I changed jobs (and fields) in October.

Anonymous

January 2,2023 at 2:29PM UTC

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I changed jobs (and fields) in October. It was a difficult decision as I really liked the job I had and liked my coworkers. They offered me a 10% increase over what I was currently making, so I didn’t negotiate on salary. Instead I asked for 3 weeks vacation in the negotiations and that was given. My current job at the time offered to match my new salary when I gave my new weeks notice. But I decided to go with the new position because I was not being challenged where I was.

The new position is definitely challenging, but in a good way. I have worked really hard and been told numerous times how glad they are to have me as part of the team and what a great job I’m doing.

The problem is that it is a very small company and my portion that I’m paying for insurance is consuming my entire raise. I now pay $250/ paycheck when I was only paying $85/paycheck at my previous job. Additionally, my 401k will start being deducted this week and once I am paying my portion of that, I will actually be making less than I was at my previous position.

I am coming up on my 90 days and would like to ask for a review and raise. Is that acceptable? How do I do that? How much should I ask for?

Thanks for your input. Happy New Year!

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Lesa Edwards, Career Coach & Master Resume WriterJanuary 2,2023 at 7:11PM UTC
You can certainly ask, although typically you have to be at a company a bit longer before they will consider this. To determine how much to ask for - do your homework on what the prevailing rate of comp is for your role in your geographic area.
Hard lesson learned - it's important to look at the entire comp package before accepting!
AnonymousJanuary 2,2023 at 7:44PM UTC
A 90-day review is both reasonable and a good idea.
Asking for a raise because you didn't do your homework before accepting the offer seems like a bad idea to me.
Do some research into comparable roles at comparably sized organizations. If your salary is below market value and your performance feedback is that you are delivering exceptional results, then you have data to support asking for a review of your compensation for an increase.
AnonymousJanuary 2,2023 at 9:22PM UTC
I would be very careful asking for a raise that soon. Honestly, your failure to negotiate is the issue, and it is not the company's problem. If you have a good relationship with your boss, be honest with her and ask her advice. But I would not go into the review expecting much financially.
AnonymousJanuary 3,2023 at 2:58PM UTC
I don’t know how strong their financial foundation is and if they are at a place to make cuts - asking for more money may make you an easy target.
This is a tough lesson because this is all something that needs to happen during new hire negotiations and you’ll be prepared next time to have these conversations.
you can try to mention it to your boss if you feel comfortable and see what advice they have - but ultimately - you may have to find new opportunities elsewhere if it’s impacting your day to day livable wages as it’s super uncommon to renegotiate terms after being hired, and so quickly after it too.
AnonymousJanuary 3,2023 at 7:22PM UTC
I think you have to decide if you have done a good enough job within the 90 days to ask for some feedback on your work. Tie that to the need to get a bit more to cover the extra expenses which you had not accounted for when you accepted the job. If they don't budge or cannot due to budget issues then you might find yourself either looking for a new role or at risk. Since you mention changing fields I think doing so- IMHO is not the right move at this time because you signed on knowing what the numbers were. Give yourself more time and at the next review cycle ask then.
AnonymousJanuary 4,2023 at 6:32PM UTC
While it seems soon to ask for an increase in your wages, the fact that you didn't ask for more than their initial offer should work in your favor. At your review, let them know that you didn't negotiate on wages when hired because you wanted the opportunity to prove your value and now that you have, you would like to ask for an increase based on the market rate for your position. Good luck!
AnonymousJanuary 12,2023 at 10:27PM UTC
Two things- like someone else mentioned, look at your position's market rate from multiple sites. Also bring in data of what you have done that deserves the raise when going over/ asking for that 90 day review.
The second thing, I just mentioned this in another discussion on this site. Salary is only one part of your compensation. Your total rewards package, including medical benefits, 401k, and additional offerings are all part of it, (including other benefits, flex-time, commuting, hybrid, etc.). I would never accept a job without knowing the benefits and expectations first. I have had companies with very high deductibles and very little coverage. I have had companies where I paid over $1,000 a month for our family just to have medical coverage. When you bring in taxes taken out of that salary and compared to the pay out for things like benefits or even commuting costs it is not always the raise we think it is. Moving forward get and look at all the information first.