TikToker says she makes over $300,000 a year in tech sales

Kolette Lim
Strait Times
December 2, 2024

Ms. Karishma Jashani earns over $300,000 a year working in technology sales.

It’s no secret: she shared it with her 25,000 followers on TikTok and everyone who comes across her account, where she details her field of activity and what she does on a daily basis. She also shares tips, such as what those looking for a similar job should keep an eye on in their salary package.

“I wanted to empower women because not many people know that you can earn so much in technology sales, and it’s a male-dominated industry,” the 28-year-old said.

“It is important that people know the salaries on the market so that they can compare themselves; if there are gaps, to find out why that is the case and at least there is a sense of accountability for employers too.

@karishmairl

Ms Jashani is part of a growing group of people in their 20s and 30s – men and women – who are breaking the taboo around salary discussions. Whether in the workplace or online, young workers share salary details with colleagues and other social media users.

“I think a lot of young people want to discuss it. It’s less common here than in America and Europe, but I think Gen Z will gravitate toward these conversations,” Ms. Jashani said.

Globally, pay transparency is increasingly practiced in workplaces around the world. U.S. states, such as New York and Colorado, have implemented transparency laws to ensure that job seekers and employees have access to salary information.

Singapore does not have laws requiring companies to disclose their salary ranges, but younger employees are taking matters into their own hands.

Salary transparency, a boon or a bane?

When Ms. Joy Wang worked as a growth product manager at a fashion tech startup, she learned from a peer who had a similar position that he was paid 66% more than her.

This prompted her to ask for a promotion and a salary increase.

“I think this happens a lot in different workplaces, and in this case it’s good to know how you are paid or where you stand,” Ms Wang, 31, told The Straits Times.

Content creator Daisy Mitchell, a UK-born permanent resident, was inspired to talk about her salary with her followers on TikTok after seeing other creators around the world doing it. She chronicles her monthly income on the platform, breaking it down to the nearest cent.

In October, she shared that she earned $6,426.07 – $4,770 from a theater production, $1,250 from TikTok consulting services, $387.70 from teaching, and $18.37 $ in commission on promotional codes.

Full-time self-employed workers like her have no protection against price cuts, she added, citing the absence of unions or minimum wages. “Clients often choose cheaper options, which lowers salaries and the bargaining power of creatives. »

Ms. Mitchell, 26, also stressed that salary transparency is crucial to closing the racial wage gap.

Upon agreeing to host and sing in concerts, she found that she was being paid about four times more than her co-performers simply because her clients “wanted a white person.”

“Racial preferences in commercial work are very brutal here in Singapore,” she said.

@daizamazze

Discussing salary packages with your colleagues can help identify significant pay disparities and ensure your salary is competitive, said Mr Joel Toh, managing director of The Supreme HR Advisory.

“There are cases where new employees receive higher salaries than existing staff, who may not receive any salary increase in an economic downturn,” Mr Toh said, citing the pandemic.

Salaries should be discussed in ranges rather than absolute numbers, he added, because minor differences may be due to various factors such as experience or educational achievement.

However, salary transparency is a “double-edged sword” as it can lead to discontent among workers, said Dr Shereen Fatimah, assistant professor of organizational behavior and human resources at Singapore Management University.

“When pay gaps become public, it creates perceptions of inequality among colleagues, which could lead to resentment, disengagement at work and a lack of collaboration among peers,” she said.

Thus, to negotiate salaries in a sustainable manner, employees can choose to formulate idiosyncratic demands, instead of focusing only on monetary rewards, which are limited in organizations.

This includes requesting parking benefits or requests tailored to career advancement, such as opportunities to participate in workshops or take on new tasks, Dr. Shereen said.

Although Singapore does not have laws prohibiting employees from discussing their salary with others, some companies include non-disclosure clauses in employment contracts.

Employees can be held legally liable if they break these agreements, Mr Toh said, although these clauses are often difficult to enforce because the company would have to prove and quantify damages.

Lead the movement

The expectations of young workers entering the job market are driving growing demand for pay transparency, recruitment firms said. Although there is no law dictating the necessity, more and more job postings indicate salary ranges.

The inclusion of salary scales in lists has seen a “dramatic increase in recent years”, from around 50 per cent in 2022 to 90 per cent today, said Ms Eugenia Ng, director of Michael Page Singapore.

Listings with salaries attract many more views, applications and savings, she added.

Ms Kirsty Poltock, director of Robert Walters Singapore, said about 90 per cent of advertisements on the company’s site are associated with salary ranges.

Being clear with job seekers is crucial, Poltock added, because it promotes a discussion about whether the applicant and the organization are aligned.

“In today’s market where the cost of living is increasing, (salary transparency) is a recurring issue,” she said.

Ms Ng said Singapore’s workforce, especially young professionals, is now prioritizing fairness and clarity when it comes to pay and career progression, pushing employers to rethink their hiring and retention strategies.

Encourage conversation about salaries

Ms Wang said she did not hold a grudge against her colleague, whom she described as someone she knew she could confide in.

“When asking for a promotion, you should use current industry data and your own performance to show why you should receive a certain amount,” she said. “I would not recommend using another person’s salary to advocate for yourself.”

She was eventually offered a 15 percent pay increase, less than she had asked for. She felt undervalued and ultimately left her position for a new job at a fintech startup, which offered her a salary 60% higher than her previous salary.

She now owns a wedding e-commerce business and shares her salary negotiation experiences on Lemon8, a social media platform.

Ms Mitchell said: “We all talk about our mental health, our relationships, our daily lives.

“Finance is something that everyone interacts with, so why not share what you can? »