Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with promotion and raise

When’s the best time to ask for a raise?

Anonymous — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 18:29:50 -0800

There have been a lot of shakeups at my work lately, and now they seem to be working themselves out, leaving me with more responsibility. No word yet on more compensation or a title change, so when should I ask for it? To sum: Last month, Department Head G announced that he was leaving to start a new division in our company. He was quickly replaced by S, who seems great. I’ve been working with S for about 3.5 weeks now—long enough for her to know who I am, but not really know my work.

My direct supervisor, C, announced this week that she is leaving for another department in our company. Her last day will be 6/22 and she will be replaced soon, I hope. My job functions as an assistant to her position, among other things.

My superior colleague, M, was promoted out of my unit today. She will NOT be replaced. In her new position, she’ll retain some of her current responsibilities but some (most?) of them will be shifted to me. So my new job will be a combination of entry level assistant with more senior responsibilities.

No one has mentioned a title promotion or raise to me at this point, which seems strange given the amount of work I’m about to be given. I’m not sure who/when to approach about this.

C, my current boss, who loves me but is leaving in less than two weeks.
S, her current boss, who could probably see my reasoning but doesn’t know me very well. OR
My unknown new boss, after a few weeks/months demonstrating my work for him/her.

A few other tidbits: I love my job and am excited for the new stuff coming my way. I will not leave if my request for a raise isn’t met, at least not any time soon (grad student, company paying for half). I tend to sell myself short, so it would be pretty easy to talk myself out of asking for this raise only...it doesn’t seem very fair to give me lots of additional work without at least a title change, much less some extra cash.

Bonus question: I currently make around $35,000. M was making between 45,000 and 50,000, I think (given similar title postings at my company in the past). How much would be reasonable to ask for, if I have to ask?

That was... unexpected.

Anonymous — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 10:40:02 -0800

I got promoted with a raise less than six weeks into the job. I need to know what else to expect, aside from having the standards raised way up. I guess this is mostly a case of disbelief at this happening to me. Maybe my boss is a bit too quick to the draw, but I'm thinking that his optimism has already been tempered by the failures that come with being a businessman. I don't know.
I'm a fresh graduate, this is my first job, and in college, I was really never the overachieving type, I was never even really involved in organizations. At this new job, I've definitely put in some effort, but I still feel like a total newbie so I wonder how my boss could place so much faith in me.
So how do I make good of this? Have there been others who have gone through the same thing? I'd like to know what comes next.
Apart from that, I just need to know if there's a bigger chance of me not getting regularized. More responsibility with less experience = more chances of making bigger mistakes. Getting fired after this would be a big blow.
Since I got a raise too, I'm also wondering if this wipes out the chance of me getting a raise if ever I get regularized, and if that increase will be substantial. I don't know yet if the raise is a significant amount, so I'm keeping my expectations low. Given the current economic situation, I was already embarrassed to have (successfully) negotiated my starting salary at a higher amount to begin with.
I don't know if I need a throwaway account, but just in case: kerplunk24@gmail.com
Many thanks.

Best way to negotiate a large raise?

Anonymous — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 20:23:37 -0800

How can I smartly/safely negotiate a substantial promotion and raise? I signed onto my current position at a salary in the mid-50s. I definitely undersold myself, but I came from a technical position in a non-technical field and didn't have a very high base to negotiate from. After some staff turnover in the last year, I've informally taken on a much more senior position running the team I was hired into.

Now I would like to renegotiate and make that position official. I spoke with several past employees who held this senior position and their salaries were $40k to $60k higher than what I am making. I've got the chops to be in that range: 8 years of experience, some fairly significant contributions to this company, and a hell of a lot of hours spent in the office. But I am worried that they'll balk at such a sudden increase, even if it's part of a promotion.

Any strategies or advice? Is it wiser to start high and negotiate down, or should I be wary of asking for too much initially and sounding like I'm just fishing?

Should I ask for more money after a raise?

Anonymous — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 08:19:01 -0800

After being promoted and receiving a decent raise I've been tasked with hiring my replacement. My new position is managerial so this new employee will report directly to me. While working with the recruiter I just found out that the position has a maximum salary that is larger than my current one. How do I talk to my boss about this without sounding ungrateful? First, a bit of background. I've been at the company for less than a year but made enough of an impression that they promoted me. I was making a competitive salary when I started and my raise was decent but not spectacular. I'm looking to hire someone to replace my old position. That new person along with some other people will report directly into me.

