Winning the Salary Game - Offers, Raises, Promotions and the Hidden Rules
Daniel Space (DanFromHR)
HRBP Executive, Author and Speaker
Being Highly-Compensated is Much Easier Than You Think
Pay, compensation, and salary is one of the most closely guarded topics in most organizations, yet it is so critical for our survival.
It's very likely you've been in one of these situations
You felt low-balled on a new offer and weren't sure why
You suspect you left money on the table
You got a 1.1% raise despite strong performance
You discovered a peer or friend now earns significantly more than you despite having far less experience
You’ve built a business case for a raise or promotion and were not approved
You were given a promotion, but you were told that "9%" was the most the company could offer
You asked for a raise, it was denied - but then you were given one when you presented a counter-offer
You feel nervous negotiating offers, raises, or promotions
You’ve noticed people in similar roles at other companies earning more total pay
You want to earn more than just base salary but you didn't even know that was a thing
Used public sources of compensation data like Glassdoor, Lever or Salary.com during an interview and it didn't work
The truth is - it's VERY possible to earn a comfortable living once you understand the rules, systems and decision making that most companies use.
What you’ll learn
Compensation is far less complex than it looks -once you understand how it all works, you can use this to significantly increase your pay
Learn the logic, tradeoffs, and constraints behind pay decisions
See why pay often feels irrational from the outside
Replace myths with a clear mental model
Understand how each element impacts total compensation differently and how to take advantage of those gaps
See how roles, companies, and markets weight them
Identify which elements you control vs. influence
Learn how offers are built and where flexibility exists and doesn't
The best questions to ask and what drives higher offers and exceptions
A step by step flowchart that shows trigger points, opportunities and guided templates to feel confident
The clear and candid explanation of annual review cycles, promotions, market adjustments and merit increases
Internal Equity Limitations, Guidelines and Best Practices
The vital calculation (CompRatio) and how that impacts all pay and compensation decisions
Understanding mixed model comp offerings and how to position yourself to be a higher earner
Taking advantage of intentional market moves and positioning that increase both your value and thus your pay
Replace reactive, emotional based responses to corporate policy with intentional high-impact decision making
Learn directly from Daniel
Daniel Space (DanFromHR)
HRBP w 15+ years designing compensation models for Spotify, EA, AMEX, PWC, etc
Who this course is for
You work in Product, Design, HR, IT, Finance, Ops, Marketing, Sales, BusDev, Research, Data, Engineering as an IC, Manager or Director
Professionals who want to understand how pay works so they can make smarter career, role, and negotiation decisions instead of guessing.
People who want to increase their earning power by making intentional, high-leverage career moves based on how compensation actually works.
Prerequisites
Direct or Adjacent Experience in "Corporate America" organizatons
College students or roles with highly standardized or regulated pay structures, such as government, medicine may not find content relevant
What's included
Live sessions
Learn directly from Daniel Space (DanFromHR) in a real-time, interactive format.
Applied Compensation Practice and Projects
Work through hands-on exercises that simulate real HR, recruiting, and leadership compensation decisions so you learn by doing, not just listening.
Exclusive Explanations and Secrecy Explained
Access practical insights and frameworks that are rarely shared publicly and are typically only available inside companies, why that is, and how to overcome it
Compensation Explained
Learn the methods, logic, and tradeoffs behind how pay is determined, including ranges, bands, and internal equity considerations.
New Hire Offer Negotiation Strategy
From the initial phone screen to the final negotiation, learn the step by step approach on what leads to the most lucrative outcomes by understanding how companies think of this
Optimizing Pay Cycles
Understand performance and compensation reviews, how raises, merit increases, market adjustments, promotions are calculated and how to optimize for them
Immediate Applicable Value
Use what you learn right away to make smarter decisions that impact your pay, career trajectory, and long-term earning power. The content is based on real-world mechanics, not long-term theory
Direct Access
Get answers directly from someone with 15+ years designing compensation models, not secondhand advice or generic frameworks.
Debunking Common Myths and Stereotypes
Learn why "whoever gives the first number loses" and "the best time to ask for a raise is when you have a counteroffer" is more harmful than helpful
Maven Guarantee
This course is backed by the Maven Guarantee. Students are eligible for a full refund up until the halfway point of the course.
Course syllabus
4 live sessions • 15 lessons • 3 projects
Week 1
Feb
17
Compensation Overview and Introduction
Tue 2/1712:00 AM—1:00 AM (UTC)Feb
17
Intermediate Compensation
Tue 2/1710:00 PM—11:00 PM (UTC)Feb
18
Your Salary as an Employee
Wed 2/185:00 PM—6:00 PM (UTC)Feb
20
Top Earners and How to Win The Salary Game
Fri 2/205:00 PM—6:00 PM (UTC)
Basic Information, Terms and Concepts
Intermediate- New Hire Process
Intermediate: Your Salary, Pay and TC as an Employee
Advanced Compensation
Free resource
CompRatio Chapter
I wrote a comprehensive guide on Compensation- this chapter on Comp-Ratios, explains one of the most vital, yet unknown elements to compensation calculations
Schedule
Live sessions
30 hrs / week
Live session are ~3-4 hours, group and individual work is ~3-4
Tue, Feb 17
12:00 AM—1:00 AM (UTC)
Tue, Feb 17
10:00 PM—11:00 PM (UTC)
Wed, Feb 18
5:00 PM—6:00 PM (UTC)
Fri, Feb 20
5:00 PM—6:00 PM (UTC)
Projects
1-3 hrs / week
Between self-managed and group projects
Testimonials
After watching a few of Dan’s videos and having one 15-minute conversation, I completely rethought how I approached my role and compensation. Within a short period, I increased my total compensation by 273%. What changed wasn’t just negotiation, it was understanding how companies actually make pay decisions and how I could apply my skills and experience in industries that paid far more
Ryan Langford
Director,Instructional DesignI've known Dan for almost 10 years and helped me understand which career moves actually matter for compensation. From 2022 - 2024, I went from earning ~$200K in total comp to nearly ~$450K. The biggest value was learning how to position myself for higher-paying industries that offer standard incentives such as equity and bonuses
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James Figeroa
Sr Director, Brand MarketingA friend of mine recommended Daniel because I was interviewing for the first time in 10 years and was completely unprepared to talk about compensation.
After working with Dan, I understood how offers are built and where leverage exists. He guided me every step of the way and I ended up with an offer that was almost 71% above my old role, and from what I can calculate, 30% more than what I would've been offered without him
Lisa Caffrey
Sr Manager, Insights and Research