I found a listing for my job at a much higher salary — so I reapplied

An NYC woman was certain she was qualified for the high-paying position she spotted on LinkedIn — because she was already doing the work.

UX writer Kimberly Nguyen, 25, went viral for claiming she applied for a similar job at her company that is being offered for a much higher salary.

The move comes months after a new law took effect that requires most NYC employers to list “good faith” salary ranges for any posting for a new job.

“My company just listed on LinkedIn a job posting for what I’m currently doing (so we’re hiring another UX writer) and now thanks to salary transparency laws, I see that they intend to pay this person $32k-$90k more than they currently pay me, so I applied,” Nguyen tweeted Tuesday.

The Post reached out to Nguyen for comment.

MarketWatch reported Nguyen has been working for nearly six months at Citibank as a contractor through the UK-based IT support services company Photon, earning $85,000 a year.

Citi is offering $117,200 to $175,800 a year for a full-time UX copywriter with five to eight years of experience, according to the LinkedIn ad.

A spokesperson for Citi told The Post that Nguyen is one of 90-plus Photon employees providing services to Citi under contract for a project, and that Photon is responsible for negotiating contractor pay rates.

The Post reached out to Photon for comment.

“It’s a weird no-man’s-land where I show up to Citi and do all my work there, but Photon is the one who handles my benefits and paychecks,” Nguyen explained to MarketWatch by email.

“I’ve been here since October, and I was told that it was a contractor to perm (permanent) position, that the eventual goal is to convert everyone to a full-time employee at Citibank.”


Kimberly Nguyen LinkedIn photo
She told MarketWatch: “I was just really upset that the pay discrepancy was so high.”
kimberlythinguyen

Nguyen told the outlet she had been trying to negotiate a pay raise before she went viral on Twitter.

“I don’t want to hear one more peep out of them about diversity, equity, and inclusion,” Nguyen tweeted about her company, which she did not identify on the platform.

“I don’t wanna see any more of our C-suite execs recommend books for women’s history month. There were tangible actions they could’ve taken and they chose to perform these values. No thank you.”

Later, Nguyen “officially” announced she is “looking for UX writing roles preferably remote, but I am currently located in New York City. Let me know if you have any leads.”

She told MarketWatch: “I was just really upset that the pay discrepancy was so high. But I was also really grateful that salary-transparency laws allowed me to see that information, because it showed me that I wasn’t really being valued.”

In a recent study from software consultancy Capterra, 65% of hiring managers reported starting salaries and wages at their organizations are higher than usual due to inflation and talent shortages.

The hiring managers say the pay for new hires is on average 9% higher.


Kimberly Nguyen sitting next to a large orchid
“I was just venting, and I didn’t expect there to be such a reaction to my venting,” Nguyen said.
Instagram/@knguyenpoetry

NYC’s salary transparency law began Nov. 1, inspiring New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign legislation establishing a statewide law that is set to take effect Sept. 17.

Salary transparency laws are intended to help job seekers avoid applying for jobs that don’t pay enough and to ease gender and racial pay gaps.

Some employers worry that the new rules will inspire upsetting situations like the one Nguyen apparently experienced.

She told BuzzFeed she didn’t receive a response to her application, but that she’s “pretty sure” her company is “going to fire me for this whole debacle.”

“I was just venting, and I didn’t expect there to be such a reaction to my venting,” she said.

“People complain on the internet all the time and it doesn’t go viral. I’m honestly really overwhelmed by all the attention.”