basics of investing—stocks, bonds, ETFs, 401(K)s, the works. Our friends at Public (an investing platform where you can build a portfolio with stocks, bonds, options, crypto, and more all in one place) have some great pointers for beginners <a href="https://public.com/learn/investing-for-beginners?wpsrc=Organic+Search&amp;wpsn=www.google.com">here</a>.<h2>Next: Explore different investing options (like in bonds with Public*).</h2>Public is one of the only modern brokerages to offer self-directed investing in bonds—aka bond investing actually designed in the 21st century. This is not your grandfather’s bond account.And we bet you’ll want in. After all, bonds are one of the best-kept secrets for super-successful investors. Why? They’re another way to deposit cash and earn yield—bonds are loans to governments, corporations, or other orgs that pay interest to investors.Public has tons of options to start investing in bonds. We’re talking…<ul><li>Thousands of corporate and Treasury bonds—so you get a wide array of choices, from your favorite big company to Uncle Sam</li><li>Fractional bonds—so you can start investing in bonds for as little as $100 (FYI: Before Public, you had to buy bonds for $1,000+ and in $100 increments—wild!)</li><li>A sleek, intuitive bond screener—so you can either build your own bond search or jump into preselects</li><li>An AI powered bond search—so you can find the perfect investment to fit your criteria and investing goals</li><li>A dedicated Bond Account – learn more below on how this works.</li></ul>Here’s how investing in a Bond Account works on Public:<ol><li>Invest your cash.</li><li>Your investment is allocated to a portfolio of 10 investment-grade and high-yield corporate bonds.</li><li>You get to decide whether you want to hold the bonds to maturity to maximize returns, or sell when you’re ready. You’ll also receive regular interest payments throughout the year.</li></ol>And you can earn a yield of up to 6% or more on your investment. Even the best high-yield savings accounts can’t promise that kind of return these days.&nbsp;

I’ve loved exploring my investing options on Public, including kicking off <a href="https://youtu.be/9sg5vvwZbhE?si=m4ggh-6Ppx-XOl_y">my own bond journey</a>. You can check out Public’s bond offerings <a href="http://public.com/STS">right this way</a>.<h2>Finally: Set it and forget it.</h2>Investing may sound like something that requires a ton of time and attention. But in reality? Automation is your friend.Because realistically, the stock market and the economy will always have their ups and downs. Trying to get in front of every economic ebb and flow is a one-way ticket to burnout—and one you certainly don’t need.All you need to do is:<ol><li>Some homework to make sure your investing game plan is right for you</li><li>Some diversification to ensure you’re not putting all your eggs (aka that hard-earned cash!) in one basket</li><li>Some long-term planning. Beyond that, you can then look to review your portfolio bi-annually.</li></ol>Bottom line: Making more money isn’t the only goal once you understand what you’re worth at work—you want that money to stretch as far as possible, and you can start investing intelligently at a brokerage like Public.

*Paid endorsement for Public Investing, Inc. Not investment advice. All investing involves the risk of loss, including loss of principal. Brokerage services for US Listed and registered securities, options and Bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Public Investing. ETFs, options and Bonds are available to US members only.&nbsp;*The 6.8% yield is the average, annualized yield to worst (YTW) across all ten bonds in the Bond Account, before fees, as of 10/24/2024. A bond’s yield is a function of its market price, which can fluctuate; therefore, a bond’s YTW is not “locked in” until the bond is purchased, and your yield at time of purchase may be different from the yield shown here. The “locked in” YTW is not guaranteed; you may receive less than the YTW of the bonds in the Bond Account if you sell any of the bonds before maturity or if the issuer defaults on the bondA Bond Account is a self-directed brokerage account with Public Investing, member FINRA/SIPC. Deposits into this account are used to purchase 10 investment-grade and high-yield bonds.. Public Investing charges a markup on each bond trade. See our <a href="https://public.com/disclosures/fee-schedule">Fee Schedule</a>.&nbsp;Bond Accounts are not recommendations of individual bonds or default allocations. The bonds in the Bond Account have not been selected based on your needs or risk profile. See <a href="https://public.com/disclosures/bond-account">Bond Account Disclosures</a> to learn more. Fractional Bonds are offered by Public Investing. They are exposed to various risks typical of bond investments, including liquidity risk, interest rate risk, credit risk, inflation risk, and potential tax liabilities.&nbsp;Fractional&nbsp; Bonds also carry additional risks including that they are only available on Public and cannot be transferred to other brokerages. The value of these investments may be less than the original cost at the time of redemption. Typically, bonds with higher risk yields carry greater risk of default. Fractional Bonds are only bought and sold by a single market participant, Moment Markets.&nbsp; Bonds may be available from different brokers or dealers at prices different than those displayed.&nbsp; All prices are subject to change without prior notice. Public Investing earns a fee on every fractional bond trade. Trading 6 Month Treasury Bills through Fractional Bond investing offered by Public Investing is separate from the Public Treasury Account offered in partnership with Jiko. See risks: <a href="http://public.com/disclosures/apex-fractional-bond-disclosure">public.com/disclosures/apex-fractional-bond-disclosure</a>.Alpha is an AI research tool powered by GPT-4.&nbsp; Alpha is experimental and may generate inaccurate responses.&nbsp; Output from Alpha should not be construed as investment research or recommendations, and should not serve as the basis for any investment decision. Public makes no warranties about its accuracy, completeness, quality, or timeliness of any Alpha out. Please independently evaluate and verify any such output for your own use case.

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How to Make Your Money Work as Hard as You Do

The growing competition in the job market is pushing applicants to find any way they can to stand out. There may be hundreds of applicants for a single job, especially for <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/highest-paying-jobs-without-a-degree">higher-paying jobs</a>.<a href="https://www.jobvite.com/blog/recruiting-funnel/">Jobvite</a>, a talent acquisition technology company, found from their customer data that only 8.4% of applicants are called for a job interview. Don’t let that number scare you though! They also found that of those who get called for an interview, 36.2% of them are selected to receive offers.How you prepare for that interview could make or break your chances of getting a job offer. This is why it’s important to research and practice some of the most common job interview questions and answers out there.

What’s your least favorite job interview question? Brooklyn, NY 📍#interviewquestions

Key Points:<ul><li>We’ve gathered these top questions from interviewing those in our community (like the video above), and job sites like Glassdoor and Indeed.</li><li>Not all job interview questions will be the same for everyone. What you’re asked in an interview depends on the role and interviewer.&nbsp;</li><li>These common job interview questions are a mix of what you might get asked from both HR and your hiring manager.</li><li>Most job interviews include general, behavioral, and situational questions.</li><li>The example answers provided are for guidance and should be modified to fit your situation.</li><li>No job interview answer is the absolute right answer. There are several different ways to answer any of these questions. What’s most important is how you convey your experience, expertise, and why you’re the best fit for the job.</li><li>You don’t need to memorize your answers word-for-word but instead practice them with someone to get used to how the conversation may flow.&nbsp;</li><li>It’s recommended to find your market salary range for the position before your interview, so you’re prepared for any salary-related questions.</li><li>Use our <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/salary-database">Salary Database</a> to get access to thousands of reported salaries and job data from our community.</li></ul>

&nbsp;<h2>Top 10 Most Common Job Interview Questions, Answers, &amp; Examples</h2>What’s the perfect way to land a job? A killer resume, a unignorable <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/how-to-write-a-cover-letter">cover letter</a>, and finally, a smooth job interview where the hiring manager falls in love with you (in a professional way).&nbsp;

If only you could read the mind of the interviewer, you would never have to fret over another job interview again. You can dream, can’t you? Well, while you’re dreaming, let’s kick your job interview preparation into high gear.&nbsp;The most common types of job interview questions are standard/traditional questions and behavioral questions. Other popular types are situational questions, competency-based questions, technical questions, and cultural-fit questions.Use this list of the most popular job interview questions and examples of possible answers to help prepare for your next interview.<h2>1. Can you tell me a bit about yourself?</h2>This is the #1 most common job interview question out there and many job interviews will start with this question. Think of your answer as “the hook” of a good story. 30% of interviewers will make up their minds about a candidate in the first 5 minutes of an interview, according to <a href="https://www.hirevue.com/blog/hiring/the-impact-of-first-impressions-on-hiring-a-data-science-perspective">HireVue</a>. When an interviewer asks you to tell them a little bit about yourself and your background, they don’t mean your entire life story. They want to hear your career story – with a good hook.

