Salary Story: I Moved From Fashion To Tech & Got A $40k Raise

I applied to a tech startup I’d admired from afar on a whim and got the job after a grueling interview process. It was five rounds, including an initial call with HR, a presentation for a panel, four 1:1 interviews, and a project. It took months and it was definitely tricky finding ways to take half-days at the job I was already working to do hours of interviews back-to-back. At the time it felt a bit ridiculous, and doing work for free in the form of a project is never fun, but in the end I think they took their time making sure they found the right person. My responsibilities changed pretty dramatically moving into tech. I went from a team of four working on social to working essentially on my own. I took on creating strategies and processes while also trying to integrate into a highly regulated industry.

Moving into the tech industry was a game changer for me — I had no idea people in social media could even make this much. At my previous job, I’d worked 80 hours a week and even worked during vacations, but even as I took on more and more responsibilities they were unwilling to discuss a raise until I put in my two weeks notice to take this new position. At my old job, I was working a few hours before going into the office and working a few hours after getting home at night. I also almost always worked at least some portion of the weekend, and even on vacation was expected to still be responding to emails and scheduling and publishing content. I think the company tried to squeeze what should have been two roles into one, which is not uncommon in social roles. What I saw as unreasonable in the end was the expectation to have zero work/life balance.

I wanted a title change, but was willing to settle for this massive salary jump that would allow me to live comfortably for the first time. Didn’t negotiate this offer at all, but wish I had!