Asking for more money as a woman in the IT Field . . . . (employment, apply)
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The problem with IT at present is that management feels MOST IT people are a dime a dozen. Unless you have at least a Bachelors degree and 5 years in the network security field that is. This is one field that you now pretty much have to be willing to jump jobs every 3 years in order to get pay increases.
I'm male, and have been at a Fortune 500 company for 28 years. They are NOT hiring anybody U.S. at present. Anybody leaves, and they either don't replace them at all (we all have to absorb their work), put a contractor in that place (who gets $12 and hour), or they get an Indian contractor that gets paid the equivalent of $6,000.00 US a year.
Honestly, if I was basically just starting out in IT, I'd be thrilled to get my foot in the door at a "dream place" for $18 an hour starting wage (with O.T. though, no exempt pay 'we expect you to work 60 hours a week, and be on-call' BS) If doing that, and you can't shine and get your first pay raise inside of 6 months, then there's other factors working against you.
P.S. Getting an A+ cert is pretty much the easiest cert possible. You can read one of the training books over two days, and pass the tests practically blindfolded. What are you waiting for?
I was holding off on the a+ because to my knowledge it equates to a tech having 9 months of experience. I have a year of experience. I was trying to get my MCP. Microsoft certs don't expire I believe? They eventually retire but you are still certified in that area regardless.
What really threw me off was when she said $17. There's no way I'm leaving $16.50 an hour to get to $17. I was looking at rate of pay for this job and what I was asking for seemed average.
Hmmmm...how many men would settle for a below-minimum salary? Right, they usually choose women to low-ball the worst because they don't usually counter.
Anyway, you don't want to work for a company like that in the long run - you won't get good raises and anything you do get will be a percentage based on too low a base salary.
Welcome to the business world.
It isn't all sunshine and rainbows. People never do things out of the kindness of their heart.
There are plenty of men that don't counter as well.
Point is, they're going to pay you what you're worth. If you think you're worth $17/hr, then that's what you're worth. If you're worth $20, then tell them and don't accept less.
If they think you're worth it, they'll pay you that. If not, find another job.
This is how economies work.
A penis isn't a magical ticket to more pay. Men just happen to be more aggressive in salary negotiations.
Learn to be more aggressive and stop blaming your gender.
I was holding off on the a+ because to my knowledge it equates to a tech having 9 months of experience. I have a year of experience. I was trying to get my MCP. Microsoft certs don't expire I believe? They eventually retire but you are still certified in that area regardless.
What really threw me off was when she said $17. There's no way I'm leaving $16.50 an hour to get to $17. I was looking at rate of pay for this job and what I was asking for seemed average.
I'm a woman too and I support your desire to get the money you want. Just don't price yourself out of the running before getting an offer.
Wait, you got interviewed by a woman and you think you're getting less pay because you are a woman? Why blame it's the evil man holding you back by not being a man when it was a woman that didn't want to pay more?
I think it's ridiculous. Even when women are in charge women can get screwed you know? I don't think women are any different in wanting to pay out anymore than they have to or they are going to make sure another woman gets amazing pay just for the sake of "sisterhood".
Seriously, when men hire women men get blamed for supposedly not giving women amazing pay and even when women hire other women men get blamed for them not having amazing pay. Is there ANYTHING bad/inconvenient that happens to a woman that ISN'T mens fault???
I recently applied for an IT job with a top hospital in Colorado. The job is entry level but the pay is way better than what I'm making at my current job. Here are the conditions that were on the job posting;
Min Wage: $ 18:24 Mid Wage : $ 20.58 Max Wage: $24.78
I felt the interview went well until they asked me about wages. I stated my desired pay is $20 dollars an hour, based on the fact that I have an associates degree in computer science and 1 year of experience in two positions. The female interviewer basically went on to tell my my year of experience is not worth that much.
She said my experience and degree is worth $17 or $18 which is below the listed min pay in the ad. I asked her if they factored education and experience into the pay. She did not answer. I do not think I was overly aggressive. I was polite and kind. I told her I'd be willing negotiate on that number. In my mind, anything below $ 19 an hour would not have been enough incentive for me to leave my job where i'm making $16.50.
I feel that if i were a man, me asking for a bump in pay when i clearly have exceeded whats being asked for would have gotten me the desired salary. Also, she seemed very concerned about Tech certs when this job does not require any. I have three things against me here in this field 1) being female, 2) being a minority, and 3) not having an A+ cert which equates to an IT tech who has 9 months of experience disregarding my year of actual hands on experience.
Any thoughts on a woman's pay in the IT field? Did I do something wrong here by asking for a mid range of pay?
If anything being a woman in IT is an advantage rather than a disadvantage.
Wait, you got interviewed by a woman and you think you're getting less pay because you are a woman? Why blame it's the evil man holding you back by not being a man when it was a woman that didn't want to pay more?
I think it's ridiculous. Even when women are in charge women can get screwed you know? I don't think women are any different in wanting to pay out anymore than they have to or they are going to make sure another woman gets amazing pay just for the sake of "sisterhood".
Seriously, when men hire women men get blamed for supposedly not giving women amazing pay and even when women hire other women men get blamed for them not having amazing pay. Is there ANYTHING bad/inconvenient that happens to a woman that ISN'T mens fault???
No....haven't you heard "it's a man's world" - and a man said that...lol
Everyone knows that you (collective you) never admit to anything, it's deny, deny, deny...all part of being in the old boys' club...but let's keep to the topic.
Yes, even women screw women over simply because they're so screwable...everyone wants to get credit for bringing in the most talent for the least amount of money and even a woman in HR knows what side her bread is buttered on <shrug>
No....haven't you heard "it's a man's world" - and a man said that...lol
Everyone knows that you (collective you) never admit to anything, it's deny, deny, deny...all part of being in the old boys' club...but let's keep to the topic.
Yes, even women screw women over simply because they're so screwable...everyone wants to get credit for bringing in the most talent for the least amount of money and even a woman in HR knows what side her bread is buttered on <shrug>
Do you really think things would be egalitarian or fair in a woman's world or being part of an old girls club?
I don't think their (perhaps) rejecting of her pay request necessarily had anything to do with her being a woman.
There's just few IT jobs, and far too many people to fill them to possibly interview them all. The easy cuts are people (male or female) with little experience, and/or no degree/smaller degree and younger. They have so many possibilities to choose from, they go for what appears to them to be the top gun types.
Our company before they stopped hiring, got an average response of 160 people for EVERY opening! That's a lot of people to wade through, so they have to cut the possibilities down quickly.
Learn to be more aggressive and stop blaming your gender.
Women do have to be careful in presentation. My boss (a woman) has offered me guidance on language and presence during our years together. Although, watching her in action is the best mentoring. A woman who is aggressive like a man can easily be seen as a b****. It just doesn't work. There is a finesses between soft, helpful assertiveness that supports the group/manager in addition to the individual that will yield greater success for a woman rather abrupt, aggressiveness. Not that men don't have to socially maneuver, but what is acceptable for men in the workforce is not what's acceptable for women and vice versa. It will do the OP well to be aware that gender bias is reality we have to live and learn to cope with.
With that said, it's bizarre that an ad would list wages and an interviewer would not only discuss wages, but deviate from the ad. Something is amiss.
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