Start your story with the early days of your career and education, and add some personal notes from your background so you don’t sound like a job-wanting AI. Include how and why you wanted to pursue the specific career you have. From there, briefly talk about your work experience in ways that mirror what you would do in this job position, making you appear naturally as the best fit for the job.&nbsp;Don’t leave out any of the good details either. Mention your accomplishments and anything else that makes you the obvious choice for the job.Answer example: “Before I had 11 years of IT experience under my belt, I started playing with website development in high school. From there, I knew I wanted to do something in the technology field. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in computer science, I started my career with an internship as a web engineer working for a small web development startup company. The expertise learned in these early years set me up for my next positions as a programmer and systems analyst working in both retail and government sectors, learning how to develop for and support custom enterprise systems. That early startup experience mixed with my corporate experience led me to working for a well-known financial technology company as a software engineer, and later was promoted to a lead reliability engineer. I love learning about new technologies and ways to challenge myself as I grow in my career, and make it a priority to invest time into continually building my skills to stay ahead of the curve.”<h2>2. Why are you looking for a new position?</h2>

Be careful with this question! Avoid responding with any sarcasm, such as, “because I need money,” or, “because I need a job”. Sure, the answer to this question is obvious. We all work jobs because we need money, but the interviewer is looking for a specific answer.&nbsp;They may be looking for red flags like if you were recently fired and why. Another possibility is they want to see how committed you are to your career growth. They want to see what motivates you and the respect you have for your current or past roles.Either way, keep it light. You don’t want to end up talking bad about your current or previous employer, nor bring negativity to the overall mood of the interview.Answer example: “I don’t believe I’m being challenged enough in my current role. Although I enjoy working for that company and with my <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/discussing-salary-with-coworkers">fellow coworkers</a>, I feel like I am getting stagnant in my career. I am looking for other opportunities to grow my expertise and start the next chapter in my career path.”If you’re looking for a new position because you were let go and don’t currently have a job, describe that in a brief way like the following examples show. You may have to tweak these to match your own situation.Answer example: “I was let go from my most recent role due to budget constraints and left on good terms.”Answer example: “I was <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/what-to-do-when-you-get-laid-off">recently laid off </a>from my most recent position due to the company outsourcing my department. I stayed on to help with that transition and left on good terms.”<h2>3. What are your salary expectations?</h2>When asked what your salary expectations are for a job, there is more than one way to answer. It’s also your first step to negotiating your salary by setting those initial expectations. But you can’t set those expectations without knowing your own market salary range.It’s best if you can get the interviewer to provide their budget first but either way, you should have your market rate in your back pocket in case they push for it. This is where our free <a href="https://view.flodesk.com/pages/626ccc8e1e8046b220253e47">Market Research Guide</a> and <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/salary-database">Salary Database</a> come in handy. Use this guide and salary data to help you in your research and see what matches up with your own experience and skill set.&nbsp;

&nbsp;Answer example: “I have an expected range in mind based on my market rate, but it's too early in the interview process for me to gauge the full scope of this position. Would you mind sharing the budget for this role?” – The founder of Salary Transparent Street, Hannah Williams, got a $25,000 <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/how-to-ask-for-a-raise">raise</a> from using a <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/salary-negotiation-scripts">salary negotiation script</a> like this!If an interviewer asks for your current or last salary, there are <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/pay-transparency-laws">pay transparency laws</a> in 36 states that may get them in trouble.&nbsp;

You can deflect the answer respectfully. Or you can reframe your answer to express your market salary and expectations.&nbsp;Answer example: “Before we discuss salary, can you please tell me more about the role and what it fully entails?”

Highest Salaries We Interviewed In 2023 | Salary Transparent Street Compilation

<h2>4. What professional achievement are you most proud of?</h2>When an interviewer asks this, they don’t only want to know what the achievement was. They also want to know what you did, what the result was for the company, and why it’s the one you’re most proud of. If you don’t cover this in your initial answer, they will most likely follow up with those points.The STAR Interview method is perfect for answering behavioral questions like this. STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result and it’s a specific format to help fully convey your contributions.Answer example:Situation: "In my previous role as a marketing manager at ABC Company, we saw declining engagement with our email marketing campaigns, which was impacting our overall sales."Task: "I was tasked with updating our email marketing strategy to increase engagement and drive more sales. The goal was to achieve a 15% increase in open rates and a 10% increase in click-through rates within six months."Action: "I started by analyzing our current email campaigns to identify gaps and areas for improvement. I then segmented our email list based on customer behavior and preferences to ensure more personalized content and redesigned the email templates to be more visually appealing and mobile-friendly. I also implemented A/B testing for subject lines and call-to-action buttons to determine what resonated best with our audience. This was all while working closely with the content team to create relevant content that addressed the needs and interests of our subscribers."Result: "As a result, we saw a significant improvement in our email marketing performance. Our open rates increased by 20%, our click-through rates by 15%, and 20% increase in sales. This also strengthened our relationship with our customers by providing them with more relevant and engaging content."<h2>5. What are your strengths and weaknesses?</h2>

For this question, identify one or more of your strengths and weaknesses, and provide clear examples of each. Bonus points if you can provide examples that align with the required skills of the position.The weaknesses you want to mention should be realistic but don’t make you look bad. Don’t mention that you have trouble waking up on time, but do mention a subtle weakness like communication with an example of what you’ve done to improve that skill.Answer example:&nbsp;Strengths: "One of my key strengths is my strong troubleshooting skills and the ability to communicate effectively how to implement solutions based on that troubleshooting data. Communication is one of the most important skills in any role, for a lack of communication can be what deadlocks a project. For example, when I was faced with an enterprise-wide system outage, I had to troubleshoot the issue and find a solution quickly. I also had to communicate my progress in parallel to working on the problem itself, keeping all stakeholders in the loop so they can make sure there is a constant stream of communication also going out to clients. Because of this, the team was able to implement a solution that same day and there was no financial impact.&nbsp;Weaknesses: "An area of weakness I have is my tendency to be overly detail-oriented in my communication to higher-level stakeholders. Adding too much low-level information about an issue can cause misunderstandings and overly complicate things, which has happened to me many times during system outages. To address this, my communication includes simplified high-level detail that goes out to a high-level audience, while still keeping those detailed notes for the technical team and for record. This approach has helped to maintain a better understanding between cross-functional teams.”<h2>6. Can you describe a challenge you've faced at work and how you handled it?</h2>This is another behavioral question perfect for using the STAR method to answer. Describe what the situation was that posed a challenge, what your task and goal was, actions you took, and the end-result from those actions.Answer example:&nbsp;Situation: "In my previous role as a project manager at EFG Company, we were tasked with launching a new product line within a tight deadline of three months."Task: "My responsibility was to coordinate the efforts of the marketing, design, and production teams to ensure we met the launch date without compromising quality."Action: "I started by setting clear milestones and deadlines for each team and implemented weekly progress meetings to track our status. I also introduced a shared project management tool that improved asynchronous communication and collaboration among the team. When we faced delays from the design team, I set up brainstorming sessions to identify solutions and reallocated resources to maintain our timeline."Result: "As a result, we successfully launched the product line on time. The launch led to a 15% increase in quarterly sales and positive feedback from both customers and stakeholders."

<h2>7. Why do you want to work here?</h2>With this question the interviewer wants to see what you know about the company and how much research you did about the role. They also want to know your intentions for working there and if you’re someone that they can rely on to fulfill the requirements of the role.Answer example: “I’ve done a lot of research on the company and have used their software in many of my past jobs. Their values also align well with my own. I think that when you work for a company that you believe in and want to grow with, that adds to your job satisfaction and overall quality of life. When you’re in that type of alignment, your career path can evolve in some amazing ways. I also think this specific role perfectly matches up with my experience, expertise, and my future career goals.”<h2>8. Are there any other companies you’re interviewing with or considering?</h2>Companies want to gauge their applicants job search progress to help with their own hiring process. This is one of those questions that helps them see if there will be any competition for them when hiring you. If you have multiple companies you’re interviewing for or have offers from, feel free to say that you’re keeping your options open. And if you don’t, that’s okay to share too.

