Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Money and salary

What metrics are sales professionals guided by?

Anonymous — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:27:00 -0800

What metrics are sales professionals guided by? Working with my sales manager to help redefine how inside and outside salespeople should be compensated and reviewed.

Everything from leadership to new accounts to call metrics to closed business... how does your business (or your competitors) judge the success of your sales force?

[Also, if you have any articles of interest or website recommendations, it would be just as valuable.]

Do advances exist?

Anonymous — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:49:32 -0800

Is it possible to get an advance in salary (that is, an early paycheck) when just starting a job? I have been unemployed since I graduated from college this spring, although I started looking and applying for jobs much earlier. After a string of setbacks, I've interviewed at a couple of jobs, and I feel really good about them to the point where I truly feel that I could be on the verge of getting an offer. Although nothing has set in stone yet, this has given rise to a new problem.

Right now, I'm in dire straits financially. Were I to be hired, I currently have just enough money to get me to and from work for the first week, if that. I'm trying to change that by selling my old things, but I'm not sure if that will make a big enough dent. I would ask my parents to borrow from them if I needed too, but they have their own troubles.

So what I was wondering was this: if I get a job and it turns out my paycheck isn't weekly, or if it turns out that I won't be getting money for a while, would it be possible for me to receive part of my salary before the first check--say, after the first week, and that amount can be deducted from the check I'd get later? For the record: I'm not expecting money before I start, and these are normal, salary-based positions I've been applying for, as opposed to commission-based ones. Will companies do this? When should I ask?

I know I haven't gotten an offer yet, and I may not get one for these jobs, but it's such a pressing issue that I felt I might as well ask for future reference. Thanks!

Help me negotiate a simple salary

Anonymous — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 07:06:09 -0800

We are talking small beans here, but it's my beans, so please hear me out... I'm an ESL teacher/tutor with 3 undergrad degrees, certification through Oxford and 5 years experience. I have been offered a job in Shanghai. Included is a small apartment (in Puxi), free meals whenever I want them, transportation unless visiting outside the city, round trip airfare to the US every 10 months, high-speed internet, and a number of other similar perks.
I have been asked to 'name' a desired salary.
Going in I'm pretty sure what ever I ask for will be bartered down, only because that's the way the game is played in China.
I don't much care about the 'going rate' as I teach not only English, but history and science as well, and am in my 40's, well-travelled, and bring a lot more to the table than a teaching cert from Oxford.
However, I don't want to be so outlandish as to ask for an impossible amount.
I am thinking $1000 USD a month as a minimum.
When I last taught in China, I made about 400. That was in a village, and in pretty much third-word circumstances.
Any suggestions? Again, this amount, while very low, is a heck of a lot in China. And my only expenses out-of-pocket will be entertainment, necessities such as occasional clothing, toiletries, travel, and other incidentals.
Essentially, 75% of what I make will be more than I need to live an OK lifestyle.
But again...I'm tired of being the guy who always settles for less. Getting older. No savings to speak of. Own nothing much. And I'm OK with all that...
Sorry to ramble and make, I'm sure, numerous mistakes here, but the deadline is looming and I'm way over thinking this deal.
Honest advice from a stranger or two is what I need.
email fatbackncollards at gmail...
or, preferably, try to give yr two cents here :)

Movin on up

Anonymous — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:32:03 -0800

I just got a raise. Yay! So here's my question: how good is it? Will a raise of this size make my life more comfortable? Nitty gritty details (lots of numbers!) inside. I work in print media in New York City. This is the first raise I have ever received in my life. I'm excited about it, as I pretty much live paycheck to paycheck, so every little bit helps. My salary history:

2006: $34,000 as a marketing manager for an arts organization in Boston.¹
2007: $30,000 as an entry-level assistant at a print media company in NYC.
2008: $32,500 when I switched companies. Still an assistant, but for a more important person, and I work on my own projects, too.
2009: $34,500 — the raise! No change in responsibilities, just more money. (I've actually only been at this company for 9 months; not a full year.) I'm finally back to the salary I had three years ago in the job I hated (though, considering the benefits at that job were practically nonexistent, I probably effectively reached that point a while ago).

So, is a 6.15% raise a good raise? Average? Piddling? I have no idea. Will an extra $2,000 ($166/month) actually have any effect on my quality of living? What do you think, MeFi?

