This article reveals how my salary went from $35K a year to over $135K, more than tripling my income in 4 years. It details salary negotiation tools I used, how I secretly spent my time and how you can get the raise and career you deserve.
NOTE: If you’re new here, the yellow caution tape highlights are important secret messages. More on this when you follow @crazywallcasey on Instagram and Threads.
Background
For starters, or rather start overs, during the COVID-19 global pandemic I changed careers and industries. Prior to 2020, I worked as an admin assistant, then an HR coordinator, and finally an operations manager for a hospitality temp agency. I was in that role until March of 2020.
*sigh* Thanks a lot Corona!
I took a pay cut just to maintain employment and support myself and my daughter. Still in lockdown, I took a job as a grocery shopper and made $12.50 an hour.
Now, keep this salary in mind as your read on, this will come into play later. A few things kept my head above water while I pushed through.
The Exposition: A Baseline
Credentials – Big & Small
First, I have a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Human Resources Management. Let me be clear having credentials of any kind is helpful, and honorable no matter where it was from. It demonstrates you can pay attention and follow through on your goals.
I used to feel embarrassed that I started school at a brick and mortar, but during the Great Recession I couldn’t complete my degree—instead I had to work. Don’t do that. Don’t shame yourself. You did what you could with what you had. My degree isn’t from a prestigious school. It still checks the box.
W-O-R-K Ethic
Secondly, I have an objectively strong work ethic. What does it mean to have a strong work ethic? For many, it means your work is on time, correct, and relevant to your department’s or company’s goals — results that are timely, accurate, useful.
It means you complete your work and help others, study your field without being required to (before, during, and after work), and you observe and document the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) that are beneficial for your career and company.
Productive Paranoia
Finally, I kept revisiting my plans. I had many friends who had dreams and goals that should have been adjusted ages ago. The difference make for me was that even though I believed in my plan, I left room to maneuver life’s highs and lows. I tweaked things and kept it moving.
Authors of Great by Choice, Jim Collins (also of Good to Great) and Morten T. Hansen call this Productive Paranoia. In essence, you might be scared of change but there are some productive ways you can harness that fear and be prepared for bumps ahead.
One way I channeled my productive paranoia was by filling a notebook with pages of book notes, resources, and observations. I prepped for performance reviews with it, I tackled my thoughts about a rough day in it, and eventually that showed me patterns in my thinking. It opened my eyes to the alternative solutions I was missing.
Had my notes been scribbled on stick notes, I wouldn’t have maintained the threading of aha moments I still look back on.
The Inciting Incident: “Why Her?”
Now recall I worked during the pandemic for $12.50/hour at a local grocery chain. I figured I’d also use the time to listen to audiobooks and podcasts. No time to waste! My career was at stake.
Here’s what happened that could have derailed my story.
One day a manager accidentally posted a schedule that included the department’s weekly pay. I arrived for my shift and about 6 furious sets of eyes met me at the door. They had seen the posting and wanted answers.
“HOW COME SHE GETS $12.50/hr, I’VE BEEN HERE 6 YEARS AND I’M NOWHERE NEAR THAT?!”
“What’d you do to get that high starting out?!”
Of course, I turned red, but I stood firm and said, “I negotiated a little, I didn’t think it was that much honestly.”
AUTHOR’S NOTE: If you haven’t seen my post about negotiation skills or how underearning is a serious issue for women, I suggest you bookmark them (and this one too) immediately and come back.
Quickly, I shared a couple pointers and all was well. But at that point, I knew I was onto something and I’d never forget the lessons it taught me.
Lesson 1: Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready
Because I studied negotiation tactics when I wasn’t desperate for a job, I was able to collect my talking points and practice calmly. Those notes paid dividends.
Heck I got a job at an HVAC company without knowing what a heat pump was! And I still earned more than at least two coworkers! (Not bragging, I’m honestly still in shock)
Lesson 2: Practice negotiation on a smaller scale, and critique how it went
Honestly, need I say more?
Lesson 3: Know a good deal when you see one
On several occasions, I left food on the platter so to speak. Meaning, I undersold when I could have pressed for more money.
Why? Because the opportunity either had fringe perks that were too good to pass up, or it had red flags that had I gotten more money, I would have sold my soul to keep and lose motivation to purse new/better opportunities.
You may not agree, but that has worked well for me.
The Rising Action: Daring Decisions
In September 2021, I returned from maternity leave more motivated than ever to prove myself at work. (See my confessions of an office pick me post)
And while my peers and employer meant well, I felt stifled and at times betrayed that I couldn’t realize my highest potential. Decisions needed to be made about what to do next. So in October, I went on a solo trip to Washington, D.C. to feel inspired and renewed.
Historical Impact
While in D.C. I visited all of my favorite Smithsonian museums, I spent 2 mornings combing through literature and references at the Library of Congress, and even snuck in the beautiful nearby Museum of the Bible (ok so I was given tickets but sneaking sounds more daring).
I wanted to feel the vigor of the city, of what ambitious men and women did before me FOR ME. No detail too small! And guess what I did while I was there?
You guessed it…I made a CRAZY WALL! Not a huge one, but the idea for this website and my socials did come about.
Try it sometime! Even on a staycation, gather some free local papers or visitors guides, print a couple of articles about your dream company, walk around your nearest big city and start connecting the dots.
Two months later to the day I got my first 50% increase in salary. I gave a recruiter a chance, I was prepared with talking points and the rest is history. Sort of…
Bet On Yourself
While I was in the new job, I felt a great deal of imposter syndrome. Still do. Who was I to tell people how to make decisions about parts and machines I knew little about? The one thing I did have was curiosity and an eye for efficient processes.
Once, I looked up the salary outlook for a Project Manager position. I hate dead end jobs and I needed to know if I was close enough to the salary I wanted and the skills I’d need to seal the deal.
I learned to set myself apart I’d need an industry credential…I took a chance on the PMP application and I qualified to sit for the 4 hour exam. You never know unless you try, so always apply!
I studied incredibly hard. (and kind of overdid it but… see the story here) hooray I passed!
It’s worth noting that more than one person in my company dismissed the importance of this credential.
To that I say, you should always bet on yourself. My mom, a retired school teacher, always said, “they might take your job away but they can’t take your education.”
The Climax: Willing to Relocate
A critical moment for me was pretty embarrassing actually. In my career, I’ve learned that opinions have their time and place. Opinions about your work, your team, and your superiors must be strategically timed.
In 2010, I first read Robert Greene’s epic book The 48 Laws of Power. GAME CHANGER…it’s powerful and helped me play both sides — offense and defense.
At the end of my 1st year as an assistant project manager, after managing data center construction for confidential client projects, I’d done a lot of good and some not so good. There were 2 strikes against me heading into my review.
Strike 1: I broke Law 1…Never Outshine the Master
Strike 2: I broke Law 19… Know Who You’re Dealing with—Do Not Offend the Wrong Person
Strike 3 would come in the form of THE KISS OF DEATH aka a PIP (Performance Improvement Plan).
I narrowly escaped that fatal blow by using Law 25 Recreate Yourself and Law 28 Enter Action with Boldness, but that will be for another post.
Want More Details?
If you’re interested in knowing how I ended up being a part of the .5% of Construction Managers that are Black Woman, how I do it with a family in a different state, and what recreating my self from being an admin assistant to controlling a project budgets that are $80M-300M+ subscribe to the rss feed and follow my socials.
If this post got you excited and ready to re-write your own career story, I’d love it if you would forward it to someone who needs encouragement.
