Need advice on asking for a higher salary

[theboyjwo]

Let me try and summarize the situtation. Work for a distribution company in Consumer Electronics business. Been at this company for 3 years, achieved 4-5% raises every year. Have alwasy been described as an outstanding employee, I have saved the company money in printing costs and I set up and implemented the companies Blast email programs further saving more money over blast faxing. I Have always thought I was being a bit under paid for my job duties "basically everything print and web". After 3 years and recent job review with a 5% raise, I just reached the low 30's. At the same time a close co-worker in the marketing department under the same manager as me recently quit. I know how much she was making and what they offered her to stay. During my review I decided to ask for more money, and told my manager (Vice President of Marketing) that basically I feel like i'm being underpaid by about 4-6K and I provided salary surveys to support it, and told her of conversations with my peers in the industry that support the salary reports. My boss is new to the department and she agreed that she thought the salary's were low. I told her that i am not giving an ultimatium but that its a problem and needs to be addressed soon. She agreed and said she would look into the budget to find some more money for me. She assured me that I am a valuable and reliable member of her team and whats to keep me for as long as I want to work there.

So about a month has gone by and I have reminded her about it several times and each time she says she is still working on it and but encourages me to keep reminding her about it. I kinda feel a month is way to long for this, and she takes the attitude that it will be a tough task to rearrange the department budget.

However being that my co-work recently quit and i know exactly how much money was there. I can't help but feel this is all smoke and mirrors. Because my ex co-workers salary is not on the books any more and they are not replacing her anytime soon. She was a marketing coordinator not a designer.

How should I handle this, I have avoided bringing the issue up too many times, usually bring it up once every 2 weeks, or basically every time I am about to get a paycheck. Should I start force the issue, perhaps reveal my information on knowing the salary of my ex-coworker? And pushing the fact that i have saved deptment money several times this year? i know thats not a very professional thing to do, but by golly I want my money!

how would you handle it?

[vtwin_gary]

i'm reminded of pearl on this.
you pay..... pay now bitch!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=RIypf1HQXE8


good luck.

[Aerix]

I would give it a bit more time. When does your fiscal year start? She might have to wait a certain amount of time before she can approve it. If you do wait it out, you might get a bigger raise than you thought. :)

[GraphixNPrint]

I would give it a bit more time. When does your fiscal year start? She might have to wait a certain amount of time before she can approve it. If you do wait it out, you might get a bigger raise than you thought. :)

or find out really that she has been avoiding the issue hoping you'll let it go...

[longboy]

Go interviewing at other places and get a competitive offer. Then show said competitive offer to your current manager in hopes that she'll bump your pay to keep you.

It worked for me at a previous job, but no guarantees.

[DonnaL]

Be thankful you get raises at all... I don't even get cost of living raises... a reporter, sales rep, and our part-time bookkeeper left. Do you think they'd give me a raise for all the things I currently do now? I wear so many different hats here now, it's pathetic.

Do I want to find another job? No, since Im moving next April to Australia, why bother. But for the length of time I've been here... not an cent.

Hope it works out for you tho! Good luck

[Tsmalldon]

I was prepared to quit as I was DRASTICALLY underpaid, getting no respect for the work I did and the money I saved the company.

So I got the raise I was looking for after much debate, but I was prepared to walk away if they could not offer a competetive salary. Lifes to short to be screwed around. If you think you can do better elsewhere, go for it, get a competetive offer, if they don't want to match it to keep you, move on.

[budafist]

Be thankful you get raises at all... I don't even get cost of living raises... a reporter, sales rep, and our part-time bookkeeper left. Do you think they'd give me a raise for all the things I currently do now? I wear so many different hats here now, it's pathetic.

Do I want to find another job? No, since Im moving next April to Australia, why bother. But for the length of time I've been here... not an cent.

Hope it works out for you tho! Good luck

I hear ya! I'm sticking around until I leave the country too. Though my pay isn't bad, it's more that I'm not into my job anymore. It could be worse certainly.

[Ovaltine]

Be thankful you have a job. I've been looking for over 4 months now.
Frustrating.
Oh, and at my old job I only got 1 raise in 3 years and it was less than a cost of living raise. They kept giving me more responsibilities, but no more pay. Grrrr

[ZippyTheWonderMonkey]

......She assured me that I am a valuable and reliable member of her team and whats to keep me for as long as I want to work there.....


She blew you off completely and told you to pound salt in a very diplomatic way, I've heard this statement at a few different jobs, all with the same result. The "if you want to leave, there is the door, we will find someone else, but we aren't going to give you a raise"

[theboyjwo]

Yeah I've been looking for a new job for the last 2 years! I consider myself lucky to have found this one 4 months out of school. But I know I can't make a career here. So i've been looking to step up, and find a more creative job and make some more money. So I thought that with the recent change in the dept. Head, I could try an ask for more money, because my boss knows absolutely nothing about design, and alot of the duties I perform. So I figure that right now my stock is at its highest. Cause if I did leave the dept. would be in shambles.

Really I guess have no options but to stick it out. This is Indianapolis, too few design jobs to go around. I've been on several interviews, and most of them went very well. Just never been able to get an offer.

[Drorain]

Be thankful you have a job. I've been looking for over 4 months now.
Frustrating.
Oh, and at my old job I only got 1 raise in 3 years and it was less than a cost of living raise. They kept giving me more responsibilities, but no more pay. Grrrr
Somewhere between starting out and your first couple years, the game changes completely. You gain confidence, you know you should be more highly valued and you should have a decent network of people. Get your portfolio together of the best pieces, create a well laid-out resume, launch an online portfolio if you can and scatter your name to the four winds. Talk to everyone, old teachers, previous coworkers, business owners, politicians and charities (volunteer for these last two to make some solid connections.) Dress well for interviews, and follow-up with a thank you note and a phone call. Two years is enough experience to know your stuff, so apply to junior and mid level jobs. Browse all job boards you can find, I think our ultimate resource thread mentions a few.

So far as raises go, my formula was more like this:
Make myself invaluable to the company for a year or so at a wage befitting to starting out. End of first year request a review, and inform my immediate boss of my minimum request. Seniors see and like my work, I hit it off great with them, they better my minimum by 2.5k, I’m a happy camper.

Rinse wash repeat the following years.

[CkretAjint]

It's not just ASKING for it, you have to justify it. Don't walk in there and ask for more money. Any one can do this and get shot down. Make sure you carry ammo in your gun when you walk in there.

"I would like a competative raise because I benefit XYZ company in A, B, C, D, E, F and G ways. This is why I deserve a raise."

[MPI]

ask for more responsibility - so you can earn more money.

I think you need to put your desires in terms of your professional goals. If you focus on dollars only you come off as mercenary, while making an implication that you think you've been cheated all these passed months. I think it creates an unecessary hostility.

But if you open a conversation focused on all the ways you want to grow as a professional, because you care about your work and your future, you come off as an asset. Approach work like this and money will tend to follow you.


And when still nothing happens, start dressing nice everyday and carry a large conspicuous portfolio to mysteriously extra long lunches.

[Ovaltine]

^ made me laugh out loud! :) Great idea.