Answer example: "Yes, I’m currently exploring a few opportunities with other companies in the industry that align with my career goals and professional interests. However, I am particularly excited about this position with your company because of [specific reasons related to the company, such as its projects, culture, values, etc.].”If you don’t have any others you’re interviewing for, the following example will do.Answer example: “Not yet since I only recently started applying to a few roles. However, I am particularly excited about this position with your company because of [specific reasons related to the company, such as its projects, culture, values, etc.].”<h2>9. Why should we hire you?</h2>This question is similar to #7, “Why do you want to work here," but focuses more on you rather than what's appealing about the company or role. The interviewer wants to know what you can bring to the company if you were to be hired.Briefly explain how your contributions will add business value to the company. What results do you expect to yield and how will those help advance the company? Your answer will also come in handy when <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/negotiate-salary-offer">negotiating salary</a>.Answer example: “My specific skill set and experience perfectly aligns with the requirements for this role. I’ve worked as an associate for 3 years, a manager for 4 years, and over the past 2 years I have served as a regional director. I’ve also worked in several different sectors, creating the perfect combination to be able to adapt to different situations and see solutions to problems that others may not. These sort of unique advantages could help the company grow in new ways as I do alongside it.”

<h2>10. Do you have any questions for us?</h2>This is the most fun question to answer! You get to interview the interviewer, find out more about the role that wasn’t discussed, ask about salary expectations if they weren’t discussed, and ask about other things to <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/negotiate-benefits">negotiate like benefits</a>.&nbsp;Make sure you have at least one or two questions ready to go for this section of the interview.

Answer examples:<ul><li>Can you tell me more about the day-to-day responsibilities of this job?</li><li>What are the most immediate projects that need to be addressed?</li><li>How do you measure success in this role?</li><li>What does a typical day look like for someone in this position?</li><li>Can you describe the team I would be working with?</li><li>How would you describe the company culture?</li><li>How does the company support professional development and career growth?</li><li>What opportunities for advancement are available within the company?</li><li>What is the salary range for the position?</li><li>What benefits does the company offer for this role?</li><li>What are the next steps in the interview process?</li><li>Is there any additional information I can provide to assist with the decision-making process?</li><li>Who should I follow up with if I have any further questions?</li></ul><h2>Bonus Interview Questions</h2>The above list of the most common interview questions and answers only scratches the surface. Some interviewers may ask entirely different questions from others, even within the same industry.There are a few additional key questions I’ve seen through years of interviewing for several different roles. These include both behavioral and situational questions.<ul><li>Walk me through the process of how you do X. (X could be anything like “writing an article," “fixing a code defect," “managing a project," etc)</li><li>Tell me about a time you had to deliver on multiple competing priorities. What did you do, and what were the results?</li><li>When do you try to push through and solve a problem on your own, and when do you involve others on your team?</li><li>Describe a situation when you disagreed with someone at work. What did you do, and what was the result?</li></ul>Don’t limit yourself to these questions and also think of a few technical questions they may ask you (especially if you're applying for <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/highest-paying-trade-jobs">trade jobs</a>). A helpful way to think of other possible questions is to look at the job description. From there, you can determine if you need to prepare answers for any additional questions.<h2>Practice With a Partner</h2>You can prepare all the answers to possible job interview questions you want, but don’t get stuck in trying to memorize them all. It’ll be more helpful to practice your answers conversationally with someone else. This way, you won’t sound like a robot and your responses will be more sincere.

You can also use your practice partner as someone to talk about any fears you have. Maybe they can provide a perspective that will help you better navigate the interview.The more you practice, the better you’ll get and the less you’ll dread the day of your interview. Once that day comes around, it will feel more natural and your interview will go much better when you aren’t stuck in your head the whole time.&nbsp;You got this!! We believe in you.That wraps it up for this week. Until next time, stay awesome, stay strong, and keep advocating for yourself no matter what! I’m Daniella, a writer, engineer, and creator of <a href="https://iliketodabble.com/">I Like to Dabble </a>and <a href="https://iliketodabble.com/remote-work-bestie/">Remote Work Bestie</a> - my blog and podcast for leveling up your money, career, and side hustles. I’m extremely passionate about workers' rights and financial freedom, so it’s a pleasure to be able to bring you this type of content through the <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub">Salary Transparent Street blog</a> (thank you for the opportunity, Hannah!) You can also follow me on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/iliketodabbleblog/">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@iliketodabble">TikTok</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellamarquez/">Linkedin</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/iliketodabble">Twitter</a>. Chat soon!If this guide helps you improve your negotiation skills, let us know! Send us an email ➡️ hello@salarytransparentstreet.comFor more Salary Transparent Street resources:<ul><li>Want to join the movement? Explore over 5,000+ individually reported salaries nationwide across all industries in our <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/salary-database">Salary Database</a>!</li><li>Do you know if you're being underpaid? <a href="https://salarytransparentstreet.beehiiv.com/p/underpaid-quiz">Take our free quiz</a> to find out!</li><li>Need help determining your market rate? Download our free <a href="https://view.flodesk.com/pages/626ccc8e1e8046b220253e47">Market Research Guide</a> to learn what you should be making.</li><li>Need help negotiating your salary? Download our free <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/free-salary-negotiation-guide">Salary Negotiation Guide</a>!</li><li>Follow us on <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@salarytransparentstreet">TikTok</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/salarytransparentstreet/">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/salarytransparentstreet">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/salarytransparentstreet">YouTube </a>and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/salarytransparentstreet/">LinkedIn </a>for daily pay transparency interviews and career news you can use!</li><li>Subscribe to our <a href="https://salarytransparentstreet.beehiiv.com/subscribe">weekly newsletter</a> for news updates, professional deep dives, learning opportunities, and more!</li></ul>

10 Most Common Job Interview Questions and Answers (With Examples)

As technologies grow and evolve, so does the job market and what skills are in demand. The higher-paying and more in-demand your skills are, the better – for both your career and your wallet.U.S. workers are earning a little over a median salary of $60,000, according to the <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/wkyeng.pdf">Bureau of Labor Statistics</a>. That’s nothing compared to the <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/100k-salary-cities">six-figure salary</a> people need to live comfortably in some states and cities.&nbsp;As the cost of living goes up, so should your pay. It’s important for folks to learn high-income skills to be able to provide for themselves, their families, and to build the ideal life they want.&nbsp;The good news is that a college degree isn’t necessary to learn the skills you need to land a <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/highest-paying-jobs-without-a-degree">high-paying job</a>, especially when nearly half of companies are eliminating bachelor’s degree requirements for some positions, according to a recent report by <a href="https://www.intelligent.com/nearly-half-of-companies-plan-to-eliminate-bachelors-degree-requirements-in-2024/">Intelligent</a>.&nbsp;

Let’s dig into some of the highest-earning skills we’ve found from interviewing professionals from all over the U.S.Are you being underpaid? Find out by taking our free quiz!

Key points:<ul><li>High-income skills are a mix of hard skills, soft skills, and transferable skills.&nbsp;</li><li>You don’t need to get a college degree to learn high-income skills and make a six-figure salary.</li><li>Some of the highest-earning and in-demand skills include programming and coding, data science and analysis, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), and cybersecurity skills.</li><li>From salary data we’ve collected, high-income skills can pay anywhere from $98,000 to over $600,000 (with some of these numbers being full compensation packages, not just salary).</li><li>Browse 10,000+ salaries for high-income skills on our <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/salary-databas">Salary Database.</a></li></ul><h2>What are high-income skills?</h2>High-income skills are skills that include specialized abilities and knowledge areas, are in high demand, and have a high value among employers. Because of this, they tend to bring in higher salaries and have a fair amount of job openings, making it easier for folks to not only earn more, but also be able to bounce back quicker after <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/what-to-do-when-you-get-laid-off">going through a layoff </a>or job change.When thinking of what skills to learn to secure a stable and high-earning job, start with specialized hard skills. Hard skills are the key skills of a job. They are directly linked to your ability to perform that job and are usually expliciting mentioned in job descriptions.Many STEM skills include hard skills. For example, knowing Python, which is a specific coding language, is seen as a hard skill in the software engineering world. Hard skills like this are very specific.&nbsp;

Women in STEM Make How Much? Salary Transparent Street Compilation 💵

Although you may notice that several high-income skills appear to be technical skills, your other hard skills, soft skills, and transferable skills are just as important. Learning these skills can be done in a number of ways, including getting a degree or certification, taking online courses, bootcamps, training programs, and on-the-job experience.&nbsp;<h2>Top 10 High-Income Skills to Learn</h2>We’ve sleuthed into some of the highest-earning skills with the highest demand using salary data from past 3+ years of interviews, data we’ve collected in our <a href="http://salarytransparentstreet.com/salary-database">Salary Database</a>, and job demand data from the <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/">U.S.Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook</a>. The results were pretty impressive.

