I’ve interviewed hundreds of people over many years but there’s five minutes in every hiring conversation that’s almost always awkward: the moment you’re invited to name your number. For a lot of brilliant humans - especially introverts and many women - this is where confidence gets wobbly, words get stuck, and perfectly good leverage quietly walks out the door.

For years, the fastest way to lift your pay seemed simple: switch jobs and collect a BIG bump. That playbook is far less reliable today.

This still floors me. If you’ve ever hired (or been hired), you’ve seen it: 5+ years required. 10+ years preferred. It’s written like a proxy for certainty - like time served automatically equals capability.