Asking for a raise?

[qba335i]

Originally Posted by Mr Carrots

Sadly not when you move from SF to Texas

I have some friends who moved from LA to Dallas. No state income tax + cheaper cost of living. You still should be doing pretty well

[c1pher]

Most companies I’ve worked for pay raises go from 0-5%. My current company plans for 3% pay raises and people generally are within half a percentage point above or below even if they are stellar. However, we do market assessments that take performance and value into the assessment which comes later in the year. So in many cases employees end up getting two increases, one for the budgeted annual increase and then the other essentially acknowledging, when warranted, that your skills and value to the company are above and beyond.

With all that said, even if your SO deserves a pay raise, the company can only pay so much. Not knowing anything about where she is in her compensation isn’t helpful in assessing where she should be. Maybe she got hired at the top of her pay band or salary market so the 3.7% keeps her there. She might be at the lower spectrum, I really don’t know.

What I do know is most of my biggest pay raises were when I left the previous company. Companies know you don’t want to look around or the slot above you is taken so you can’t get promoted. I do market assessments on my staff every year just so I don have them coming to me later saying they found a better job. If they actually do, it’s more than we can pay, simple as that. And I always tell them we did perform an assessment when increasing their pay and they are competitive for their job in the market.

Some people have delusional views in their market value, vale within the company or what they think they should get paid.

[e90335e36m3]

I'll echo what some posters said about patience being a virtue. First you go along, then you get along. The 0-5% adjustments (not raises) companies provide annually are cost of living adjustments. Since inflation is generally 2-3%, the fact that your GF is getting 5% is already a win.

Raises come with industry & company experience and the ability to deliver, without a sense of entitlement or disappointment or the perception of the same. I left a job in oil & gas negotiations/contracts for an entry level job in aerospace for which I was extremely overqualified and understood that at least for the first year I had nothing to bargain with in terms of asking for a raise because neither my education (graduate level), nor previous experience had bearing on the new role. Sure enough, the first year my "merit" (cost of living adjustment) was about 3.2%, but more importantly, I was placed in the leadership development program. Within 2 months, I was promoted with a 6% raise. 6 months after, another promotion and an 8% raise, then another 4% (cost of living adjustment) at year two. At 2.5 years another 8% raise and 'promotion' to hire and develop an international team.

Since I started, I was told by management "deliver and everything else will come". I haven't asked for a raise or promotion in the almost 3 years that I have been at the company. I still frequently talk to administrators who were and still are in the same administrative role who trained me, and especially among the millennials, the focus is primarily on what they are entitled to (salary, time off, etc.) while maximizing work life balance.

I just put my head down and blocked all the noise and it positively effected my career. Not saying this will happen in all industries or companies, but that strategy has served me well.

[MKSixer]

Originally Posted by e90335e36m3

I'll echo what some posters said about patience being a virtue. First you go along, then you get along. The 0-5% adjustments (not raises) companies provide annually are cost of living adjustments. Since inflation is generally 2-3%, the fact that your GF is getting 5% is already a win.

Raises come with industry & company experience and the ability to deliver, without a sense of entitlement or disappointment or the perception of the same. I left a job in oil & gas negotiations/contracts for an entry level job in aerospace for which I was extremely overqualified and understood that at least for the first year I had nothing to bargain with in terms of asking for a raise because neither my education (graduate level), nor previous experience had bearing on the new role. Sure enough, the first year my "merit" (cost of living adjustment) was about 3.2%, but more importantly, I was placed in the leadership development program. Within 2 months, I was promoted with a 6% raise. 6 months after, another promotion and an 8% raise, then another 4% (cost of living adjustment) at year two. At 2.5 years another 8% raise and 'promotion' to hire and develop an international team.

Since I started, I was told by management "deliver and everything else will come". I haven't asked for a raise or promotion in the almost 3 years that I have been at the company. I still frequently talk to administrators who were and still are in the same administrative role who trained me, and especially among the millennials, the focus is primarily on what they are entitled to (salary, time off, etc.) while maximizing work life balance.

I just put my head down and blocked all the noise and it positively effected my career. Not saying this will happen in all industries or companies, but that strategy has served me well.

This.

Well done. This is almost the exact schema which occurred to me when I decided to move back into management in my new (at that point 10 year career in biotech). The VP told me to keep my head down and perform, all else will take care of itself. 3 promotions in 11 months. Salary increased by 40% in aggregate in that time interval and it led to global opportunities within the organization which led to me gaining an international reputation in my industry.

I think that's the biggest lesson. Find a great mentor. Listen. Work. Outperform everyone else.