Highest Salaries We Interviewed In 2024 | Salary Transparent Street Compilation

<h2>1. Digital Marketing</h2>Marketing is a huge component for companies to become successful. Without it, it would be difficult to keep up brand visibility, bring in revenue, and grow as a company. This high-demand marketing skill is also a required skill set for one of the <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/highest-paying-creative-jobs">highest-paying creative jobs</a> out there – social media marketing management.

gif of person saying "it's called brand awareness"

Digital marketing involves working with different marketing channels, such as SEO, email marketing, and social media marketing. This involves expertise in tools like Google Analytics and social media management platforms like Instagram for tracking and optimizing campaigns. To start learning these skills, try a few online digital marketing courses (like this <a href="https://academy.hubspot.com/courses/digital-marketing">free digital marketing course</a> with certification from HubSpot) or play around with a business social media account to see if it’s something you’re interested in.Possible job titles:<ul><li>Digital marketing manager</li><li>SEO specialist (search engine optimization specialist)</li><li>Content marketing manager</li><li>Social media manager</li><li>Email marketing specialist</li><li>Digital marketing analyst</li><li>Digital marketing specialist</li><li>Affiliate marketing manager</li><li>Marketing automation specialist</li></ul>Median salary: <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/advertising-promotions-and-marketing-managers.htm">$156,580</a> a yearHighest salary recorded in our Salary Database: <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/salary-database?query=job_title%3DDigital+Marketing+Manager&amp;page=1&amp;sortByField=calculated_annual_salary&amp;sortOrder=-1&amp;filters=">$230,000</a> a year for a digital marketing manager role at AMDJob outlook (2023-2033): 6% increase in job growth

How much does a #CCO and #directorofmarketing make? Greenville, NC📍#salarytransparentstreet

<h2>2. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning</h2>Machine learning (ML) is a type of artificial intelligence (AI) where computers learn from data to make predictions or decisions without being explicitly programmed. Naturally, this includes data science skills and using programming languages like Python and R, and you’ll often see an overlap of data science and AI skills in several job positions. Other abilities include understanding ML techniques, deep learning methods, and frameworks like TensorFlow and PyTorch.&nbsp;

gif of person waving laptop in air, saying "it's learning!"

With these skills, you can create virtual work assistants, automate tasks, and even automate entire workflows. From searching for a job to finding an apartment or house — AI exists almost everywhere throughout our day-to-day lives. It’s one of the fastest growing and <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/top-jobs-of-2025">highest-paying jobs of the future</a>, so it’s a skillset you definitely shouldn’t ignore!&nbsp;To start learning these skills, explore courses offered by <a href="https://aws.amazon.com/training/learn-about/machine-learning/">Amazon Web Services</a>, <a href="https://www.ibm.com/training/artificial-intelligence">IBM</a>, <a href="https://developers.google.com/machine-learning">Google</a>, or other online learning programs.Possible job titles:<ul><li>Machine Learning Engineer</li><li>AI engineer</li><li>Research scientist (AI/ML)</li><li>AI/ML specialist</li><li>Deep learning engineer</li><li>AI prompt engineer</li></ul>Median salary: <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/computer-and-information-research-scientists.htm">$145,080</a> a yearHighest salary recorded in our Salary Database: <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/salary-database?query=job_title%3DMachine+Learning+Engineer&amp;page=1&amp;sortByField=calculated_annual_salary&amp;sortOrder=-1&amp;filters=">$550,000</a> a year (total compensation for a machine learning director at Glassdoor)Job outlook from 2023 to 2027: 80% increase reported from the <a href="https://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2025/">Future of Jobs Report 2025</a>

#HealthcareTech in Denver, CO📍#salarytransparentstreet #salarytransparency #paytransparency

<h2>3. Programming and Coding</h2>Programming and coding include being proficient in programming languages, such as C++, Python, Javascript, Java, SQL, and other languages depending on their specialization. Since code ends up connecting different systems and data together, an understanding of data structures and databases is also included.

You really can’t go wrong learning any of these skills. They’re all foundational skills to many <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/highest-paying-tech-jobs">high-paying tech jobs </a>and you don’t need to learn them through a degree. 70% of developers are self-taught, according to a <a href="https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2023/">Stack Overflow survey</a>. Learning and building these skills can be done through online courses, bootcamps, and certifications, such as those offered by <a href="https://www.codecademy.com/">Codecademy</a>.&nbsp;Possible job titles:<ul><li>Software engineer</li><li>Software developer</li><li>Software analyst</li><li>Back-end engineer</li><li>Front-end engineer</li><li>DevOps engineer</li><li>Web developer</li><li>Application developer</li><li>Full-stack developer</li><li>Technical support engineer</li></ul>Median salary:<a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/software-developers.htm"> $130,160</a> a yearHighest salary recorded in our Salary Database: <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/salary-database?query=job_title%3Dsoftware+engineer&amp;page=1&amp;sortByField=calculated_annual_salary&amp;sortOrder=-1&amp;filters=">$450,000</a> a year (total compensation for a software engineer at Block)Job outlook (2023-2033): 17% increase in job growth

Software Engineers Make How Much? 🤯 Salary Transparent Street™️ Compilation 💵

<h2>4. Cloud Computing</h2>Cloud computing skills involve working with cloud services, including computing power, storage, and databases. A familiarity with cloud platforms such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure is needed. These platforms are essential for deploying, managing, and scaling applications and services. &nbsp;

justice league gif saying "to the cloud! like Microsoft"

96% of companies use at least one public cloud, which 50% of their workload is run in, according to a report done by <a href="https://www.virtana.com/the-state-of-multi-cloud-management-2024/">Vitana</a>, an AI-driven cloud management and monitoring solutions provider. The demand doesn’t stop there. With AWS dominating 32% of the cloud market, the demand for these skills will only continue to go up. Exploring <a href="https://aws.amazon.com/certification/">courses for AWS</a>, <a href="https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/certifications/azure-fundamentals/?practice-assessment-type=certification">Microsoft Azure</a>, and other cloud platforms can help you get started in this area.Possible job titles:<ul><li>Cloud solutions architect</li><li>Cloud engineer</li><li>Cloud support engineer</li><li>Cloud developer</li><li>Cloud systems administrator</li><li>Cloud systems engineer</li><li>Cloud consultant</li><li>Cloud operations manager</li><li>Cloud security specialist</li></ul>Median salary: <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/computer-network-architects.htm">$129,840</a> a yearHighest salary recorded in our Salary Database: <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/salary-database?query=job_title%3DCloud+Consultant&amp;page=1&amp;sortByField=calculated_annual_salary&amp;sortOrder=-1&amp;filters=">$261,000</a> a year for a cloud consultant role at Amazon Web ServicesJob outlook (2023-2033): 15% increase in job growth

#CloudEngineers in Atlanta, GA📍#salarytransparentstreet #salarytransparency #howmuchdoyoumake

<h2>5. Cybersecurity</h2>Cybersecurity skills involve understanding and implementing security protocols to protect systems and data from threats. This includes expertise in network security, encryption techniques, and vulnerability assessment to safeguard against data breaches and attacks.&nbsp;Cybersecurity exists everywhere. Where there is a system or network that needs protection, there is cybersecurity. These skills are in high demand and pay well for good reason. cybersecurity professionals have a lot riding on their shoulders. The security of entire companies depends on them and their skills.To get started learning cybersecurity skills, explore free courses (like <a href="https://pll.harvard.edu/course/cs50s-introduction-cybersecurity">this one from Harvard</a>) or explore <a href="https://www.comptia.org/certifications/cybersecurity-analyst">CompTIA cybersecurity certifications</a>.

