asking your manager for a raise for the first time when you…

asking your manager for a raise for the first time when you have no idea what you should be making

bootcamp_bri · 4 replies

I got my first dev job out of bootcamp 18 months ago. Took what they offered because I was just happy to be hired. I've since learned that the number I accepted was on the low end for my market and role level, and I've grown a lot since then.

The problem: I don't actually know what I should be making. I know roughly what the range is (I've looked at Glassdoor, Levels, LinkedIn Salary, asked a few people), but the ranges are wide and I don't know where in that range I should be asking to land.

Here's my honest situation. I'm 18 months in, junior SWE, in a mid-cost-of-living city, working at a 200-person startup, base salary right now is around $82k. The range I've seen for my role and city is roughly $80k-$105k for junior, $95k-$130k for mid.

I've been doing mid-level work for the last 6 months. My manager has told me that directly.

My question is: do I frame the ask around market data, around the work I'm doing, or both?

Here's what I drafted: "I've been doing well in this role and I know from your feedback that I'm performing at a mid-level. I've also done some research on market rates and I'd like to talk about adjusting my comp to reflect both. Can we carve out time for that conversation?"

Is that too much to start with? Not enough? I want to get a raise, not just a "noted, we'll look at it next cycle."

4 replies

marketer_mei

Short answer: ask for a specific number. "I'd like to discuss adjusting my comp" is too easy to defer. "I'd like to bring my comp to $97k, which reflects mid-level market and the level of work you've told me I'm already doing" is harder to not respond to concretely.

Also, $82k to $97k is a 18% jump which is big. Be prepared for a counter and decide in advance what the floor is where you'd stay vs start looking.

careerveteran

The framing is good. I'd just add: make sure you have specifics about the mid-level work you've been doing ready when you have the actual meeting. Not aggressive, just "here are three things I shipped that are above junior scope." Makes it concrete.

frontend_fran

Went through this last year. The thing nobody tells you is that comp discussions often move faster when you have another offer, even if you don't intend to take it. Not saying you should fabricate one, but starting to interview passively gives you real data and real options.

bootcamp_bri

Had the conversation. Got a counter of $91k and a commitment to revisit in Q4 for a potential mid-level title change. Not everything I asked for but better than zero. Going to keep the market research going.