I Would Like to Get a Raise Template for Webdevs

66 pointsby johnpolacekalmost 10 years ago

13 comments

dpwebalmost 10 years ago

I would leave out the 'industry averages' argument - my reaction as a manager is 'so what' - if I think you suck and you can make more somewhere else, go ahead.Your mindset as the employee is, I'm bringing more value than my comp is worth. The employer mindset is, if I don't give this raise, will they walk and do I care. That's why sales guys have the top salaries - its easy to quantify - they bring in - make ALOT of $, or they don't and are out of a job. With Devs its harder, so you make your case.Another thing, managers higher up who make the decisions don't necessarily know who is good and who isn't. Especially introvert devs who are the farthest thing from self-promoters. Your interactions with your boss, annual reviews, kudos, etc.. should give you some idea how well you are liked. Well liked people get raises because losing them hurts.I wouldn't be too timid then - and ask directly. Not this "can we please discuss further". Rather, "I would like a 5% percent raise. Here is why I deserve it." Could be job accomplishments. Could be speaking, helping marketing, extra-curriculars.. Any chance to quantify with numbers is good. You'll get it, or not - or get part of it. It's just business and you are likely much more emotional about it then your employer, who deals with this thing all the time.

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szmartasalmost 10 years ago

IMHO: These types of things are not successfully dealt with via email. If you are in search of an email template, you are on the wrong path.Your raise or lack thereof will be determined by one or two people. (a person will make the decision and perhaps their superior will need to approve it). If you don't know who the person is, your first task is to find out. Let's assume you know who the person is. If two people have a healthy relationship and there is an important issue to discuss, the issue will be raised and discussed in person. If you don't have a healthy relationship with the person who will make the decision, fix it.IMNSHO: If you are not willing to do the above, by far the most effective email template to ask for a raise will be: "Dear X, I am writing to apply for the web developer position at company Y (...)"

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onion2kalmost 10 years ago

Write articles. Give talks. Share your knowledge and help others be better.Those things are great but they won't get you a raise. They'll only really help if you want a better paid job at a different company. To get a raise you need to demonstrate to your employer that you're undervalued - do really good work[1], bring in new clients, teach things to other members of your team. Raises happen internally, external things won't really help.[1] Note that this does not mean going over and above the specification of a project. That's a bad thing as far as the business is concerned because chargeable work should never be done for free. If you want a raise try suggesting things to the client that they will pay for - bringing more money in to the business always makes you look great.

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navdalmost 10 years ago

Lately I've been experimenting with asking for raises quarterly and so far it's worked out great. My tips for people:1) obviously know who is in charge of how much you make. Like actually get to know them.2) find a way to stand out amongst your peers. For me it was a dedication to learning new tools that have benefited us and actually being good at my job.3) go out of your way to get shit done and do stuff right.4) ASK for a raise from the person in charge of your $$$ directly. Don't waste anyone's time and don't wait on the sidelines hoping people will take notice of your efforts. If you don't ask to get paid more it won't happen.5) be so good that if your company looses you it's really going to hurt.

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mildbowalmost 10 years ago

5%?Guys, I hope you are asking for/getting more than that.The foolproof way to get a raise is to have another offer. Don't say: I have recruiters contacting me (everyone does). Just get a concrete offer. Then say you have an offer but really like it there, would they please meet it? If they don't, they don't value you GTFO. If they do, you get your raise. Win Win.That's how I went from 80k to 180k over 5[0] years.[0] Edited from 4 to 5 coz time flies :)

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markbnjalmost 10 years ago

Am I the only one who feels this discussion should be in person, not via an email? And most especially not via an email derived from some template?

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noswialmost 10 years ago

It was very hard to read a text this bright on a white background.

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ameliusalmost 10 years ago

If everybody starts asking for a raise, the average salary will go up, and we can start all over :) By the way, I'm wondering how one would determine the average salary for one's job in a reliable way (your boss could contend that those numbers are fake to some extent).Wouldn't it be advantageous to employees if salaries were just out in the open within a company/department? It seems to me that employers benefit most from the current situation where salaries are private.