¹My first job straight out of college. It sucked. I quit and moved to New York.

How would I go about asking for a salary increase in my yearly review?

decrescendo — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:39:46 -0800

How would I go about asking for a salary increase in my yearly review? I came in to this job as the #2 guy on a 2-person contract and then the #1 guy (my supervisor and project manager) quit. I'm now project manager and the only one on site. I feel like I should receive some sort of corresponding raise with this increase in responsibility. I've been working for a small employee-owned defense contractor since I graduated from college with an aerospace engineering degree in May of 2007. I worked in a different area of the country with this same company until I decided that I wanted to move to DC. I told my company I was going to look for a job in DC and they surprisingly ended up offering me a position in DC that I considered to be out of my league at the time. This position made me the "2nd string guy" out of 2 guys working on-site at a very large, high-visibility Department of Defense program office. I'm honestly in a little over my head due to the scale of this program and the type of working I'm doing but I feel like I'm doing a great job given my age and experience.

The old #1 guy on this project (my supervisor and the project manager) was a retired Marine Corp officer who was old enough to be my dad. He ended up leaving 6 months after I started working there, leaving me to be the only person on our contract in this program office. I did not feel like I knew enough at the time to be project manager but I feel like I've been doing a great job. My company's CEO often tells me how great of a job I'm doing given my age. He's apparently pleasantly surprised.

I had to fight for a salary increase when I came to this job. It sort of bothered me that my company thought I'd be able to get by in this part of the country on the salary I had when I was living in the middle of nowhere. I get the impression my company is very stingy about salary increases.

Now that I've been automatically moved up to project manager on our contract here, I feel like there should be some sort of salary increase since my responsibilities have most definitely increased. I have a yearly review coming up in early July and I want to attempt to ask for a raise. I feel that I deserve one not only due to my performance, but also by my move up to the project manager slot.

Not only am I not totally sure how to approach this, but I wish I had some sort of salary data available to me for reference. I really have no idea where I stand salary-wise. I know there are websites that are used to compare salaries, but I don't feel like this job will be one easily found online.

Do any of you have any recommendations on how to approach this? I'd really appreciate it. I've found some sites about this subject that are listed below, but I'd really like to hear some feedback directly tailored to my issue. Thanks!

Pages I've found so far:
Lifehacker
Lifehack
Lifehacker
Lifehacker
Get Rich Slowly

The not-so-bad problem of what to do with new money.

Anonymous — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:00:32 -0800

I'm about to see a huge increase in my income. What should I know? I've just landed a dream job, and as a result I'm going to see my household salary approximately quintuple (from around $50,000/year to starting at around $250,000/year) and with more large increases possible in the future. I've never had large amounts of money before and want to be aware of what changes I'm about to experience (besides the obvious: now I can buy more things).

I'm not looking for specific investing advice. I'm more interested in general advice and insights, particularly from anyone who has ever experienced something like this. What did you wish you knew when the money started to roll in? What did you do wrong? What did you do right?

How do I best arm myself for an upcoming salary/bonus review in this economic climate?

Anonymous — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 10:46:18 -0800

How do I best arm myself for an upcoming salary/bonus review in this economic climate? I guess I'm what you might call "upper-management" at a small tech company. Like many others, our company is looking to cut costs and we will likely have a few layoffs later this month. I, and others, have already been informed that any raise in our base salary is off the table for now. However it has also been noted that pre-existing bonus clauses (such as the one I have) are still available.

So the thing is, for the last year I have been as busy as ever (actually more so), mainly because I have a skillset that only a few others have, and as a result I've been extremely busy and IMO was a huge part of helping to land a contract with a Fortune 10 company that was worth a lot of money for the company.

So, my bonus isn't particularly huge by any standards, it's capped at $5k. However, I know from past experience that my bosses treat all of these situations as bargaining sessions. So last year I walked out of the review with a $3k bonus. However, this year, based on the revenue I feel I helped bring in, plus other criteria such as hitting or beating project deadlines, I feel I deserve the entire bonus.(Especially since there will be no change in my base salary).

So I need strategies for this upcoming session. There have already been comments such as "Well, we're all lucky we even have jobs" and other signs that this will not go my way. In addition to this not quite being rooted in reality, I have realized my bonus structure is not based on objective facts, but is incredibly subjective. This was a mistake on my part when I arranged the terms of my employment, however this is my situation.

