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Job Salary/Contract Renegotation advice!! Update - Just got a 61% raise!!

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Originally posted by: Descartes

You live/work in Boston, correct? That might have something to do with the inflated salaries 🙂 In my area (Tulsa, OK), $40k is a somewhat reasonable salary that a reasonable person could reasonably live on 🙂

[edit]I don't mean that those in Boston are paid more than they are worth; rather, the cost of living is a lot higher than a lot of other places.[/edit]
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Nope, if anyting as someone below said it is worse here as there are a ton of out of work IT professionals who will do any job for pennies...when I was making good money I was in DC and there it was also a tough IT market yet companies were willing to pay well....here I got a good deal of offers starting at 12-15 an hour, which really hurt seeing as I was comming off 24-25/hour and at a much higher positions....here in boston not only is cost of living stupidly high but also wages are seriously lower for IT work....

again I would say for what you are doing 40K is entirely reasonable if not 45-50K.....
 
Originally posted by: Zombie
I really don't think that the employer is screwing you. It's most likely the agency that is taking a lot more than they should. I bet you they have raised the rates for the company since you started working there but just haven't passed along the extra money to you. All this assuming you work thru agency and don't work as independent contractor.
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Your idea is certainly possible. With this new consulting agency, I can sign on as a W-2 or 1099 (self-employed) employee. Naturally, I would be paid slighly more as a 1099 because I would not receive their small offering of benefits. Anyone have any thoughts as to going 1099 v. W-2?
 
Originally posted by: Zombie
I really don't think that the employer is screwing you. It's most likely the agency that is taking a lot more than they should. I bet you they have raised the rates for the company since you started working there but just haven't passed along the extra money to you. All this assuming you work thru agency and don't work as independent contractor.
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Agency will take in between 15-30% of your salary.

Figure an automatic 10% just for their tax purposes plus 5% for their paperwork overhead.

 
It sounds like you are highly capable at your job and you're doing a ton of work, I wouldn't hesitate to ask for much more, and then they can negotiate with you for something inbetween.
Just mention how much work you're doing, there shouldn't be a problem. I'm working on contract the same way that you are, I wouldn't hesitate to ask more if I was asked to work more.
 
Really what it comes down to is you should get payed for the services/talent/labor you provide to the company
 
See if the company would let you work as a contractor directly with them instead of going thru the agency. I am sure they will understand that you are getting screwed on money. This way they won't have to hire you and yet have the flexibility of firing you when needed.
 
Originally posted by: fonzinator
Originally posted by: Blieb
If you can justify the expenditure to your job productivity ... it shouldn't be a problem.

That being said ... is 40% realistic? Or are you being greedy?
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Based on salary calculators and national averages, they are shorting me by about 40%. I don't think I'm being greedy at all.

Originally posted by: Squisher
Are you willing to seek new employment?
If you are, this can be you greatest leverage, to play one against the other.
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I need my current job so I can't play it as a card. 🙂 As I said before, I'd like to take this current company and add about 5-6 others to my clientel.
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Then you have made an error. You can't do fierce negotiations unless you are willing to walk. Otherwise, they feel that you are going to stay anyways. You shouldn't initiate negotiations unless you have something to negotiate with. What have you got? The increased workload?

The reward for hard work is ...more hard work. They will use you until you become to expensive then move you like a load of recycled paper.

Here's my recommendations in light of you having to remain there:

1) Illustrate the cost to train a new guy and the potential loss of revenue during that time

2) Demonstrate that other folks in your field, doing the same job, in the same area are making considerably more $$ than you.

3) Hint that you have other offers and are considering them??? This is dangerous since you don't really have them.

4) Point out how happy they are with your work since you've been with them.

Don't look scared, be brave and confident.

Good luck!
 
I think this is one of the sad stories of consultants. Anyway I am consultant too and let me tell you one thing for sure that its hard to renegotiate with the clients and they only agree to your demands when they need you badly. Under normal circumstances they hire you as a permanent employee and the raise normally doesn't reflect in terms of figures, its most likely gonna be in benefits. The best way for a consultant to make more is by changing companies.
If you make say 50K on consulting now, a realistic figure will be 60K+benefits (perm).

This is just my opinion based on experience and your figures could turn out to be better.
The more the better.. Best of luck !

P.S. The first person to bring out the figures (offer in terms on money) in a negotiation is always on a disadvantage and never forget to play around on a offer, the employer always has a margin of 10% so an offer 50k means he'll agree for 55k.
 
This is a great read. I'm in a very similar situation. Doing Temp/contractor work near Boston too (doing ASP.NET) for a Biotech company. I originally started to go from last April until '04, but got re-upped for another calendar year, with the hopes of being permanent after that. I too was thinking of asking for a slight increase after I've been here for a year, so that I can afford rent and such. I figure I'll ask for a silght increase of what I'm currently making (~$20/hr), but I wouldn't be upset if I didn't get it either. I really like the company and the people and definately want to stay irregardless. But I hope my good rapport with my direct boss would help me when I do ask. I'm hoping once the site I'm working on gets seen more and they see the potential, it'll help my cause too.
 
3) Hint that you have other offers and are considering them??? This is dangerous since you don't really have them.
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I think this is dangerous even if you DO have other offers. They may let you go questioning you're loyalty or the fact that even if they give you more money, you may leave in a few months anyway. This happened to me at my first job out of college. I was looking for a new job, then layoffs came around and guess who got laid off... I was one of the more than capable people they had and several people thought it was a wrong decision to get rid of me. But, word had gotten around to my boss that I was looking, so why not choose me.
 
This is what I think should be done. Go ahead talk to your recruiter. Tell him that you would like a performance review. Since you have been working here for like 1.5 yrs without any raise. The recruiter inturn talks to your employer. Since as a consultant normally your employer doesn't even know what you are getting. Again its the employers decision to give you a raise or simply tell the recruiter that he wants you as an employee. Normally the employer has to pay a certain amount of money to the recruiter before hiring you.
I think talking to your employer directly wouldn't be good. Normally there is a mutual understanding between consulting agencies and employers and the rates are revised yearly or so. It won't be a surprise that the recruiting agency already might be charging more for you since its over one year and since you haven't opened yr mouth they never cared to give u a raise.
 
WOW! nice job. congrats! my gf also renegotiated her salary for way more than the norm. 🙂

hmmm, maybe i should look into this... 😉
 
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