A few weeks ago I was interviewed for the TheatreArtLife podcast and it sparked a pretty good conversation among us about sharing salary info.

A key part of my blog is my accountability updates each month that breakdown where all of my money goes but also how I earn it – it gives readers a really clear snapshot of what a stage manager can make.

And because it’s a blog that’s lasted for years and has tons of other stage management related posts – it actually gives you a pretty full look at how much different jobs have paid and, if you dig deeper, how that stacks up to years of experiences, certifications, and specific skills I’ve worked on.

I point that out because when asked how I feel about sharing salary info, my quick answer is – yes. Share that salary info (if it’s legal – different countries have different rules). It pretty much always helps each other, women especially.

However, I do sympathize with the people who hemmed and hawed at the beginning of my career when I would ask and not get a straight answer because in reality, there isn’t a good one word answer.

If I just tell you a number, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have the same background or experience to get the same number. It does mean that you now know the company has paid at least that number before – which is useful info.

Ana, one of the TheatreArtLife podcasters, pointed out how many corporate jobs have a transparent bell curve of salary, which we all agreed would be a fantastic route to go, because yes, two people doing the same job might not make the same and that can still be fair.

When I step into a new type of show or move up a level, I expect to make a fair wage for the job I’m doing, but I also understand it won’t be the same wage as someone else who has already been doing this type or level of job for a few years.

Especially in stage management, institutional knowledge becomes a big deal. You can make faster and better decisions. You know exactly how far you can push in certain areas and where your show/team’s weak spots are. Much of that knowledge can literally translate into saved money for producers and safer working conditions.

I think a lot of my frustration came from literally not even knowing what a negotiation starting point is for most companies.

Nowadays, Glassdoor can help you gain some salary info for larger corporate jobs. On Facebook, there’s a group called Stage Managers that has a fantastic anonymous spreadsheet of pay scales from smaller theater companies (and some large ones too) that is worth checking out. It’s broken down by states and has a touring section.

I also find LinkedIn is a pretty awesome research tool. Put in the company you want to work for and then search the employees for people who do or have done the job you want. This won’t show you anything about salary, but if you click through to those people, you can sometimes see their previous work experience, education, and certifications.

But outside of this research you can do on your own, there are just times where you want to know what someone is making. This is a little easier, I find, if you ask them about a job they already left, and can feel a little trickier asking them about a current job.

I think some ways around this are to start with more open-ended questions, especially if you’re asking a supervisor or someone senior to you for info:

• Do you mind talking a little about salary negotiations?
• What do you think is a fair range for your current job ( this is a good one because if someone is happy in their job, they’ll probably say a low number that is fair and a high number of just a little above that they actually make)?
• What experience do you think you need to be ready for your job at that lower pay level?
• What do you think would make someone qualify for the high end of the scale?

I find that I’m sometimes astonished by the pay range people offer up – in both directions (ugh that’s low and dang that’s way higher than I thought).

Also, if you’re chatting with someone who is cool with sharing their exact salary, they will often just offer it up in the discussion around what a fair range is. They may also share any other salary info they are aware of too.

Those last two questions are key though. What you need to be ready for your job at the lower pay level is a little less useful unless this is the person actually doing the hiring, but if they mention skills you don’t have yet to move into this position, work on them.

The same with the high end of the scale, but as I mentioned earlier, I think most people will land that number kind of close to their salary if they’ve been doing a good job, so this person is now essentially describing themselves.

If you have all the skills and experience they are describing, that’s the end of the pay scale I would push for in my next negotiation. If you don’t, and you have time to get them, that’s what to work on.

My final negotiation thought is the most important – when you sign a contract, make sure you’re happy with it. You can renegotiate the next one, with this new info you may learn, but even if there’s a huge disparity between you and someone else doing the exact same job, if you signed that contract, you signed that contract.

Some contracts I’ve signed for less money than I usually would to work with friends, go somewhere really cool, or learn a new skill.

Conversely, I signed one really high contract to go somewhere no one wanted to go once.

Some of those low paying contracts were a lot of fun. Some turned into an endless slog of misery that I was barely being paid for – and do you know whose fault that was? Only mine at that point, because I agreed to the terms of that contract.

So sign contracts with terms you are content with, and keep an eye to trying to improve them whenever you can. Negotiations are a random day here and there in life, most of your career is spent within the confines of those negotiated terms, so make sure you can live with them.