
Ask HN: How do I negotiate a raise and promotion after 1 year at my company? - dotdi
Dear HN-ians,<p>this summer I had my first anniversary at the company I work for. I genuinely like it here and I&#x27;m a valued member of the department&#x2F;team I work in.<p>However, while being a &quot;software engineer&quot; like some other colleagues, and not a &quot;senior engineer&quot; like others, I do more high-level work and have more responsibilities than my peers and seniors. That means I do e.g. architectures and specifications in addition to normal day-to-day work. I&#x27;m usually referred to as the technical lead for a very important, company critical project. I have the authority to decide how we are fulfilling customer requirements and I&#x27;m making sure stuff moves along (which doesn&#x27;t happen when I&#x27;m sick or on holidays).<p>I have my 1-year review meeting scheduled and I&#x27;m not sure how to approach it. I, probably naturally, feel that a promotion and raise are in order, but there have been little to no signals from my superiors other than &quot;we are so happy to have you on the team&quot;. I have a good relationship with my boss and his boss (which is the head of engineering), and I don&#x27;t want to strain those relationships with, be it real or only perceived, improper demands.<p>Do you have any tips on how to approach this situation, as in, get promoted with everybody being super happy about what is going on?<p>Thanks!
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scarface74
_I genuinely like it here and I 'm a valued member of the department/team I
work in._

This statement is a red flag to me. Don’t get attached emotional to any
company that you don’t have a substantial ownership stake in. It’s just a
means to an end - to put food on your table.

You will know if they feel you are a “valued member of the team” when you get
your annual raise. People pay for what they value.

If you look at your paycheck and look at the market and see the two are not in
sync, start focusing on building your resume over the next year. If after year
2, your check and the market are not in sync, start looking for another job.

I usually recommend staying on a job at least two years.

 _I don 't want to strain those relationships with, be it real or only
perceived, improper demands._

Your “relationship” with the company is that you work for two weeks and they
deposit money into your account - nothing more or less. If they don’t pay you
at least market value - they aren’t holding up thier part of “the
relationship”.

~~~
starbugs
I think I disagree about the red flag part. Why should you not be allowed to
like it and feel valued while not being a stakeholder. How do you know that
there is no way for him to become a stakeholder at some point in the future?
Ever heard of bonus and commission payments?

What's more I don't see how this comment answers op's question? Your general
advice seems to be "just do not do it"?

~~~
banna2
Can you please share why do you advice to stay at a company for 2 years? If
someone is not getting challenging kind of work to push your knowledge and
technology beyond limits? And how to portrait your accomplishments in resume
for such role when u r just building API's

~~~
starbugs
I did not advice anyone to stay at a company for two years. And I wouldn't
advice anything that drastical based on a short HN text and some vague
interpretation of what op is up for.

IF someone is unchallenged as you imply I'd say a good first step would be to
talk to your superior before following a generic "change company every two
years" advice for no reason.

~~~
scarface74
I also wasn’t implying you _should_ change jobs after two years. I was saying
you probably _shouldn’t_ change jobs in less than two years.

There are switching costs to changing jobs
([https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17796166](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17796166)),
but statistically, job switchers make more than people who stay
([https://www.fastcompany.com/3055035/you-should-plan-on-
switc...](https://www.fastcompany.com/3055035/you-should-plan-on-switching-
jobs-every-three-years-for-the-rest-of-your-))

------
rboyd
Go through the review and let them recognize your achievements. See what their
action is first, they may already have a title and pay bump planned for you.
If they announce your raise and it’s under your desired amount you need to ask
for exactly what you want.

“I really appreciate the gesture and we’ve had a great year but I’d like to be
earning $X/yr and be recognized with a promotion to Senior, which is more in
line with the market and my responsibilities. I’ve felt this way for a while
considering my work on x, y, z, but I’ve waited to ask since I know the review
is the most appropriate time to ask. Is that in line with the salary band for
Senior Engineer?”

.. frame it this way and it will preempt the most common rebuttals. Try to
think about your boss’ potential responses and have a plan for them. Account
for the fact that your boss may need further approval from upper management
but ask for a specific plan and nothing loose like “keep working hard and I’ll
see what I can do.” You want to timebox it. Same day would be great. It’s
review time, the company is ready, this isn’t a surprise ask.

Your manager very likely wants the same thing you do so be courteous,
appreciative, but also confident and direct.

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starbugs
Make a list of all the stuff you do that you feel is beyond the role you are
being paid for. Next to each item on that list write down how you think it
helps the company.

In the meeting, use those points to illustrate why you think it would be a
win-win for both parties if you got your raise and promotion.

Have a clear idea of what you are asking for in terms of money before you go
into negotiation.

Negotiate based on facts and goals instead of needs and "time spent" or
similar.

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bufferoverflow
So wait for them to praise you, then immediately use it to ask for a raise.

If you want a real raise, and not some bullshit 2% adjustment, change your
job.

It's strange that a tech lead would even ask a question like this. Which
country are you in and how much do they pay you now?

~~~
scarface74
That brings up another interesting tactic that I’ve used. At one job that I
was working contract to perm, when it was time for me to be made permanent,
there was a hard cap on what they would pay me. I knew I would be leaving in a
year anyway, so I asked for a title of “lead software architect”. The entire
department of permanent developers was three people. I then used the title to
apply for jobs making more.

In other words, even if you can’t get the raise you want, negotiate a title
change. Companies generally don’t mind throwing around BS titles to make their
employees feel good.

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tboyd47
This is not sales; programmers don't get "raises". The good thing is you can
give _yourself_ a raise by applying for a job at another company.

If you want more responsibility (i.e. a promotion), then you can sometimes get
one by asking for it, but just be warned that this usually does not come with
a raise in compensation.

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dyeje
List your achievements and ask for the promotion and raise. Do a couple mock
reviews with your partner or friends to smooth out your pitch. Don't rely on
them to recognize you, they are busy with their own jobs and may not notice
all the work you actually put in.

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gesman
Put counteroffer on the table in front of your boss.

