First of all, I am terrible at this. Negotiating salary takes an art of selling which I do not possess. In any Strengths Finder exercise or personality test, any kind of sales or persuasion or showmanship traits fall to the very bottom for me.
This has caused me to pass up roles where I couldn’t quite get compensation up to what I’d hoped for. I’ve also taken pay cuts in two roles, one where it was absolutely worth it and one where it was very much not.
So while I can’t tell you the magic formula for getting paid beyond your wildest dreams, I can at least share some experience – and actual numbers – with you.
Salary
Here are some annual salaries I’ve been paid as a Scrum Master:
$120,000
$141,500
$160,000
$152,000
$142,000
Note that I’ve come in with between 6-10 years of experience in tech at any given time in these roles. I’m also in a high cost of living area, starting with the Bay Area before moving to LA.
Want other perspectives on salary? The State of Agile Coaching report from Scrum Alliance dives into salary trends in the industry including by experience and location: https://resources.scrumalliance.org/Article/state-agile-coaching-report
Compensation, benefits, culture
Total compensation is not the same as salary. When I mentioned I’d taken a pay cut that was worth it, I’d given up a significant amount of unvested, high-performing stock as well as unlimited vacation and perks like free food to take a job elsewhere. Even with an annual bonus, the money I made at the new place wasn’t as much as at the company I’d left.
And I’d do it again.
I’d been struggling with a manager that didn’t support my needs. When I took a pay cut, I moved to a manager that always had my back. They weren’t afraid to challenge me, but they always made the time to understand my perspective. They were one of the best managers I’ve had. To me that was worth the cut in pay.
And while that company didn’t have kombucha on tap and an unlimited supply of ice cream, it did have a flexible 9/80 work week and some really cool movie screenings and talks. They also fully paid for my CSP-SM certification and all educational requirements for my ICF-ACC.
Location
Remote work has opened up new possibilities of working with companies we never would have been able to before. The downside is, many of these companies are headquartered in areas that balk at the pay range of a higher cost of living area, especially those outside of the tech industry.
When looking for work, I did not have much luck in negotiating the pay I’d established from working in the Bay Area with companies outside of California. That said, even companies within California might not have that pay ability. Know what your hard limits are, target companies that are within that range, and know what you’re willing to walk away from.
And know what you are able to accept. In an earlier job search, there was a job I regret not taking from a company headquartered in Minnesota. I held out for that Bay Area money instead of going with my gut on how amazing everyone I talked to was and how much I felt I would have belonged there. As you can tell, it haunts me to this day.
How to negotiate your salary
Like I said, I don’t have this process down. At all. But I know some people who do.
Amy Miller is a recruiter with advice on navigating the recruiting process as a candidate. Her YouTube channel is full of tips on negotiation, resumes, interviewing, and more. I especially like this video on salary negotiations: https://youtu.be/LJ4hyUyNd9E
Scott Showalter offers career services to Agile professionals, specifically on raising your income. His Agile Career Accelerator program targets career and income growth. He helped me transform my resumé.
Did I miss anyone? Do you have questions? Let me know in the comments.
Writing this post was intimidating for me as salary remains an unfortunately taboo topic. But if it helps one person, it was worth it.
Good luck in your negotiations!
Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash
Great post, found it very insightful!
I’ve traded coaching hours with Scott Showalter so I know him already but will add Amy Miller to my list of great resources.
Wanted to add another person to your list of good people in the space of recruiting: Madeline Mann.
https://www.madelinemann.com/
Madeline Mann created a YouTube channel called “Self-Made Millennial.” While I am not a millennial by any stretch of the age bracket, I find her content valuable and engaging.
She’s also a really genuine and caring person (I’ve met her in real life when I asked her to speak at one of our WiT Hollywood events.)
Thank you, Nadya! I just followed Madeline on LinkedIn. I’m looking forward to checking out her channel.
Thanks for the shout-out Season. “You shouldn’t have” lol
Nicely timed though, as August marked the two year anniversary since founding the Agile Career Accelerator. It’s been a wild ride!
Our goal for the coming year is to grow our YouTube channel and more importantly help agile coaches unlock ten million in pay increases. 🙂
In addition to negotiation, we do teach the sales side of things, especially for agile coaches who want to grow their own consultancy. It’s basically the same way Deloitte has grown their business to $50 Billion a year. Except y’all are probably way better at the execution part than Deloitte haha.
Hope you’re enjoying your vacation and can’t wait to see what you come up with next!
It’s a valuable skill for sure.