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johnpolacekalmost 10 years ago

I removed the bit from the example where it mentions family. I think in some cases it is good to talk about the reasons why it is important to you to get a raise outside of just the money. It seemed to bother people and I think it is an optional thing anyway. Certainly not necessary in an email opener.

jasodealmost 10 years ago

I disagree with the letter's approach even though the author says it works based on his experience.The best template for getting a raise is something like this:To Boss/CEO, I will be resigning my position at the company to take advantage of a new opportunity. Regards,After that email is sent, you'll then know if the managers will woo you with a salary increase to keep you, or laugh and tell you not to let the door hit your ass on the way out.If you're a superstar, you can leave and make more money. The superstar programmers at DEC left and jumped shipped to Google Inc. The superstar engineers at Lockheed & Boeing got lucrative offers from SpaceX. You'll also get bigger raises than a measly 5% raise. More like 20% to 100%Now, if you're not at all interested in actually switching jobs, your options for leverage are severely handicapped. Even in that case, I recommend a different approach than the author's suggested text:If you can't leave the job, you have to explain your value in concrete terms and why it's not being properly compensated.Option 1: An example of leveling up the salary to your actual duties that management has overlooked: "Since the end 2014, I've been tasked to manage the Linux server reliability team in addition to delivering new web apps functionality..." You then ask to talk about market rate compensation for management work.Option 2: An example of leveling up to new tasks and asking for the increased compensation to go with it: "I've been doing web app here for 2 years but I've noticed many inefficiencies with the Linux reliability team. I feel I'm the right person to take additional responsibility and make the team effective but I'd like to talk about compensation..." -- Basically you're being proactive about fast-tracking a promotion to a more valuable role within the company.The 3rd option outlined by the author is the worst situation to be in: Doing what exactly you've been doing while simultaneously asking for a ~5% raise to "match market surveys" is a position of weakness. The boss responds, "ok, thanks for bringing your concerns to our attention, we'll get back to you" ... and then they don't bother giving you a raise. You'll be secretly branded as a fool if you don't resign.Lastly, some stylistic choices on author's wordcrafting I disagree with:"I have no desire to work anywhere else, but lately I have been getting lots of recruiters and people I know at other companies reaching out to me to see if I'd be interested in making a move. I tell them I am not interested of course, "This text is an example of "trying too hard". You don't need to write any of that "social proof" stuff at all. If your managers are intelligent, they will infer this without you explicitly mentioning it. It's like you ask a girl out on a date by prefacing, "I've been approached by lots of girls and I've been fighting them off but I really like you so will you go to the prom with me?"And this:"Now that I have been married for a couple years, I am starting to make plans for a family, "Do not put personal reasons into business correspondence. It looks weak. Yes, you have a family, or a mother with cancer treatments, or a daughter that needs a college education fund. The problem is that _everyone_ has personal goals that require employment salary so mentioning it just triggers a "yeah so what?" reaction. I suggest for folks to watch[1] the Jack Lemmon & Kevin Spacey's "But my daughter" / "Fuck you" scene 100 times to rid themselves of the idea to put personal touches into business discussions about raises.[1] <a href="https://youtu.be/55wIwwmrHxk?t=3m54s" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/55wIwwmrHxk?t=3m54s</a>

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cluokalmost 10 years ago

Why would you degrade yourself by begging for a pay rise and using your wife / marriage / family plans as a way to show your vulnerability?Begging and using your family situation for anything is beta. You need to step up and use your power to get more money. If you're not paid enough; LEAVE! Grow a backbone.Real career progression doesn't happen off the back of begging. I certainly won't take you seriously for any position of power if you try and beg your way there.I don't care about your family plans, I care about the value you bring to me. Be valuable, be alpha, be worth what you're asking for or fuck right off.Down vote and censor my language all you want; you don't win by being a whining ass bitch.

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imaginenorealmost 10 years ago

DO NOT do this over email. Just talk to your manager. Tell them you want a raise and the reasons why. If they refuse, start looking for a new job.

pimlottcalmost 10 years ago

You're in luck, OP, someone just posted a raise template for webdevs to HN.Oh, you meant a "I Would Like to Get a Raise" template for webdevs...