BA Q&A: Waging War

I hope you guys had a wonderful holiday. I'm gonna jump right into some questions because when I tell you, I thought, oh, everyone's gonna be taking vacation, and you know the baqa email is not going to be popping off. Y'all have so many career questions, and y'all know, as your resident career expert, I cannot wait to jump into these. So, without further ado, it's time for the ba qa. Dang. I thought I wasn't gonna sing it, but I'm doing it. Why it's time for the va qa. The va qa.

It's so awkward singing by yourself. Oh I'm hoping that y'all are singing in the car ba qa A all right. Our first question comes from a listener who'd like to be I love this bringing the heat choosing violence A listener who would like her pseudonym to be waging war. All right, Hey, Mandy and Tiffany, I love the show. I have a career question. I'm one year into a new job in a new field. During the negotiations for this role, I secured a twenty percent increase from my

previous job. During my performance evaluation this year, however, I found out I'm making the twentieth percentile for this role and job title with my company. My review was very good and the annual bonus was about ten percent, but I can't shake the thought that I'm being underpaid. I'm a black woman in stem My manager views the range as an opportunity to grow, with lots of room for raises. How do you view a salary range? Does a twentieth

percentile mean I'm being underpaid? I was very underpaid in my last role. I thought I was finally closing the wage gap, but I'm no longer sure. I have a PhD and manage the product safety of a multi billion dollar iconic company. I frequently work long hours and go beyond my core duties because I'm so new and i'd like to get up to speed. Am I overthinking the meaning of a salary scale. All right, waging War, I

am really happy that you sent this question. Is you know the first thing that came to mind for me is why would they tell you in your performance review that you're in the And here's the thing we're missing a keyword here. Did they say you were in the top twentieth percentile or the bottom twentieth percentile? As a mama, every time I go the doctor with my toddler, they're like, oh, he's in the ninety ninth percentile for height or you know, sixtieth percentile for weight. It's a way of sort of

measuring where you stand among your peers. But they're missing that like top or bottom. If you're in the top twentieth percentile, that means that you're making more moneyed a eighty percent of your peers with that job title or

similar job titles. So that's good. And I'm wondering if they wanted to bring that up in an interview, I mean, sorry, in your annual review, I feel like they probably meant you're in the top twentieth Like why else would they want you to know, like you're in the body, you're in the bottom twentieth percentile for this role. I don't know. It's hard because I don't I can't follow up with you,

but I'll play it both ways. So let's say it was a misunderstanding and maybe you just need to have a regroup conversation with your manager and say, hey, ever since my annual review, and by the way, thank you for the wonderful feedback. I am loving the job and loving getting to learn, but something was confusing to me and I wanted to get some clarification. When you said I'm in the twentieth percentile for salary for this role, did you mean the top twentieth percentile or the bottom

twentieth percentile. If I'm in the bottom twentieth percentile, I find that pretty upsetting, and I find it concerning. Maybe use the word concerning instead of upsetting. I find it concerning because of the value I'm bringing to the role, and I don't want to feel like I'm being underpaid.

So let's give them a chance to clarify. Now. If they end up saying, yes, in fact, you are in the bottom twentieth percentile for the role, there's a good indication that when you were hired for some reason, they saw your skills as being you know, maybe on the lower end of people with this job title, peers comparables and other people with similar roles. It could be because of the number of years of experience you had or

certain training you have. So and I want you to understand, Like as a hiring manager myself, when I was managing

a big team, we did talk about percentiles. So when I would have a conversation with our compensation team, for example, and I wanted to have them review a couple of employees who had similar roles but different levels of experience, and I wanted to be sure that they were being paid like commensurate with their experience, because when you look at their job title, you'd think, oh, they should make

the exact same. But some many companies consider your experience and all of that when you when they determine where do you fall in this range. So let's say the salary range is seventy five to eighty five thousand dollars. The person who has five years of experience may be, you know, at eighty three eighty four top of that range, and someone who's got a year or two of experience may find themselves making seventy seven seventy eight at the lower end of that range with room to grow, you know.