I found out today that the maximum salary available for my old position is actually more than I make now - with my new raise. Obviously, that salary is only a maximum amount alloted for the role and is by no means a guarantee. However, that makes me feel a bit odd that the person working directly under me could make more money than I do.

It seems like there are several options on the table:

1. Do nothing about it. Be grateful for my promotion and my salary.

2. Wait to see who gets hired and what their salary requirements are. It's possible that the new employee will demand less money thus nullifying my concern. If they do make more money then and only then do I talk to my boss.

3. Talk to my boss about it right now. I don't want to sound petty but I also feel the need to stand up for myself a bit. To be clear, my boss is very approachable.

So that's the situation. I am not looking to be greedy and don't want to appear ungrateful for the promotion and raise. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle this? All comments are much appreciated.

Do I deserve a raise?

Anthony84 — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 19:42:24 -0800

Do I deserve a raise and what should I be asking for? Are there any resources other than salary.com type places that can help me with this decision? I know this is asked all the time but each situation seems different. Before I say anything else, I LOVE MetaFilter, this community is awesome.

Anyway, pardon the complete lack of knowledge on this topic (and my lack of clarity in asking my question), but I know very little on this subject and I want to learn as much as possible. After all, this is the first time I've been put into this type of position. In general I ask, what should I do about my salary and position given my situation?

Here's what detail I can give: I started my job a couple of years ago out of college and within a year of starting, I went from trainee to trainer due to some shifting of positions at work. I've done an exemplary job by all accounts in my current position, and I've taken on a number of additional responsibilities without additional compensation (besides merit increases). To me, that alone would warrant some kind of increase in pay or a promotion (am I right?). However, neither has happened in the last 2 years even though I've been slaving away nonstop.

To be more specific, I was hired on in California to do software testing and a little bit of development for a company. I now find myself developing and testing 50/50 or perhaps even 60/40, and training new people to assist in my work. Because my job is a mix of different things, it's hard to know whether I should be paid more like a tester or more like a developer. Also, while I don't officially manage anyone, I think I deserve some credit for the work I've done with new hires in guiding them along their way. After all, I'm taking work off of the boss's hands by doing so.

Anyway, it's obvious that I feel like I'm doing more than I'm getting paid for. But, being that I have been on the job for 2 years, would it be considered premature to be asking for a promotion or a raise? If I do ask for something, what should I ask for? Something higher than what I expect to get, or something lower? I don't want to give the wrong impression to my employer because other than the pay, I enjoy my job. Furthermore, I don't want to embarrass myself by going into this knowing nothing of what I can reasonably do about this.

What salary would be expected for a person in my position in California? How little is too little for what I do? Are there any good resources out there for this? I know, too many questions! Thank you for any guidance you can give me.

Strategic transition to non-profit management. How to?

Stewriffic — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 08:29:58 -0800

My job duties are changing rapidly, and I'm taking on tons of new responsibilities, at my boss's request. I'd like to ask for a promotion and/or raise, given the situation but am not sure how to go about it. I've been working at a very small, local non-profit health care provider for less than a year as a health educator. We're located in a medium to large sized Southeastern city. I'm a one person department, really, and wear lots of hats. Now there's an unexpected opportunity to fund an entirely new program in my department, which will likely change the focus of my job to include supervising the staff member we'd hire. I'm also taken on a lot of things outside my the theoretical job description, at the request of our ED. (Being on board committees, grant writing, program planning, statewide conference planning....etc. I was hired to do 1/2 community education and 1/2 program coordination.

What I'm trying to figure out here is a) what kind of title should I be going for, b) what sort of raise would be appropriate (and when to ask for them?), and c) how should I frame these changes to an executive director who necessarily and rightfully keeps a very tight hold on the purse?

I don't want to ask for the world too quickly--I want to be strategic about this. I'm feeling kind of clueless as to how to navigate these changes, though, especially since I'm so new here. The ED expects employees to do things outside their job description, so she might not be immediately receptive to my asking.

