Ask HN: Should I play hardball when it comes to salary negotiations? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Should I play hardball when it comes to salary negotiations?

1 pointmelonbar4 comments

I should have a review, along with a large raise, coming up soon. The company that I am at has made it clear that they are really happy with my work (React/RN dev) and that I am valued. That being said, I feel as though I should be making much, much more. I like the environment I am in, I like the people and I like the work. Yet I am getting paid ~50% below market average. I do not want to be insulting by asking for too much but if they say no to a reasonable ask, how should I handle it? I am by far the most capable dev, before I got here no one even used git. Due to a past criminal record I have had issues in the past with employment (drugs). Would you just keep walking to prove a point?

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Market average is dependent on where you live. A large raise usually never comes unless you are changing job descriptions. It sounds like you work for a small company which likely can't afford giant leaps in pay. I have always found the best way to increase your rate is to move to a different company. Your criminal record is a hit and miss, some companies care some don't. It also depends on industry and size of the company. A small company is less inclined to spend the money on a criminal record check. Your rate is also dependent on your co-workers. Most places pay equal wages for the same position so there isn't any fighting over wage. I think your criminal record becomes less important with the more industry experience you have. the more desirable your skill set it the less likely they will nit pick over small criminal offenses. You should interview other places (at least 2) to get a sense of how others value your skill set. Its also worth looking into how to be pardoned for your criminal offense. If it happened a long time ago you may be eligible for a pardon, it may be costly but well worth it.

Get another job offer (with much higher salary) that you are willing to accept. Try to present it to current company enough in advance _before_ your review, since review happens after decision has already been made.

First find another job then leave. If your not happy.

I'm cautious, so my process is slower than others might suggest, but this is how I'd approach it were I in your situation.

First, collate evidence of your professional successes so your value to the company is indisputable. You want to be able to say "I've been here three years, and in that time I've delivered ... and every review has had Exceeded Expectations".

Next, you suspect that your market value is higher than your current pay, so gather evidence to support this. Ordinarily that would be job listings for comparable positions, or salary surveys applicable to your geographic area. In your case, because of the issues with past employment, they might counter-argue that those job listings are for pristine employees but your special status means you wouldn't command those on the market. The best response you can have is "well, I have an offer at market rates, so those rates definitely apply to me. I don't want to leave this great company with wonderful people and interesting work, but this pay difference is so big ..."

The great thing about anchoring to market rates is that you're not saying "I feel like you're underpaying me." This isn't about your feelings, it's about the simple facts that the job listings offer $75-95k and your current salary is $72k. You are underpaid, objectively.

Another useful phrase: "I don't need to be paid at the very top end of the market range, but I would like to be paid at or above average for this position because I believe that I am doing above average work." (If you can cite your performance reviews as evidence that you're doing above average work, that's good too)

If you have a partner, and you're worried about your boss thinking you are greedy, then you can make your partner the bad guy in this conversation. E.g., say "look, I want to stay here, but we are getting ready to have a child and need to save for the time without income", or "look, I want to stay here, but my partner is really pushing me to earn more." Personally, that's not my preferred technique -- I am comfortable arguing for my worth, but your situation may be different and this might be of use to you.

The other reason to get a job offer is if you think your employer doesn't value you and will seek to fire/replace/punish you if you ask for more money. This may or may not be illegal in your jurisdiction, but that doesn't make it any less of a problem. If you fear this, then a job offer lets you know that should the worst happen you can always land on your feet. If you genuinely do find it impossible to get a job offer, then you may genuinely have lower market value at this point because of the perceived risk the employer is taking. That sucks, but better to admit that than to bluff and find yourself unemployable.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes!

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