"So what kind of salary were you looking for?" What's a good answer to such a question?

krautland — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 04:50:26 -0800

"So what kind of salary were you looking for?" What's a good answer to such a question? I hate this moment in interviews when a potential employer asks how much I want. the range of what I could ask for in my industry is wide and the trade-rag statistics don't really help me either. so I usually go with what I think is fair. sometimes that's right-on but sometimes it's too much and sometimes it's too low.

this question is about to come up again. I'm tempted to go low because I quite like the opportunity but the potential job brings serious responsibilities with it and I don't want to suggest that I'm less experienced than I actually am. the written information I do have on the position does not state what kind of salary they are looking to pay at all.

so how should I handle this question? is there a nice way to deflect the question back to the interviewer, to suggest they should make an offer?

They want their money back - but should they get it? (UK)

almostwitty — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 04:31:32 -0800

My British employer overpaid me back in June 2008 to the tune of £1k. I pointed this out at the time, but never heard from anyone. Now it's December, and they want the money back. However, I've heard that I can contest this, on the grounds that the employer made a mistake, and that it's illegal to force employees to rectify companies' mistakes. Is this true? And what legalese can I quote? :)

I'm looking for pound notes, loose change, bad checks, anything

LiveToEat — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 06:58:57 -0800

Salaryfilter: I'm worried I gave a range that was too low and now I'd like to prevent any screwing of myself. I work in publishing, make a decent-to-low salary (no one gets the big bucks in this industry anyway) but am in a rut at my current job. I'm bored, no opportunity for advancement, bad company dynamics, etc. I applied for a better position at a competitor in town, and in a pre-interview phone call, I gave a salary range that was slightly more than what I make. At the interview, salary was never discussed. But the interview went well and I'm really interested in the position.

Afterwards, I talked to my dad, a baby-boomer business man, and he said I should have asked for a minimum of 15% more than what I make now. This is over $4000 more than I make now at my entry-levelish job, which seems high but not unrealistic. Now I wish I gave a higher salary range.

My Questions:

Does this 15% rule still apply? To the publishing industry? Do people really make such big salary jumps between jobs?

No job offer has come, but if it does and they offer me something in the range I gave, can I ask for more (before I accept the position, of course)? How do I reasonably do this? What do I say and how do I say it? Something like, "I'm very interested, but wouldn't leave my current job for less than $X"? Do I be honest and say I meant to give a higher range but instead gave them a range of my current salary?

Am I screwed? Should I just take what they offer, pending that it's at the higher end of the range I gave? I'm pretty sure my current employer wouldn't counter-offer, plus I'm not really interested in staying anyway.

I guess I would take a better job for a little more pay than what I make, but I'm worried I missed a chance to make a couple thousand dollars more than I do.

How to handle salary discussions before you have a job offer?

Anonymous — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:50:34 -0800

Help with salary negotiations? The standard wisdom -- which I've been trying to follow -- is that you aren’t supposed to talk about salary until after you get a job offer. But the organization began talking about it when they called to schedule the first interview. Suggestions? I applied for a job. They required a salary history. I sent mine, stating that I make, let’s say, $60k (the details are changed here; it’s less than that). An assistant called, saying they wanted to schedule an interview with me, “but [boss] wanted to flag the fact that the salary for this position is in the mid-40s. Would you still be interested?” I paused (a bit surprised, really) and said something noncommittal, like “it would certainly be worth us having more discussion about the position.”

Next, I had a phone interview with the supervisor. The discussion had very few questions about my qualifications (one question). The call’s purpose seemed to be to explain the position and allow me to ask questions. She brought up the salary, and said that they have “authorization” to offer up to $48k, what did I think? I said something like “I would want to consider the salary in light of the full package, including benefits and the opportunities for professional growth.” She explained the benefits package (including a matching donation to a retirement account, which I admitted would close some of the gap).

The job offers a lot of opportunity for professional growth; I'd be really passionate about the work; they’re a great organization; and I could still live on the lower salary (though my ability to save would go way down). If offered the job, I would like to take it. But a 20% salary cut is still hard to take. It’s a much tougher decision than it would be if they could close that gap a bit more.

