How to ask for a raise?

[Praxis1452]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: Blazin Trav
You could try:

"Hello. After in depth research and analysis of the current market value for my services to your company I have come to the conclusion that the salary your company is offering me is significantly lower than market value. I would like to propose a negotiation with the appropriate parties in order to facilitate a raise."

Does anyone really talk like this?

Talk? no. Write. Yes

 

[bacon333]

This book got my friend a $5k raise and got me a $3k raise.

Amazon link

 

[turunturun]

Trying to establish what the OP salary should be is moot to answer his question, because a salary index will not tell anyone what THEY can get or should get. The glaring gap of an index is that it speaks nothing of the CALIBER of a candidate. Additionally, so many other factors are at play that national salary averages, unless they are broken down by city, are nearly worthless (except to recruiters, since averages are typically obscenely low). See note at bottom.
The only way you can adjust your salary to current true market value is to go on a job hunt where you receive offers from several companies, negotiate those offers and then accept one of them. We all know it: your current employer is not going to pay you what you "think" you are worth, they are going to pay you what they think is the least amount to keep you from walking out the door. To some companies, this means a great raise, because they want to feel secure in keeping you and really don't want you to walk. To some companies this means soup line wages because they think you are not valuable and don't care if they have to replace you every two years.

Note: this thread has talked fairly definitively about 10K no way or whatever, but when I was considering a job transfer to a larger metropolitan area from another lesser one, I factored in ALL the variables I could think of - COL, State tax delta, sales tax delta, healthcare, commute cost, covered professional expenses, etc so that I could compare different offers apples to apples. I came to the realization that, in order to have the same amount of money left in my pocket after all of the fixed known quantity expenses were covered, I would need 17K more a year in salary just to cover the additional costs. That was just to BREAK EVEN from offers I had recieved locally. You better believe that when I pulled that excel doc out at salary negotiations they realized that the national salary averages weren't going to cut it for that conversation.

Just know that you are only worth what you are able to get. Unfortunately this means that if you have great interviewing skills and can paint a great picture of your experiences, but are technically worthless, you will get paid well. If you are technically brilliant but don't interview well, unfortunately you will get lackluster offers. If a company highers you for peanuts, you are forever in the peanuts category (with a rare exception here and there).

So to answer the OP question:
Interview at other companies and see what you can get (DONT tell your current employer anything - the only thing you should ever share is TWO WEEKS NOTICE - fixed and final)
or
Get the raise, tell them you appreciate it but that it is not commesurate to your value and that you need to review it and decide whether or not you can accept it. You better have some backup if you pull this line out tho.

Hope this helps

 

[puffff]

instead of calling in sick, call in broke one day. say you cant afford the train ticket to work. they'll get the idea.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

YO BIG DADDY BOSS CAN I SOME MO $$M.O.B$$?!

 

[chusteczka]

Originally posted by: JS80

Originally posted by: chusteczka
Tax accountants with Master's degrees on track to obtain a CPA receive starting pay in the mid $50's. This is obviously the high end and these people work 10-12 hour days. A general accountant with a bachelor's degree and little further training will probably earn just below $40k.

You are probably not in a position to bargain unless you have a master's degree. If you do have the master's degree and you think you can handle the pace, then apply to one of the top 4 accounting firms. They currently have a shortage of qualified accountants at the upper end.

Errrrr wrong.

I am wondering what is considered incorrect in my statement. I am near certain my statement is completely correct and would appreciate some qualifications for this general statement that my information is incorrect.

An intern friend of mine received an offer last week to start next summer at $55k. This person will have a Master's in tax accounting and will be taking the CPA exam by next summer. A friend at the same company for two years is currently earning $57k with bonus included but expects a raise in the next couple months due to a recent promotion.

I have waited to reply to this so I could verify my information.