3 ms·

This is all good advice. I recently had to negotiate a raise for myself, and I think the critical insight is that you need to be willing to walk. If you are com

by netmau5 16y ago

This is all good advice. I recently had to negotiate a raise for myself, and I think the critical insight is that you need to be willing to walk. If you are comfortable being without work for a little while, great. Otherwise, go seek out other opportunities so you have the confidence to act when they don't give you what you want. The most important thing you can do is to take a close look at what value you provide for the company. Your dev manager will definitely care about how difficult it will be to replace you, but once you leave the technical stratosphere, the only thing that matters is your effect on the bottom line. Consider what you've done to make a dent and be sure that those efforts are communicated up the chain of command, even if you have to do it yourself. I asked for a raise, got half of what I wanted, and began the process of looking elsewhere. My managers wanted to keep me and noticed that I wasn't particularly happy with the result. A week later, they made the difference and then some with a bonus vesting at the end of the year. In the end, I got more than I asked for and the company was able to provide it in a way that made sense for them financially. I love my job so it took me many more months to act than it should have for fear of losing it. But, like jacquesmattheij said, you've got to realize that neither party has a long-term obligation to each other- this is a business relationship, first and foremost.

stcredzero 16y ago
the critical insight is that you need to be willing to walk This is the critical insight! This also applies in other business deals like sales and hiring. If you are desperate, if you have to get the job or close the deal, then you are meat. The other party can sense this (through instincts that have been honed over millions of years of evolution) and they know that they can string you along. This is exactly what is happening with the super-slick sales guy who can't seem to close the deal but keeps on coming back to the devs for that one additional feature. This is what happens to the startup with the one big client that keeps stringing them along. This is also why nerds can't close the deal with women and why many people end up staying in dead-end jobs. Be willing to walk. Get yourself the resources so you can walk. (It's not a lot. When he was struggling, Humphrey Bogart had a $100 bill in his sock drawer, and whenever the world got him down, he looked at it and thought to himself, "I don't need those jerks. Screw them!") Value your independence most of all, be looking for the best value for you, and create genuine value for those you interact with. The rest will follow.
danssig 16y ago
>this is a business relationship, first and foremost. This is only a business relationship. Nothing else and be wary of places that try to make you feel like it's more because they're playing mind games. If you believe that's too hard a statement and that your company actually has a tighter relationship to you than this; ask yourself what will happen if the company starts having financial difficulty and has no choice but to drop half their staff. Will you survive the cut? What if they keep halving the staff? At some point you will be let go no matter what relationship you think you have. The relationship is only a business one.

by netmau5 16y ago

stcredzero 16y ago

the critical insight is that you need to be willing to walk This is the critical insight! This also applies in other business deals like sales and hiring. If you are desperate, if you have to get the job or close the deal, then you are meat. The other party can sense this (through instincts that have been honed over millions of years of evolution) and they know that they can string you along. This is exactly what is happening with the super-slick sales guy who can't seem to close the deal but keeps on coming back to the devs for that one additional feature. This is what happens to the startup with the one big client that keeps stringing them along. This is also why nerds can't close the deal with women and why many people end up staying in dead-end jobs. Be willing to walk. Get yourself the resources so you can walk. (It's not a lot. When he was struggling, Humphrey Bogart had a $100 bill in his sock drawer, and whenever the world got him down, he looked at it and thought to himself, "I don't need those jerks. Screw them!") Value your independence most of all, be looking for the best value for you, and create genuine value for those you interact with. The rest will follow.

danssig 16y ago

>this is a business relationship, first and foremost. This is only a business relationship. Nothing else and be wary of places that try to make you feel like it's more because they're playing mind games. If you believe that's too hard a statement and that your company actually has a tighter relationship to you than this; ask yourself what will happen if the company starts having financial difficulty and has no choice but to drop half their staff. Will you survive the cut? What if they keep halving the staff? At some point you will be let go no matter what relationship you think you have. The relationship is only a business one.