How should I handle this? Should I start to openly admit that it would be a tough decision for me at their current budget? Should I continue trying to wait until they actually offer me the job (or not)? I’d rather discuss salary once we've decided if I'd be a good fit for the job. But if so, how do I field the question? I think they may have the impression I would consider taking the job at the current salary, because I’ve typically changed the subject to how I’d be very excited to contribute to the organization. I don’t want them to think I’m agreeing to it and then seem to change my mind later. Since they keep trying to get me to say that salary is okay, they may not have much flexibility, but they must have some, right?

How would you handle this?

Pay Grades at SWA

polexxia — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 10:36:02 -0800

Does anyone know what a pay grade 136 at Southwest Airlines pays? I hate applying for jobs hen I don't even know if the position pays enough to make it worth accepting the job, and the information doesn't seem to be anywhere on their site.

Salary negotiation: Can I ask my employer-to-be to match a counter-offer from my current employer?

PlusDistance — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 16:52:41 -0800

I've accepted a new job and I'm giving notice tomorrow. I may have low-balled myself, salary-wise. If my current employer counter-offers, can I ask my new employer to match? Just agreed to take a new job. It's an exciting opportunity at well-regarded company, but they're a relatively small operation, and people who worked there told me they were "downright cheap" when it came to salary. So when the recruiter asked me what I was looking for, I made an initial offer that was less than I would have asked for elsewhere (but more than I thought they'd give me). I expected them to counter, but instead they called back and gave me exactly what I asked! (The recruiter said, "Yes, that's pretty much what [executive I interviewed with] was thinking.") Now I wonder if I've low-balled myself.

Tomorrow morning I expect to get the offer letter, and then I'll give notice. My current employer might counter offer on salary.

Two questions: Would I be jeopardizing my new gig if I went back and asked them to match the new offer? And if not, how can I phrase it so it doesn't sound (or sounds less like) I'm simply shaking them down?

Can my employer paid everyone else overtime but me?

boognish — Mon, 26 May 2008 20:11:03 -0800

Everyone in my department at work (desktop publishing) is paid overtime except me (I'm salaried) and we all have the same job title and responsibilities. Is this legal? I used to be hourly but then was promoted to a salaried position about a year ago. Then around the beginning of 2008, my position was eliminated and I was placed back into my old department and given the same position as everyone else but I was never switched back to hourly. Then we got busy and I worked a lot of "overtime" that I never got paid for. Do I have to be paid hourly like everyone else since we all have the same position, and if so, am I entitled to the overtime money I should have received?

Being laid off, while being offered a new job at the same place. Severance available?

BecauseIHadFiveDollars — Tue, 20 May 2008 11:42:51 -0800

Been wanting to quit my job. A unique situation has popped up which might allow me to do so which might give me severance/unemployment. Am I correct? I work for a group that is actually made up of two distinct organizations, each with different tax numbers and whatnot. My department is being moved from one organization to the other which, as a result, is being handled thusly for employees.

1) Each employee will be terminated on such and such a date from the first organization. At the same time...
2) Each employee has been given an offer letter for a new job that must be signed and accepted by each employee by before the such and such date above, else they have effectively lost their job due to the previous termination.

It seems to me that we are being laid off, with the assumption that we will immediately take the new, unsolicited, offer. Due to the situation outlined above, am I entitled to severance or unemployment, which I could use to find a new job? Or, by them offering us a new job, does that negate that possibilty?

This is honestly one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make (I have 10 years of experience working at this job, combined between consultant and employee, but have lost almost everything I enjoyed about working here) but this might make the decision more palatable.

How can I squeeze blood from a rotten turnip?

reenum — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:28:29 -0800

My shady ex-boss hasn't paid me what I am owed. What to do? I worked for an attorney from December 2004 until May 2005. It was my first job out of law school and I was naive. The attorney and I had an agreement that I would get a small base salary and a percentage of any case settlements that came in.

May rolled around and the firm wasn't doing well financially. So, I left to pursue other opportunities. Prior to leaving, I did sign an agreement with my boss to get paid on the cases I had worked on.

Suffice it to say, I get checks here and there, but not before I harrass my ex-boss and hound him with calls and e-mails.

Is there any recourse I have besides suing him for what he owes me? This all occurred in Missouri and the statute of limitations on written contracts is fast approaching.