Currently I report directly to the ED. There are 3 other staff members who are "Directors" of their departments; two of them have supervisory roles and one does not. Our total staff is ~13 people. I am the only Spanish-speaker among us as we expand our service capacity, and I bring with me a slew of community contacts in that area. I have about 4 years of direct experience as a health educator, and about 10 additional years as an educator in different capacities (high school teacher, university instructor in a different field).

Thanks!

Another "how to get a raise" question.. with a twist!

srrh — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 02:52:19 -0800

I applied for a promotion that I did not get, but my company still wants to keep me in that position's "training program," which has the same responsibilities as the position, but without the pay raise. I work for a small company (about 30 employees), and while there have been ups and downs, I generally like my job and my work environment quite a lot. However, take the small size of the workplace, and the fact that it is dominated by women (there are two men in the office), and that leads to an, at best, tight-knit, and at worst, backstabbing and gossipy place to be. What I'm getting at is that it's very informal, and everyone knows everyone's business, for lack of better phrasing.

About a month ago, a space opened up for a supervisory position, which I applied for. Myself and three others were accepted into the "supervisor training program," and basically went through a bunch of rigamarole such as strange homework assignments and awkward group interviews, and today the new supervisor was announced.

It wasn't me, and I am ok with that; I thought the whole promotion process at this company was really strange to begin with, and to be honest, a lot of me was just relieved that it was over. But I was wrong. Our ops manager informed the three of us that were not selected that we were still going to be considered supervisors-in-training, and would be called on to supervise on days when the regular supervisors needed days off. And also that we would be required to be on call at all times in case someone called out. And also that we are required to chair meetings like the other supervisors. And also that we will have the responsibility of monitoring the other employees and writing their evaluations. And also that anytime we are on a shift that DOES have a supervisor, and the supervisor needs to delegate work, it will fall on us. And so forth and so on and so forth. (Basically a whole lot of "and also"s, I'm sure you noticed.)

Basically, we will have exactly the same responsibilities as a supervisor, but without the job title or the raise that comes along with it. I do really like the company I work for, but it is by FAR the worst paying job I have ever had -- I work there only because I like it so much, not for the money. Now, I am being asked to take on a whole lot of new responsibilities and be available at all times, and not being given anything in return.

This brings me back to my first paragraph; my work place is very informal and very gossipy. There is a lot of joking, sometimes to the point where it is hard to be taken seriously, and some of the higher ups joke around in ways that are hard to read and can sometimes even be hurtful (I have not had that problem personally but I've seen it many times in the office). I'm really not sure how to say to my ops manager that I would like a raise commensurate with my new responsibilities, and have her take me seriously. I hesitate to call her intimidating, as she isn't malicious in any way, but like I said above, she is a jokester, with a very sarcastic and dry sense of humor to an extreme -- it often overpowers the other parts of her personality. I am generally an extremely straightforward person, but saying to her, "I'd really like you to take me seriously about this," before I spoke to her about it would lead to the brush off and then her laughing about it with the other managers/supervisors, and things always get around.

Sorry for being so long-winded, I'm just trying as hard as I can not to leave out any pertinent info. I don't work Monday, but I will be seeing her Tuesday, and I would like to talk to her then rather than let this sit. I look forward to any advice you guys can give me about how to best approach this, and if I left out anything or you have any questions, please let me know. Thanks in advance!

More work = more money?

aeighty — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 11:43:04 -0800

How much should a technical team lead be making relative to a developer? So I've been here for two years. A few months ago I've been promoted to a technical team lead (out of the blue!). This has increased my level of responsibility/stress significantly. In addition to writing code (which was my primary duty) I now manage a small team, I have to attend meeting and provide estimates - the whole 9 yards. I was initially placed on "probation", finally last week I've had my "review". After a lot of hand waving and no specific complaints, I've been told that I'm not getting a pay increase for another 3 months (in fact I'm still on probation). It seems to me that I'm doing a good job (since there are no complaints). I also think that I should be compensated for the additional duties that I'm doing. The question is how much? I realize that different geographic regions are going to have different absolute amounts, but should I ask for a 5% raise? 10%?

I'm in Vancouver, Canada if that helps.