So the fact that your manager mentioned there's opportunity to grow with room for raises, you know, that's given me the sense that whatever they did to assess your experience and where you would fall within that range, they determined you have room to grow within this role, and so we're going to start you at the lower end of this role and give you that room to grow. I don't think it's sounds particularly nefarious. This is pretty common, and it's how a lot of compensation teams and companies

sort of view salaries. Now, you may take issue with it because you're like, well, shit, I don't want to start out at the bottom, Like we don't want to start at the bottom all the time. And I don't necessarily know how many years of experience you had before

this role. But I definitely think it's worth, you know, having that frank discussion with your manager and if it ends up being yes, you're at the lower end of this pay range, what can you expect in terms of compensation increases in the years ahead, And if it just does not feel good to you, I mean it sounds like you really like the role and you dig it a twenty percent race from your last job, so you know you're quitting your way up baby, and I love that.

But you kind of have to decide for yourself. And one of the best ways you can decide am I underpaid? You know, other than asking your colleagues with similar experience what they're making, is still being open to taking interviews with US firms. And it sounds like you're in a pretty If you're working for a multi billion dollar iconic company, chances are you put that on your LinkedIn page, you're

probably getting reached, you know, outreach from recruiters. So I would take those interviews and find out, with your level of experience what the compensation is looking like. And if you happen to get to the point where you've either got you know, enough data, like a couple of jobs have offered you significantly or not offered you even but a couple of recruiters have told you the ranges are

significantly higher than you know what you're making. Now you can bring that back to your manager and say, you know, I love working here, but I have to be honest. Recruiters have been reaching out to me, and it looks like I'm underpaid for the market you know, the current market rate for my role, and you can bring that up in a like really you know, really calm and professional,

you know way, and keep it conversational. And then if you ultimately do get a competing job offer, then of course you could bring that to them and say, hey, I really like working here, but as we've discussed about my compensation, I've had some concerns about being underpaid. I've got this other offer on the table. I would love to stay here. I really want to stay here, but I can't ignore the fact that I don't believe I'm being paid, you know, the market rate for my skill set.

And then you know, let the conversation go from there. So I'll leave it there. I hope that that was like insightful and helpful for you course, sort of understanding the thought process behind how managers and compensation teams sort of put employees on that salary range scale. What I like about it is it sounds like they have been putting thought into this and there's a method to their madness for sort of how they're determining where people fall.

And the last thing I'll say is, as a manager, myself. I liked having people who were in a growth role, you know, because for me, if you have enough to sink your teeth into, you're going to be more likely to stick around and feel like you are like learning new things. And just like you said, you know, you're learning new things and getting up to speed. So I would look at it as a growth opportunity and be happy that you got that increase. But don't get it twisted.

Always keep your eyes open to what the market is telling you your worth. And the easiest way to do that is by staying open to interviews and keeping your eyes and ears open to what salary ranges are posted for similar roles at other companies. Okay, so it was a long answer, But to recap, I think you're because you're confused. I would just have like a regroup with your manager and just say hey again, thank you so

much for the great feedback. There was something that was said during my review that really threw me for a loop or left me a little bit confused. I'd love if you could clarify it for me and then ask them what they really meant by that whole twentieth percentile thing. Is a top as a bottom? And then what sort of thought process went into that, and they may be able to reassure you that you know you're on the right track and all that jazz. But thank you so

much waging war. I'm thinking now your pseudonym is a little more intense than your question was. But I don't feel like you have a war to wage here. I think that you know, it's just about having that frank discussion with your manager, which can be awkward, but believe me, just get it cleared up so that you're not, you know, agonizing over it and being left to wonder where you stand. All right, Okay, let me take a little break and I'll be back with another of y'all's juicy career questions.