What does a third year associate make at a small firm in DC?

n'muakolo — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:43:08 -0800

Give me your best guess for what 3rd year associates make in small (1-10 person) for-profit firms in DC? I've looked at lists online and some anecdotal evidence, but still don't have a good handle on this. If my friend is asked to give her salary requirements in an interview at a small for-profit firm in DC, what ballpark should she give? She has been out of law school for 3 years, from a top 15 law school, excellent grades. It looks like maybe $75,000 would be the norm, but I find that sort of hard to believe since there are so many government attorneys in DC, and government attorneys salaries usually range from about $65,000-$120,000, and it's a true 40 hour week. Anecdotes, lists, anything with data welcome.

In need of a raise

tomorama — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 09:26:08 -0800

It has become apparent that a friend is extremely past due for a raise. Given the circumstances, what is the best method of approach? A friend's colleague has been promoted into an equivalent position of said friend, but given significantly more money. Said friend also has subordinates with higher salaries. This person has been with the company longer than these colleagues, has more experience, and is continually praised as an excellent employee (and given excellent reviews).

This person works in a field that traditionally pays poorly, and is staffed by those who consider their jobs a higher calling for the benefit of mankind. The company is rather large, with hundreds of employees and multiple locations throughout the area.

Cab driver earnings described?

swiffa — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 21:54:31 -0800

Where can I find classified ads or articles showing the range of earnings for a taxi driver leasing his own vehicle? Need something that an underwriter(mortgage) would recognize as an objective authority that confirms range of earnings a taxi driver could make. Please email for more details of necessary.

Average salary for 27 year old college grad.

blueplasticfish — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 12:08:33 -0800

What is the average salary for a 27 year old college graduate? I know there are a lot of variables here (based on experience, skills, etc.), but I am just looking for some sort of range based on what you've heard, read, researched, or experienced.

How much to move

Deep Dish — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 18:50:00 -0800

I am interviewing for a new job shortly. I am trying to come up with a dollar figure for how much I should ask for. I will be changing cities, working a fairly similar job to the one I am in now, and moving to a city where the housing costs are slightly higher. How do I figure out how much I need to make the move? Is a calculator available to help with this decision? I am looking for raw numbers here, I will factor in social costs later. I own a small house, and my brother has agreed to assume the mortgage or rent the place. I would likely buy a house worth about 10K more than the one I live in now. I expect to incur some expenses in the transfer here but I expect worse case scenario is 2K.

My moving expenses would be fairly small. I don't own much. Two half-tonne loads going about 225KM should cover those expenses. Let's say maximum $500.

I earn right now somewhere around 33K-35K which is factoring in some profit sharing money, overtime and a bit of stock. I pay for most of my own benefits. I can usually expect a 3% raise every year. The stock I hold is the only retirement plan, and it has lost money recently and as far as I know has never paid a dividend. The profit sharing doesn't happen if the company loses money.

The new organization will pay more at least 37K a year, and I will probably seek 40-42K. The workweek is a half an hour a week shorter on average - I get every second Friday off. The benefit plan is cheaper and less comprehensive - which is fine because I don't use it much (knock on wood) except for glasses and drugs to deal with minor ailments from time to time (this year about $60 to me). I live in Canada so basic medical care is socialized. The pension plan is exceptional - if I stay there 20 years I probably retire a millionaire, and the workplace is unionized. Raises tend to come with every collective agreement. 3% is probably average. The Union dues are pretty stiff but tax deductible.

Taxes, auto insurance etc should all be the same.

Bigger salary, same ole pay check

buybelen — Sat, 08 Oct 2005 10:42:45 -0800

At my last job, i was making around 45k a year Taking home roughly $1500 after taxes and such. Now at my current job im making over 50k, but I take home about the same amount as i did when I was making 45k. $1500. Whats going on???

Is There a Rule of Thumb for the Amount of Money Your Employer is Making Off Your Effort?

jeremias — Thu, 07 Oct 2004 04:01:25 -0800

Is there a rule of thumb for the amount of money your employer is making off your effort? (MI) In other words it's a general rule in retail that most items in a store are marked up at least 100%. Is there something similar for employees? In other words, let's say I'm offered a job for 20k a year. Does that mean my employer is making 40k from the work I'm doing? Or am I comparing apples and oranges?