gif of kristen bell saying "see? that's why you make the big bucks"

Possible job titles:<ul><li>Cybersecurity analyst</li><li>Information security analyst</li><li>Cybersecurity engineer</li><li>Incident response specialist</li><li>Penetration tester (ethical hacker)</li><li>Security consultant</li><li>Network security engineer</li></ul>Median salary: <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/information-security-analysts.htm">$120,360</a> a yearHighest salary recorded in our Salary Database: <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/salary-database?query=job_title%3DInformation+Security+Engineer&amp;page=1&amp;sortByField=calculated_annual_salary&amp;sortOrder=-1&amp;filters=">$760,000</a> per year for an information security analyst roleJob outlook (2023-2033): 32% increase in job growth

#CyberSecurityAnalyst making $150k in Washington, DC📍#salarytransparentstreet #paytransparency

<h2>6. Sales</h2>Being able to sell anything to another person is an amazing skill. It requires persuasion, good communication skills, and emotional intelligence. There are hard skills involved too, such as an expertise in lead generation, prospecting, and closing deals, and a strong understanding of customer relationship management (CRM) tools and sales analytics.Sales skills can be learned and strengthened through working entry-level sales positions, learning about ecommerce through online courses, taking training, or pursuing formal education for a degree. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/learning/topics/sales-3">LinkedIn Learning</a> has a great selection of courses that you can get for free with your <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/learning-login/go/share">library card</a>.Possible job titles:<ul><li>Sales representative</li><li>Sales associate</li><li>Sales engineer</li><li>Account manager</li><li>Sales manager</li><li>Business development manager</li><li>Sales director</li><li>Regional sales manager</li></ul>Median salary: <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/sales/sales-engineers.htm">$116,950</a> a yearHighest salary recorded in our Salary Database: <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/salary-database?query=job_title%3DSales+manager&amp;page=1&amp;sortByField=calculated_annual_salary&amp;sortOrder=-1&amp;filters=">$420,000</a> a year for a sales manager roleJob outlook (2023-2033): 7% increase in job growth

#SoftwareSales in Denver, CO📍#salarytransparentstreet #salarytransparency #paytransparency

<h2>7. Data Science and Analysis</h2>Data science and analytical skills are among some of the fastest growing in-demand skills. They include working with programming languages like Python and R, as well as expertise in SQL or NoSQL databases for querying data. Data visualization and working with big data and machine learning frameworks are also involved.&nbsp;As data becomes more and more valuable in our digital world, these are the skills at the heart of the information technology industry. Resources like <a href="https://www.datacamp.com/">Data Camp</a> are great places to start when looking to learn data and AI skills.Possible job titles:<ul><li>Data scientist</li><li>Data analyst</li><li>Data engineer</li><li>Data modeler</li><li>Data architect</li><li>Data visualization specialist</li><li>Business intelligence (BI) analyst</li></ul>

Data Scientists Make How Much? 🤯 Data Scientist Salary Compilation 💚 Salary Transparent Street

Median salary: <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/math/data-scientists.htm">$108,020</a> a yearHighest salary recorded in our Salary Database: <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/salary-database?query=job_title%3DData+Scientist&amp;page=1&amp;sortByField=calculated_annual_salary&amp;sortOrder=-1&amp;filters=">$260,000</a> a year for a data scientist role at AmgenJob outlook (2023-2033): 35% increase in job growth<h2>8. Financial Services</h2>Skills in financial services involve financial analysis and forecasting, which includes analyzing large sets of financial data – so you have to love math and numbers. In order to effectively do this, there needs to be a strong understanding of budgeting, financial modeling, investment analysis, and risk management.

gif of scene from hangover when he's calculating 

Skills that involve handling and managing money are definitely going to be high-paying. Financial technology and services make it possible for people to withdraw money from the bank, spend from a credit card, and even plan their financial futures and retirement. Working at a bank is a great place to start seeking out some of these skills. <a href="https://openlearning.mit.edu/news/become-financially-savvy-free-online-courses-mit">MIT </a>has some wonderful free courses to get started with!Possible job titles:<ul><li>Financial analyst</li><li>Investment banker</li><li>Financial advisor</li><li>Financial planner</li><li>Portfolio Manager</li><li>Risk Manager</li><li>Credit Analyst</li><li>Accountant</li><li>Tax Advisor</li></ul>Median salary: <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/financial-analysts.htm">$99,890</a> a yearHighest salary recorded in our Salary Database: <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/salary-database?query=job_title%3DPortfolio+Manager&amp;page=1&amp;sortByField=calculated_annual_salary&amp;sortOrder=-1&amp;filters=">$325,000</a> for a portfolio manager roleJob outlook (2023-2033): 13% increase in job growth

How much does a #FinanceManager in📍Austin, TX make? #salarytransparentstreet #salarytransparency

<h2>9. Project Management</h2>Project management skills involve planning, executing, and overseeing projects, including defining scope, managing timelines, and budgets. The most important pieces of project management are being able to engage stakeholders and manage risks. Managing a project also means to see it through to the end, and requires a proficiency in methodologies like Agile and Scrum to successfully deliver projects.&nbsp;

gif of person saying "I'm a planner. I make plans."

Some project management jobs may require a college degree, however project management certifications are great for breaking into project management. Start learning these skills with free courses like <a href="https://www.pmi.org/kickoff">this one from the Project Management Institute</a>, then browse their certifications. <a href="https://grow.google/certificates/project-management/">Google </a>is another great certification resource for this one.Possible job titles:<ul><li>Project manager</li><li>Program manager</li><li>Project coordinator</li><li>Project director</li><li>Project management officer (PMO)</li><li>Scrum master</li><li>Project lead</li><li>Product manager</li></ul>Median salary: <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/project-management-specialists.htm">$98,580</a> a yearHighest salary recorded in our Salary Database: <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/salary-database?query=job_title%3Dproject+manager&amp;page=1&amp;sortByField=calculated_annual_salary&amp;sortOrder=-1&amp;filters=">$300,000</a> a year for a project manager roleJob outlook (2023-2033): 6% increase in job growth

How much does a #ProjectManager make in Denver, CO📍?#salarytransparentstreet #salarytransparency

<h2>10. UI/UX Design</h2>UI/UX design skills include proficiency in design tools such as Adobe XD, Sketch, and Figma for creating user interfaces. This involves expertise in wireframing and prototyping, which set the stage for creating engaging designs that enhance user interaction.&nbsp;There are also 5 main skills that UI/UX designers should have, according to <a href="https://xd.adobe.com/ideas/career-tips/5-must-have-skills-for-ux-designers/">Adobe</a>. Those are front-end development, voice design, writing microcopy, UI design skills, and understanding data. To start learning about UI/UX design, start with free courses online to see if it’s something you want to explore deeper. <a href="https://edex.adobe.com/teaching-resources/introduction-to-ux-and-ui-design">Adobe </a>and <a href="https://www.codecademy.com/learn/intro-to-ui-ux">Codecademy </a>both have free courses to get started with.Possible job titles:<ul><li>UI designer (user interface designer)</li><li>UX designer (user experience designer)</li><li>UI/UX engineer</li><li>Web designer</li><li>Product designer</li><li>Interaction designer</li><li>User researcher</li><li>UI/UX engineer</li></ul>Median salary:<a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/web-developers.htm"> $92,750</a> a yearHighest salary recorded in our Salary Database: <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/salary-database?query=job_title%3DUx+Designer&amp;page=1&amp;sortByField=calculated_annual_salary&amp;sortOrder=-1&amp;filters=">$175,000</a> a year for a UX designer role at Fidelity InvestmentsJob outlook (2023-2033): 16% increase in job growth

#SeniorWebDesigner in Washington, DC📍#salarytransparentstreet #salarytransparency

