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YAJT: Raise negotiation advice requested

W

WhiteKnight

Platinum Member
I started my first job out of grad school this past October (engineering). At the time, I accepted what I considered to be a low ball offer (at least 10% below average for my area) on the understanding that I would be evaluated again after six months. It's been almost six months and I have certainly proven myself. I have a glowing evaluation from my immediate supervisor and I am going to be speaking with our area manager tomorrow.

Is it a good idea to bring documentation of what my research shows is the going rate for my area, or should I just speak about it? I'm not sure if providing supporting evidence is helpful or if it will just seem like I'm saying, "look, this paper says I should be getting paid more." Any advice from those more experienced in the corporate world? Thanks.
 
What a job outlook says isn't really worth anything... it's a job OFFER that is.

Before you go, know a reasonable amount that you want, and know what you will settle for. They are not the same number.

If they tell you a number lower than those two, be prepared to pleed your case for what you want. A job outlook may help doing this, but an outlook is nothing more than an average... there have to be both above and below that average.

Know what you are going to do if you don't get at least what you will settle for. Don't threaten to quit or anything, but ask your area manager who you can talk to about this if s/he won't do anything.
 
Originally posted by: JS80
I would get another job offer and tell them to exceed it or you leave.
Click to expand...
And if they call your bluff, you are on the street.

 
I would just see what they say. If the topic doesn't come up say something like, 'pay raise?'. See what is done. Then around your 1 year mark if you aren't happy with what they did try to find another job and hardball them. This all assumes you are happy or want to be at this place, since you did take a 10% cut to work there. If this was your only offer then it's a different situation. You should stay at least a year at any job post grad degree. When we interview (engineering) and they've stayed anywhere less then a year they better have a good excuse, and it better not be pay (because we always ask, then why did you take the job in the first place). If the answer isn't something that we believe the resume goes back to the circular file in HR.
 
Originally posted by: woowoo
Six months and your asking for a raise?

Good luck, your gonna need it.
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read the OP...he took a lowball offer on the condition that he would eb evaluated early at 6 months
 
I've gotten raises fairly regularly (most of them I haven't had to ask for), but periodically I'll pull together what basically amounts to an executive summary of my bottom-line value to the company when I want to approach them about a more significant bump in pay . . . which I'm about to do as I've landed a major client this year. If my supervising VP were in charge of pay raises it would be easy. He knows my value. But his superiors are the ones who sign off on salary increases and I have to speak in a language they understand. I've found that at the end of the day, if you can prove your worth (and that you deserve a significant raise) with hard, simple numbers it carries a lot of weight. It may sound nerdy, but I even go so far as to chart my gross pay v/s the revenue I generate for the company. Execs love charts.
 
Originally posted by: jbourne77
Originally posted by: EagleKeeper
Originally posted by: JS80
I would get another job offer and tell them to exceed it or you leave.
Click to expand...
And if they call your bluff, you are on the street.
Click to expand...

Talk about your short attention spans...
Click to expand...

Error in reading the reference post.😱

 
You can list what your responsibility was when you got there and show that you are responsible for even more now and try to show you deserver more because you are doing more. Of course you have to be able to show you are actually doing things better than when you first started.

I think you are deluding yourself when you think you need a raise after 6 months unless you think what you were hired for was a training wage. I think it is unrealistic to get a raise in 6 months. What I have seen is some increase after a year might be realistic. Then after that every 2-3 years if your company has longevity raises for seniority.

If your company pays everyone slightly less than the average then you are wasting your time. It is the company data that is hard to get. A lot of people are unwilling to release what they pay their employees.

Other Ideas are different ways to provide compensation like Stock Options, company car, etc.
 
Originally posted by: piasabird
You can list what your responsibility was when you got there and show that you are responsible for even more now and try to show you deserver more because you are doing more. Of course you have to be able to show you are actually doing things better than when you first started.

I think you are deluding yourself when you think you need a raise after 6 months unless you think what you were hired for was a training wage. I think it is unrealistic to get a raise in 6 months. What I have seen is some increase after a year might be realistic. Then after that every 2-3 years if your company has longevity raises for seniority.

If your company pays everyone slightly less than the average then you are wasting your time. It is the company data that is hard to get. A lot of people are unwilling to release what they pay their employees.

Other Ideas are different ways to provide compensation like Stock Options, company car, etc.
Click to expand...

As I said in the OP, I expressed my reservations about the salary offer and I asked for, and was given, an early review at six months. The way I see it, a company takes a gamble every time they higher someone right out of school into an entry level position. I have a masters, so I'm slightly higher than the most junior level entry position, but I still recognize that it was a risk for the company. Over the last six months I believe, and my evalutation supports me, that I have more than proven myself. As such, an adjustment in my compensation is fair.
 
Originally posted by: Parrotheader
I've gotten raises fairly regularly (most of them I haven't had to ask for), but periodically I'll pull together what basically amounts to an executive summary of my bottom-line value to the company when I want to approach them about a more significant bump in pay . . . which I'm about to do as I've landed a major client this year. If my supervising VP were in charge of pay raises it would be easy. He knows my value. But his superiors are the ones who sign off on salary increases and I have to speak in a language they understand. I've found that at the end of the day, if you can prove your worth (and that you deserve a significant raise) with hard, simple numbers it carries a lot of weight. It may sound nerdy, but I even go so far as to chart my gross pay v/s the revenue I generate for the company. Execs love charts.
Click to expand...

my quote I'm known for: Everyone loves pie charts.

it works for other chart types too. My big project at work a few weeks ago was to chart out progress on this software rollout, using pie charts. It all started because I made a rudimentary pie chart and everyone loved it.
 
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