Gentle Power 28. Inside a hiring manager’s mind during negotiations
In this episode, we’re joined by Mariane Bekker: engineering leader through six exits, former Director of Engineering at Mindbody, and founder of the 80k-member tech community, Founders Bay. Our conversation explores pay and negotiations from the hiring side, how bias actually shows up in offers, and how women (and allies) can ensure fair offers from both sides of the table.
We cover:
How to avoid anchoring traps that disadvantage women in offers
Why motivation and scope often matter more than “market data”
Practical phrases that reframe the conversation without giving up leverage
We also share:
Mariane’s path from cold-calling offices with 50 resumes to building a 55% women engineering org
How asking for a higher title early shaped every step of her career
Real tactics she used as Head of Engineering to redesign hiring systems
The personal grit behind her negotiation style, from war-torn Lebanon to Silicon Valley
If you hire, lead, or negotiate in tech, this one’s a masterclass on advocating for yourself and others without leaving value on the table.
For more:
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