You need some salt for this

Hey 👋

It’s that time of the year again

The “year in review” season is upon us.

Your music playlists, favorite movies, websites you visited — even your salary — are all being analyzed, summarized, and served back to you.

And no matter how hard you try, those salary reports mess with your head.

The fascinating part is that they somehow manage to make everyone unhappy.

No matter who you are or what you earn, they leave you thinking you’re underpaid.

It’s wild.

A report that supposedly aggregates everyone’s data leaves everyone dissatisfied — including those who contributed to it!

I recently came across this preview of PM salary data on Reddit.

It hasn’t been published yet and might go through some changes, but I’m confident of one thing: it’ll successfully upset just about everyone who reads it.

Most PMs will walk away from this data feeling a mix of confusion and inadequacy.

• Does this include multi-year stock grants?

• What’s the split between bonus and base pay?

• Does this data account for the fired employees who were earning these salaries?

None of this gets answered clearly, yet somehow, we all manage to feel like victims when we see the numbers.

To make it worse, many will cite these reports during salary negotiations, believing they’ve done their “market research” and that their salary should align with these benchmarks.

I would recommend that you focus on figuring out the budget for the role you’re interviewing for, regardless of these reports or even your past salary.

Salaries are highly subjective.

The way corporates and even employee quote their salaries is often bloated.

This makes them feel good while filling out the survey form, but not so much when reading the analysis of the survey.

Instead of trying to figure out the rationalized data in these reports, take these as directional data.

And when going to a salary negotiation round, do not try to match yourself to someone else’s supposed number.

Instead, aim to maximize the offer that you can get now.

That’s not to say salary surveys are useless.

They can be helpful for comparing roles and gauging the potential of a certain position.

They can used in identifying better-paying employers.

But they shouldn’t be your gold standard for what you should earn.

Take them with a pinch of salt, use them wisely, and focus on what matters: making the most of the opportunity in front of you.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

If you found these insights helpful, let’s take it further,

• Land your dream job with personalized career coaching.

  Book 1:1 call

• Thrive in your current role by mastering career strategies and navigating challenges effectively.

• I have created a job portal that will give you access to High paying Best PM Jobs in the US - before they get flooded with applications - Visit BestPMJobs.com 

Let’s work together to get you the career and salary growth you deserve!

If you have any questions, reply to this email and I will be happy to help.

Wishing you a week filled with positive updates for your job.

I will see you next week.

All the Best

Aditi