<h2>Trending High-Income Skills and Looking Forward</h2>Skills that will continue to increase in demand over the next 10 years are software engineering, data science, cybersecurity, and AI/ML – which has the highest increase of 80%. Tech has always been a high-paying field, but it’s about to get even more so.&nbsp;There are also other high-income skills we didn’t mention in this list but are great areas to explore – such as nursing and <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/nurse-anesthetists-nurse-midwives-and-nurse-practitioners.htm">nurse practitioners</a>, which have a 38% increase in demand over the next 8 years. The healthcare sector alone is expected to account for 2.1 million new jobs by 2032, according to the <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/home.htm">U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</a>.&nbsp;There are also <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/highest-paying-trade-jobs">high-paying trades</a> that are increasing in demand over that time, such as occupational therapy assistants with a 23% increase in demand.Whatever you choose to explore, we know you’ll make the right choice. Learning high-income skills is one thing, but it’s up to you to <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/negotiate-salary-offer">negotiate your salary</a> and <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/how-to-ask-for-a-raise">ask for future raises</a>, to significantly increase your income with your new skills. We’ll be right here cheering you on!That wraps it up for this week. Until next time, stay awesome, stay strong, and keep advocating for yourself no matter what! I’m Daniella, a writer, engineer, and creator of <a href="https://iliketodabble.com/">I Like to Dabble </a>and <a href="https://iliketodabble.com/remote-work-bestie/">Remote Work Bestie</a> - my blog and podcast for leveling up your money, career, and side hustles. I’m extremely passionate about workers' rights and financial freedom, so it’s a pleasure to be able to bring you this type of content through the <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub">Salary Transparent Street blog</a> (thank you for the opportunity, Hannah!) You can also follow me on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/iliketodabbleblog/">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@iliketodabble">TikTok</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellamarquez/">Linkedin</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/iliketodabble">Twitter</a>. Chat soon!If this guide helps you land a higher-paying job, let us know! Send us an email ➡️ hello@salarytransparentstreet.comFor more Salary Transparent Street resources:<ul><li>Want to join the movement? Explore thousands of individually reported salaries nationwide across all industries in our <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/salary-database">Salary Database</a>!</li><li>Do you know if you're being underpaid? <a href="https://salarytransparentstreet.beehiiv.com/p/underpaid-quiz">Take our free quiz</a> to find out!</li><li>Need help determining your market rate? Download our free <a href="https://view.flodesk.com/pages/626ccc8e1e8046b220253e47">Market Research Guide</a> to learn what you should be making.</li><li>Need help negotiating your salary? Download our free <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/free-salary-negotiation-guide">Salary Negotiation Guide</a>!</li><li>Follow us on <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@salarytransparentstreet">TikTok</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/salarytransparentstreet/">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/salarytransparentstreet">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/salarytransparentstreet">YouTube </a>and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/salarytransparentstreet/">LinkedIn </a>for daily pay transparency interviews and career news you can use!</li><li>Subscribe to our <a href="https://salarytransparentstreet.beehiiv.com/subscribe">weekly newsletter</a> for news updates, professional deep dives, learning opportunities, and more!</li></ul>

Desktop featured image with a green background, illustration of a skill level meter, and title text overlay that reads "high income skills to learn"

Featured image with a green background, illustration of a skill level meter, and title text overlay that reads "high income skills to learn"

10 High-Income Skills to Learn Without a Degree

Salary discussions at the office rarely happen but they should. Money is the very thing that causes everyone to be there for work in the first place, but it’s the last thing anyone wants to bring up.&nbsp;

Let’s be real. We’ve been told for so long that it’s tacky to talk about how much we make because the more silence there is around what employees are making, the more a company can profit off of those who are underpaid.This taboo can bring up insecurities, contribute to <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/salary-negotiation-myths">salary negotiation myths</a>, and make conversations about pay difficult to start. Knowing how to approach the subject of salary with coworkers in a respectful manner is essential for having a productive conversation that helps everyone.Key points:<ul><li>There are policies in place against pay secrecy that protect employees when talking about pay.</li><li>When learning <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/negotiate-salary-offer">how to negotiate salary</a>, discussing salary with your coworkers can help gather more compensation data.</li><li>The best salary discussions are mutually beneficial and lead with clear intentions.</li><li>There is a difference between your peers' salaries and your market rate. Be sure to research your market rate either before, during, or after these discussions.</li></ul>

&nbsp;<h2>Can you be fired for talking about pay?</h2>No, you can’t be fired for talking about your pay at work. There are <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/pay-transparency-laws">pay transparency laws</a> in place to combat pay secrecy and protect employees from retaliation when talking about pay. According to the <a href="https://www.nlrb.gov/about-nlrb/rights-we-protect/your-rights/your-rights-to-discuss-wages#:~:text=If%20you%20are%20an%20employee,policies%20against%20using%20their%20equipment">National Labor Relations Act</a>, “employees have the right to communicate with other employees at their workplace about their wages.”&nbsp;

Are You Allowed to Talk About Salary in Your Workplace? (Legal Rights)

It’s an important right that you should exercise as much as you can, as appropriately as you can.What you can’t do is talk about other people’s salaries if you found out. For example, if you find out what colleague A is making and you talk to colleague B, you can’t tell colleague B what colleague A is making. Even HR can’t have conversations with other people about other people’s salaries.You can only share what you make.&nbsp;

Person saying we're gonna keep this between us

When it gets legally tricky is if the company you work for has any clauses that restrict you from having salary discussions on company time or company property.&nbsp;If this is the case for you, invite your colleague out for coffee or lunch to start that discussion. When these conversations are in more relaxed environments outside of the office, they tend to be much more productive anyway.&nbsp;<h2>Icebreakers to Begin Salary Conversations at Work</h2>It’s awkward and intimidating to start conversations about salary at work. First, give yourself grace. These conversations certainly aren’t normalized and it’s natural for you to feel weird about them.The best way to frame it is to present what your situation is first. Maybe you want to <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/how-to-ask-for-a-raise">ask for a raise</a> or are simply curious to see if you’re being underpaid at your job.&nbsp;Start with something along the lines of, “After working at the company for X amount of time, I’ve been thinking about asking for a raise. After watching Salary Transparent Street, I’m wondering what is a fair number to ask for. What’s been your experience in your career with salary negotiation?”If you’re curious to see if you’re being underpaid, bring up the topic of something like employee reviews coming up or a new project or responsibility you’ve been given. These topics can be used to naturally steer the conversation into talking about pay.

Try to frame it in a way that isn’t directly asking them how much they make. Give them the opportunity to get the feel of the conversation and have it naturally evolve from there. Gauge how comfortable they are with it because it isn’t fair to force that conversation if they’re not ready.&nbsp;Something that tends to make starting these conversations easier is to first practice on friends and family.&nbsp;<h2>Do’s &amp; Don'ts of Discussing Salary With Coworkers</h2>Whenever you have these conversations, come from a place of respect and wanting to learn something that benefits you. Your intention behind wanting to start these conversations is an important element for how they’ll play out. There’s a difference between being nosy and wanting to have a productive conversation to learn something that can help with your career development.&nbsp;The conversation should also be mutually beneficial. If you’re wanting to ask someone about their compensation, are you willing to share yours in return?

Ilana broad city saying I respect you respecting me

<h2>What to Do With The Information</h2>If you find out you’re being underpaid from someone else’s salary, DO NOT storm into your manager’s office and point fingers.Legally (see above), you can’t tell them that your colleague is making [$X], which is higher than what you make, and then ask for a raise. You’ll need to present an argument for a pay increase competitive with the market rate of your peers based on your experience, skills, etc.Use what you’ve learned from your colleagues and then do your own research to find your market rate. Download our free <a href="https://view.flodesk.com/pages/626ccc8e1e8046b220253e47">Market Research Guide</a> to learn what you should be making.Then, use a sample script from our free <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/free-salary-negotiation-guide">Salary Negotiation Guide</a>. to ask for a raise, or learn how to negotiate a job offer if you need to start looking for another job).&nbsp;Do you know if you're being underpaid? <a href="https://salarytransparentstreet.beehiiv.com/p/underpaid-quiz">Take our free quiz</a> to find out!Follow us on <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@salarytransparentstreet">TikTok</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/salarytransparentstreet/">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/salarytransparentstreet">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/salarytransparentstreet">YouTube </a>and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/salarytransparentstreet/">LinkedIn </a>for daily pay transparency interviews and career news you can use!Explore over 5,000+ individually reported salaries nationwide across all industries in our <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/salary-database">Salary Database</a>!Subscribe to our <a href="https://salarytransparentstreet.beehiiv.com/subscribe">weekly newsletter</a> for news updates, professional deep dives, learning opportunities, and more!Send us an email ➡️ <a href="mailto:hello@salarytransparentstreet.com">hello@salarytransparentstreet.com</a>

picture of 2 people at a desk with coffee and title text overlay that reads talking about salary at the office

2 people at a table with coffee and title text overlay that reads talking about salary at the office

How to Talk About Salary at the Office

Salary negotiation can be challenging.&nbsp;For many professionals, the mere thought of entering into a salary negotiation can be daunting. According to a <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/05/when-negotiating-starting-salaries-most-us-women-and-men-dont-ask-for-higher-pay/">Pew Research Center survey</a>, 60% of people did not negotiate their salary.&nbsp;The fear of sounding too aggressive or the uncertainty of knowing what to say often leads individuals to settle for less than they deserve. Women especially feel this when faced with negotiating and the risk of being seen as “too difficult” to work with due to bias.Even with the rise of <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/pay-transparency-laws">pay transparency laws</a> across the US where employers are now required to disclose salary ranges for job listings in some states, it’s still important to negotiate your salary and advocate for yourself. Failing to negotiate could cost you millions over your lifetime.In the heat of interviewing and discussing salary with the recruiter or hiring manager, I’ve found having a few scripts ready to go helps to stay confident in those talks.

