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I may advise you to think twice about trying to negotiate your raise. If you work at a good company that values your contribution they're going to bump your sal

I may advise you to think twice about trying to negotiate your raise. If you work at a good company that values your contribution they're going to bump your salary as much as they can reasonably afford, keeping in mind fairness to your colleagues and the current budget. In most cases your opportunity to negotiate is during the hiring process. It's hard to push back about your pay once you're hired. The best case is they give you the money because they're afraid you'll leave, but then they'll likely take the necessary steps to make you less integral to the business in case it happens again. You might be better off asking for the opportunity to go to a conference, a workshop, take grad classes, etc. It's easier for them to justify those add-ons because the company stands to benefit from what you learn. It also makes you more valuable, which will possibly get you more money down the road.

ig1 16y ago
It's the company's legal responsibility to maximise value to it's shareholders not employee salary. Of course you should negotiate. It's a commercial transaction. Would you buy a car or house without negotiating, trusting that the seller will come up with a fair price ?
- imcqueen 16y ago
  I agree that you should negotiate your pay, but only before you get hired.
  - jasonkester 16y ago
    Indeed. This is the reality that forces everybody in tech to switch jobs so often. A company that was realistic with the value of their staff might find that they kept their good employees for more than a year or two.
  - mattm 16y ago
    It should also be done at any point where your responsibilities change ie. you are training junior developers where you weren't before or people have left and now you are the senior developer on a project. This is the best time to negotiate a raise because you were hired for $X to do Y and now you are doing Z so the pay should change to reflect this new job. I would also suggest that you treat any employment situation like an ongoing 6-month contract. After 6 months, figure out for yourself if the pay is still fair and talk with your employer about it. Basically treat it as if you were being hired for the first time. If you are not interested in continuing at that level of pay, then you should turn down continuing to work there. Of course, if you're happy then continue on.

ig1 16y ago

It's the company's legal responsibility to maximise value to it's shareholders not employee salary. Of course you should negotiate. It's a commercial transaction. Would you buy a car or house without negotiating, trusting that the seller will come up with a fair price ?

imcqueen 16y ago
I agree that you should negotiate your pay, but only before you get hired.
- jasonkester 16y ago
  Indeed. This is the reality that forces everybody in tech to switch jobs so often. A company that was realistic with the value of their staff might find that they kept their good employees for more than a year or two.
- mattm 16y ago
  It should also be done at any point where your responsibilities change ie. you are training junior developers where you weren't before or people have left and now you are the senior developer on a project. This is the best time to negotiate a raise because you were hired for $X to do Y and now you are doing Z so the pay should change to reflect this new job. I would also suggest that you treat any employment situation like an ongoing 6-month contract. After 6 months, figure out for yourself if the pay is still fair and talk with your employer about it. Basically treat it as if you were being hired for the first time. If you are not interested in continuing at that level of pay, then you should turn down continuing to work there. Of course, if you're happy then continue on.