Okayba fam, let's go. We have another juicy career question from listener Julieta, or maybe Julieta. I want to be sure I'm pronouncing it right. And they have a very interesting question and one that I am starting to get more and more from the women that I coach through my career coaching practice. To Lego, Juliette says, I'm currently working at a large tech slash media, slash entertainment firm and I'm looking for opportunities at other companies where I

have a better chance for upward mobility. I've been here for four years. I have seen amazing positions at companies, but I don't respect them, companies like Facebook, Amazon, Tesla. So how do I reconcile my need for career advancement and my activist heart which bristles at the thought of working there? Thank you in advance. Please keep my current company name censored. I got you girl, all right, Julieta, Julieta,

let's talk, so the listen. It's it's tough because at the end of the day, a lot of private sector companies are just they leave a lot to be desired, you know, Like I've got coaching clients who work at big banks that have done horrible things, and you know, at the end of the day, we got to get paid, right. But I do believe that you can find a place where you have opportunities for advancement and you are proud of the company that you work for and their ethos.

It just means that you're going to be a little bit pick here. So what I would say is, if you do not respect those firms Facebook, Amazon, and Tesla, don't apply there, don't apply there. I mean, you've got a great brand name. I can see that's going to be on your resume all ready, and I think any firm would be happy to have you with that experience that you've got there. So I would just say, be

true to your gut. You know you can, and just tell yourself this, you can find a role that has opportunities for advancement and that also is doing good in the world or at least gives you an opportunity to make an impact. Now, I would open you up to the idea of, for example, a lot of big firms, not necessarily just in tech, but a lot of private companies or public companies, they have corporate social responsibility teams what's the other word for these, like or foundations that

they that they run like philanthropic endeavors. And you may be happy, you know, joining a company that maybe is not in your mind like the best, but working for a team at that firm who's going to put all those billions of dollars to really good use. So, like I mean, would you rather make an impact and help a company, you know, use their dollars and use their technology and their products for good and have a role in that. Like maybe that's what you should you know,

consider as well. And just because you have an activist heart, like I know, people think, Okay, I want to you know, do something good in the world. I got to go work for a nonprofit. Like nonprofits are great, I will say, they can be just as toxic as big, you know, big bad companies. So don't get it. Don't don't don't think that it's you know, going to be all rainbows and sunshine in the nonprofit world. But it's not your

only option, you know. And as you head into your interviews, which I hope you have been interviewing different places, keep in mind what is important to you about a company's you know, work, and what is it about these other companies that give you the ick? And what are you actually looking for in a new firm. Is it the amount of philanthropic work that they do. Is it how they treat their employees? Is it the diversity and inclusion efforts?

Are they actually doing them? Like and ask those questions during the interview process so you can start weeding out people or weeding out companies that don't meet your expectations. The good news is that You've got a sweet job right now at a great company. So I would say this is the perfect time for you to be out there playing the field and seeing what other options are open. And you have the opportunity to be picky right because you've got a paycheck coming in, So take advantage of that.

Be picky, be choosy, and find a firm that feels good to you and also is going to give you the opportunity to make an impact and grow in your career because you deserve that just as much. Please, please, don't think that you should have to work for somewhere because they have a good cause or they do good work, and sacrifice your own career advancement, happiness, well being, pay all of that for the greater good. No, no, no, no, no,

we it's not selfish. It's not bad to want to have a successful and fruitful and meaningful career and also too get to make an impact through the work that you're doing. You can have it both ways. Okay, that's what we gotta believe, all right, Julieta or Julieta, thank you so so much for your question. Hey, y'all, if you want to be featured on the ba QA hit us up. You can email us directly Brannanmbission Podcast at

gmail dot com. You can also slide into our dms on ig like Miss Julieta here and we are a Brown Ambision podcast on ig And don't forget we have a website, Brandanmissionpodcast dot com. Submit your questions, check out past episodes, Buy some ba swag. Y'all know we got swag. Sign up for our weekly newsletter all the good stuff at Brannanmission podcast dot com. All right, happy, Happy New Year. It's so good to be back with y'all and I will see y'all next week. Back with my podcast bestie

Tiffany in the hot seat. Have a great rest of your week. Bye, Hey, ba fam. We could not do this show without your support or the support of our team behind the scenes. The Brown Ambision Podcast is produced by Cumulus Podcast Network. It's edited by the wonderful Imani Crosby and produced by Tanya Bustos. Dennis Stimplinsky is our in house tech curu, and I am Bandy Woodard Santos your co host, and I will see y'all next week.