&nbsp;Key points:<ul><li>Salary negotiation scripts can serve as guides, empowering you with the confidence to navigate the negotiation process effectively.&nbsp;</li><li>Compensation is more than just your salary. It includes your benefits too, which should be accounted for when negotiating.</li><li>Negotiating salary over the phone can be overwhelming for some folks. In this case, negotiating salary over email might work best.</li></ul>

<h2>Should I negotiate by phone or email?</h2>Usually, job offers are presented over a phone call, in person, or during a video call. This is a tactic hiring managers use to create a sense of urgency that you need to accept the offer on the spot.&nbsp;Don’t fall for it.&nbsp;A good rule of thumb when receiving any job offer is to get the official offer in writing and to take at least 24 to 48 hours to review it. Be sure to communicate that timing with the hiring manager too. Next, what do you say?

<h2>Negotiating Salary Over The Phone</h2><a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/negotiate-salary-offer">Negotiating a salary offer</a> over the phone can be tricky, especially if you don’t know your market rate. Never go into negotiations without a target number (or range) in mind. Our <a href="https://link.mail.beehiiv.com/ls/click?upn=zv0OIymeN4PLIGdIdZnih3jFGmiW-2FGSoxGGMGlser-2BwOguwBMTEgQJsY4qhH3rAAPOe2EDDI00UIy4ZEFawHABGe497xisoasZBHn5AtyhCIEK4-2Bddj3wOvg-2F16F7gbxhODfEdzWqqbwNdN7v7k8k1bj40e4E0fPXKKrIyryk3K8EoiBmFtN-2Fdy-2FV-2FrKejf3j45vCaxaI7ve0nvhRHVB11JGdFIa49aT7MScN5eU1dBeuEU5ox2tDx-2BpybJHW9oQDGXBZxpcY9zxgN2ZNBQ8iNvMW3h4MizQT-2BjBgPiefF9dD9LKrkH2tInX-2BTIx0SUSUNtAsRV5e0BHUDDAnFg-2FwDL4ymaFAiZLuh1bebye6X9gv53JUjfiK-2FG5KsvzvDU2h-2BxByzFaL1Gv9L6uVmo-2BNvRxG2-2FXSeY-2FS07LIEyTNj2J-2B96yaE2IxrTZvlSb10lC4Su80C2fFc3JE7ilaPSxK62Hvtn1Xh9hfwET7GPlB46aZW8DFkNP7ntMbSkc5a-2Bb8M3KRQGej9Kgj9UY-2BjjNYO9JE8MPshT20BYXhNqoecn3hdktrdgV8s7NvkdEb8t6Dgh72ii306aloofOY2nUJEfUxJ4-2FUThWsp-2FacWm74eD02GB75o8F24AAoj7lxMnx12HcnIaKO9kmZosvtvzeNY6OxPd4EGvU1J071feIQNo5XGb7bU2DtErElkOwMHjs-2Bfa2YRNTwrtohpUbnj9rAf-2BkpMKeEmtnRThVHZIwbLyaMz3okzZpfMvEZVB1ltuNGItqpV4ds-2FrAzRjmSGMjEJ9AROXnFmqr4E-2BS6Glo8vWCDt4ptqh87AIGbVkMne8rKmLBqlIvgJAqYlhPMBIP9VxOni2hNZo70xEcMRgUnYrz-2FHuv0S1rJ42-2B-2F3GhDQ-2Bx-2FSmXH-2FuYQSNO3bqEEcksTmAxJHBiQhmWhJc8YoWXkPs-3DHngR_e-2FZz2TLfiAVe-2FKyTwnKoPmSWDbgl6CfX1faZKhVNwddssNFki5EKYzS82J-2BO2Pyn-2BiPHMJYI2i8dWArze612NznX8V-2BEeqN2Jg6R5igUjFYgNx7sBYR0qc-2BHCeQFI1Z9pkY6BklfFnppiI1SZQhvllxP5JCKmMb6WcfLgwAbC1QSKrppXtVJUMQOqzs76zWOOHoyVe6aRAxRxg50czKwGJk-2BbLZq5fTpaoe0GKHrPwIUE1OLaR9jx9rLJwWUowy2x1k4NbgBrkhjQNoNF0WFN0s06-2F97H6RvYEv4FUth6Im09y2Ui8LtjQCuUnaaV2L3RFrltJ-2BmAu87sZTlENdrCqg7-2FrqlTvdk0bkcntcM8FbHVJjNI-2BSSZEKd-2F-2BNo-2BdcTaFftwpuquOW8ffBayNp6kmh-2Bn5uHH0Fax4pmvNyi4DXn3kGQpHtNdSYxiP03-2Fs8-2F">Market Research Guide</a> can help you with that.Even if you know your market rate, wait to negotiate until you have the offer in writing. You aren’t only negotiating your salary during a job offer, but you're also <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/negotiate-benefits">negotiating benefits</a> like health benefits, sign-on bonus, stock options, vacation time, start date, remote work benefits, etc. These discussions can quickly get in the weeds and are easier to emotionally manage over email.Use the following script for when you receive a job offer over the phone to redirect the offer to your email:“This is great news! Thank you so much for the offer! It was great to meet you and I’m so excited to join the team. Before I can accept, can you please email me the complete offer and compensation package with both the salary and benefit information?” &nbsp;

Jimmy fallon gif of his saying this could've been an email

<h2>Salary Negotiation Email</h2>After you receive the written offer over email, it’s time to start negotiating! You can either review the offer over email and set up a call to discuss. Or, if you get nervous easily on phone calls like that and have a tendency to not advocate for yourself as much in a live interaction, you can reply and start your negotiation over email.Start off by thanking them again and showing your excitement. Depending on what you’re negotiating for, whether it’s a higher salary or better benefits, your reply would look something like this:“Dear [hiring manager’s name],Thank you again so much for the offer and sending all of this over! I am really excited to work with the team but there are a few things I want to discuss before accepting the offer. The salary is much lower than my market rate and salary expectations. Based on my understanding of the role, my experience, skills, and the results I’ve been able to drive in my professional career, I am looking for a salary of between [$X and $X]. What can we do to come to an agreement?I look forward to hearing from you to discuss further,[your name]”You might tweak your reply using any of the salary negotiation scripts below.If they ask you to jump on a call to discuss, keep your points in view during the phone call to stay on track, reinforce your experience, skills, results, and hold your ground. You got this!

<h2>Salary Negotiation Script Structure</h2>A salary negotiation isn’t meant to be a battle, even though they can feel that way sometimes. Instead, they’re a partnership.&nbsp;You aren’t fighting the hiring manager. You’re working with them to come to an agreement that works for the both of you. Keep this in mind when replying to job offers and using any salary negotiation scripts, especially your tone while handling them.The general structure that most salary negotiation scripts use follows a flow.<ol><li>Start with expressing your excitement and thanking the hiring manager or Human Resources associate that made the offer.</li><li>Share something positive about the interview process like how great it was to meet them and the team, and how excited you are to get started.</li><li>State that there are a few things you’d like to discuss and would like to see the entire compensation package with salary and benefits included before accepting the offer.</li><li>Take some time to carefully review the compensation package.</li><li>Counter-offer with your expected salary or range and any additional benefits you’d like to negotiate for.</li><li>End with a positive sign off.</li></ol><h2>11 Example Salary Negotiation Scripts</h2>Add the following scripts to your tool box when going into job interviews and negotiations.

