Microsoft techie recalls confronting ex-boss over earning less than IIT peers: 'The painful truth is that...'

A Microsoft techie has shared how confronting her former boss at Goldman Sachs over lower pay changed the way she viewed salary negotiations. Kriti Rohilla is a Hyderabad-based software engineer working at Microsoft. (LinkedIn/Kriti Rohilla)

Taking to LinkedIn, Hyderabad-based software engineer Kriti Rohilla recalled a difficult conversation with her former manager, which left her feeling emotional. She said that the conversation took place about 3 years into her stint at Goldman Sachs.

In the post, the techie said that she questioned her manager about being underpaid. "3 years into Goldman Sachs I asked my manager why I was being underpaid. I had to hold back tears in that meeting," she wrote, adding that it wasn't because she was scared but because she respected him. "Having that conversation felt like asking a close friend to return borrowed money," she said.

Rohilla wrote that her manager explained that her background had determined her starting salary. Having joined the company from a Tier 3 college with less than a year of experience, her initial pay became the benchmark for every subsequent hike, her manager explained.

"His answer made sense. That was the problem. I had joined from a Tier 3 college with less than a year of experience. My starting salary was benchmarked to that. Every hike since had been built on that number," Rohilla wrote.

However, she said that while she understood the explanation, there was one thing she did not say during the meeting. "My work expectations were identical to the IIT hires at my level. But I had no offer in hand. So I had no ground to stand on," she wrote.