Mix It Up Negotiations

Structuring the Conversation

Mix It Up group conversations are 30 minutes long and will be led by a Mod 4 (or sometimes Mod 3) student. Here is a suggested structure for your group to follow when meeting.

Introductions (2-5 mins)

You’re in a mixed group of people across modules and programs. Start by getting to know each other and make space for everyone to share:

  • Names
  • Pronouns
  • Program
  • Cohort
  • How confident you feel about negotiating for your first software job on a scale of 1-5

Mod 4 Student Leader(s) Share Their Experiences (8-10 mins)

The student lead chooses 1-2 of the following questions to respond to and share their experiences with the group:

  • What are some of the key takeaways from the negotiations PD session you had this module?
  • Do you have any experience with salary negotiations? If so, how have you approached negotiations?
  • If you do not have negotiations experience, how do you feel about negotiating your first tech job offer?
  • Is there anything that would hold you back from negotiating your job offer? And what are the things in your life that will motivate you to try it anyway?

Group Discussion: Creating Interview Prep Documents & Practicing (15 mins)

There are several components of negotiations that could be helpful to discuss as a group today. From the following topics, choose 1 as a group and try out the activities listed below:

  1. Explore your feelings about negotiations. Discuss:
  • Do you have any experience with salary negotiations? If so, how have you approached negotiations?
  • If you do not have negotiations experience, how do you feel about negotiating your first tech job offer?
  • Is there anything that would hold you back from negotiating your job offer? And what are the things in your life that will motivate you to try it anyway?
  • How could you communicate that you are worth that higher salary number?
  • Start making a list and brainstorm together! Examples: transferable skills and knowledge from previous careers, demonstrated abilities in the work that they’re looking for, etc.
  1. Discuss Turing salaries. Look through a few of the Turing outcomes reports or posts in the #salaries channel.
  • What trends do you notice in the hiring outcomes?
  • After reading through the latest posts in the #salaries channel, what are your biggest takeaways?
  • How does this information help you prepare for your own job search?
  • What questions does this raise that you’ll want to answer when it comes to your own salary expectations?
  1. Research company compensation. Using Levels.fyi or another resource here
  • What trends are you seeing across different companies?
  • How does this information help you think about the salary you’ll aim for in your first job out of Turing?
  1. Read up on negotiations practices. Choose an article to skim through from the negotiations resource page and discuss:
  • What should you keep in mind when negotiating?
  • What are do’s and don’ts of negotiating both from this article and what Mod 4 students shared?
  • Who in your support system do you need to check in with to support you in negotiating?

Close Out & Next Steps (5 mins)

Take time to wrap up any conversation threads! Decide how you’d like to continue the conversation (if you want) with each other beyond today’s discussion. Add each other on LinkedIn.