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Comment by ravroid | Hacker News Reader

When I first started out as a software dev for an agency, I was offered $9/hr. I took it because it was more than the minimum wage I was making at my restaurant job.

After a few months they rewarded me for my hard work by giving me a raise of $1. At the time I was grateful but now I realize what an insult that was.

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A wage increase of over 10% every few months doesn't sound so bad. I don't suppose it was a regular thing?

That was the only raise I received unfortunately. But once I realized that the work I was doing produced the same value as salaried employees, I learned to use leverage to negotiate better compensation. I haven't waited around for a raise ever since.

What's a good way to go about this?

Get a competing job offer. Whatever they offer you, ask for a comparable raise of your current workplace. Be very explicit about it being non-negotiable. Whether to mention the competing job offer is a matter of taste; it helps prove you mean business, but it can damage trust. Either way: if they say no you leave.

This only works if, and because, you are ready to walk away. It's the easiest form of negotiating. But it does require you to actually be able to walk away!

Why does mentioning a competing job offer damages trust ?

Aren't we all adults and know this is how this game is played ?

Unfortunately many managers are not adults, emotionally.

This strategy works extremely well if you are actually underpaid, and if you are you might not need that offer at all: I once bluffed my way into a 16% raise that was issued on the spot.

This is not a success story - it only worked because I was an incredibly poor negotiator and signed on for at least 20% under my market value.

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