Gif of laverne cox saying stick to the script

<h2>When Bringing Up Salary in The Introductory Interview</h2>If the job listing didn’t include what the pay was for the job, you can ask the recruiter about salary in the introductory interview. Disclosure of pay range is actually required in several states such as Washington, California, and Pennsylvania. View our full <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/pay-transparency-laws">map of pay transparency laws</a> across the U.S. to check what’s required in your state.Even if your state doesn’t require that the employer disclose the pay range, you have every right to ask what the pay is for the job you’re interviewing for. The sooner you ask, the better so you aren’t wasting hours of interviews to get the bad news that they don’t have the budget to pay you fairly.The best way is to ask when they prompt with a <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/job-interview-questions-and-answers">job interview question</a> like, “Do you have any questions?”. Then respond with something along the lines of “What is the budgeted salary range for this position?”.&nbsp;If they respond with a budget that is too low, use this script:“That’s not within my market rate/the competitive rate for me and my peers. Is your budget flexible?”

<h2>When Asked What Your Salary Expectations Are</h2>If the hiring manager or recruiter asks you what your salary requirements are, use this script:“I’ve done the market research and I have an expected range in mind, but it’s a bit too early in the interview process for me to gauge the full scope of this position. Would you mind please sharing the budget for this role with me?”This exact script helped Salary Transparent Street founder,<a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/why-i-started-salary-transparent-street"> Hannah Williams</a>, get a $25,000 raise from $90,000 to $115,000!

michael scott gif of him saying i am declining to speak first

<h2>When The Salary Offer is Too Low</h2>When the salary offer is lower than expected, reply with this script:“Thank you. This is wonderful news! I enjoyed meeting you and the team, and am beyond excited to work together. Before accepting the offer, I’d like to discuss the salary as it’s much lower than my competitive market rate. Based on my skills and experience, I’d be eager to accept a salary of [$X] for this position and [insert any benefits you’d like to negotiate for].”

giff of someone saying you're not going to insult me with a low ball offer

<h2>When The Written Offer is Lower Than The Verbal Offer</h2>When the written offer doesn’t match the verbal offer, this script will come in handy:“Thank you so much for sending over the written offer and full compensation package! However, I noticed that the salary on the written offer is lower than the verbal offer we discussed on our call, and lower than my market rate. Considering my skills, experience, results, and market salary for this position, I’d be eager to accept a salary of [$X] for this position and [insert any benefits you’d like to negotiate for].”

Brooklyn 99 gif saying uncool, uncool, uncool

<h2>When Providing a Desired Salary Prematurely That Was Too Low</h2>If you’ve disclosed your salary requirements too early in the process and find that your salary needs to increase to match the full scope of the position, use this script:“Thank you for considering my initial desired salary, I genuinely appreciate it. However, as we have progressed further in the interview process and I’ve learned the full scope of the position, I see additional requirements that were not explicitly stated in the job posting (give an example or 2). Considering these changes, I would feel most comfortable accepting a salary between [$X and $X].”

<h2>When Leveraging Job Offers From Other Companies</h2>If you get multiple offers that coincide with each other, leverage those in negotiations with this script:&nbsp;“Thank you. This is great news! I loved meeting the team and am excited to get started on the projects we discussed. Before accepting an offer, I’d like to discuss the salary as it’s much lower than my market rate. I was recently offered a position with another company (indicating if it’s a competitor or not), and am considering my options. Based on their offer, my skills, experience, results, and market salary for this position, I’d be eager to accept a salary of [$X] for this position and [insert any benefits you’d like to negotiate for]. I believe my experience in [x,y,z] can add significant value to the team.”

Gif of alexis from schitt's creek flipping her hair

<h2>How to Counter So They Don’t Rescind Their Offer</h2>Rarely a company might rescind an offer while negotiating. Employers expect people to negotiate and don’t rescind offers just because the potential employee tried to negotiate.&nbsp;However, they might withdraw their offer if the candidate asks for a salary that is unreasonable, has poor communication with the recruiter, or is rude and doesn’t work with the recruiter collaboratively to reach an agreement. There are also other factors that might be out of your control such as budget changes, restructuring the company where the position is no longer available, or going with an internal candidate.&nbsp;<h2>When They Can’t Budge on Salary</h2>

Nadja from what we do in the shadows saying this I know  how to handle

Let’s say you counteroffer and they are unable to budge on the salary. This is when you can try to negotiate for other things like remote work, more vacation time, or a sign-on bonus.Use this script template for negotiating for benefits:“Thank you for that information and I understand there isn’t room to budge on the salary. If the salary can’t be adjusted to accommodate my market rate, I’d be eager to accept the position for [$X] with the ability to work fully remote and an extra 5 days of vacation [or insert any benefits you’d like to negotiate for]. What can we do to make this work for the both of us?”<h2>When The Salary is Not Negotiable</h2>

Sometimes a company may have set compensation packages per level that are not negotiable. They will either tell you at the time of the offer or when you try to negotiate that the offer is non-negotiable since it’s already set in the budget.In this case, you’ll have to decide if you want to accept it or not, or move on.<h2>After Accepting an Offer but Changed Your Mind</h2>If you’ve already accepted the offer but have since changed your mind, don’t worry. It happens.This script will help get through that scenario, as long as you didn’t already sign the job offer:“Thank you so much for chatting with me today about the job offer! I know we recently came to an agreement of [$X] for the salary, however, since accepting the job offer I’ve had some time to dig deeper into the role and the full scope of the position. I am still interested in the position and would be ready to start with everything else we’ve agreed upon, but would like to negotiate the salary and would be eager to move forward with [$X] for the salary. Is this doable?”<h2>When Renegotiating Salary at Your Current Job</h2>

Michael and stanley from the office talking about how to get stanley to stay

When you’ve been at a job for a while but your pay isn’t matching the current role anymore, you have every right to <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/how-to-ask-for-a-raise">ask for a raise</a> and renegotiate your salary!This script is perfect for negotiating a higher salary and better suited agreement:&nbsp;“Thank you again for taking the time to meet with me today. I’ve been with the company for [X] years now and love the work I do, as well as the team I work with. However, in that time, the scope of the role has changed with additional responsibilities. I’ve been asked to take on responsibilities of a more senior position, in addition to my current position. Before I can fully commit to that, I would like to review my current compensation package and reach a figure that better suits these new responsibilities. Considering industry standards, similar positions recently posted on the company’s website, my experience, skills, &amp; market rate, I believe a salary of [$X] makes the most sense moving forward.”If they can’t budge, ask for an increase in any of your benefits such as more paid time off, flexible working conditions, more parental leave, etc.<h2>Knowing When to Walk Away</h2>Never accept a job offer without negotiating. The worst thing they can say is no and if that happens, you always have the decision to walk away. You can find a <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/resource-hub/highest-paying-jobs-without-a-degree">high-paying job</a> elsewhere.Consider your “must-haves” to advocate for with every job offer you negotiate, so you know when it’s time to walk away. Need help determining your market rate so you know when to walk away? Download our free <a href="https://view.flodesk.com/pages/626ccc8e1e8046b220253e47">Market Research Guide</a> to learn what you should be making.Do you know if you're being underpaid? <a href="https://salarytransparentstreet.beehiiv.com/p/underpaid-quiz">Take our free quiz</a> to find out!Follow us on <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@salarytransparentstreet">TikTok</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/salarytransparentstreet/">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/salarytransparentstreet">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/salarytransparentstreet">YouTube </a>and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/salarytransparentstreet/">LinkedIn </a>for daily pay transparency interviews and career news you can use!Explore over 5,000+ individually reported salaries nationwide across all industries in our <a href="https://www.salarytransparentstreet.com/salary-database">Salary Database</a>!Subscribe to our <a href="https://salarytransparentstreet.beehiiv.com/subscribe">weekly newsletter</a> for news updates, professional deep dives, learning opportunities, and more!Send us an email ➡️ <a href="mailto:hello@salarytransparentstreet.com">hello@salarytransparentstreet.com</a>

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