Author Topic: How to ask for a raise or potentially leave my job for a higher paying job  (Read 6143 times)

Kevin S.

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Currently I'm a claims adjuster. Hate my job but it pays the bills...kinda

I need to make more (don't we all)

I currently make 43k / yr - if I could make 50k yr I would probably stay here.

Currently I have a multitude of positions that I'm applying for - already have an interview for another one setup next week - that position is a body shop estimator - starting at 55k  / yr

What is the best approach to request a raise to get me close to 50k yr?

Is this even something that will be looked at?

I have been here just over 2 yrs. I have had one raise (cost of living - I think it was an extra 65 cents an hour!!!! what a freaking insult).

Also I'm not one to toot my own horn but toot mother f'n toot! SO here goes with my current job situation...

Basically the job sucks, you get crap'd on all day by little old ladies who want to rip your guts out and piss on your grave. It's not like that all the time but a lot of the day (I would say 80% is this way) can be very very frustrating. I however never have escalated calls - I usually handle the calls myself and I'm also very proficient at my job. I do about 2 times the work of most of my co-workers (my supervisor once asked me how I am able to "get so much done when everyone else is doing about half of what you do on a daily")

Blah I'm rambling.

What I want to know is

How do I ask for more money without coming across like a complete a-hole

How do I ask for more money without endangering my job - or is it just a risk i'm going to have to take?

Thanks in advance to all my mustachianianianianininininin friends!

eyePod

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You're saying that you hate your current job but an extra 7k per year would make it that much better? That's an extra $269 per paycheck pre-tax (assuming 26 paychecks).

For a job that you say sucks. Why not try for the better option at a new place? Inertia?

Kevin S.

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You're saying that you hate your current job but an extra 7k per year would make it that much better? That's an extra $269 per paycheck pre-tax (assuming 26 paychecks).

For a job that you say sucks. Why not try for the better option at a new place? Inertia?

This is what I keep saying in the back of my head. Why should I even bother with asking for a raise if potentially I'm just going to leave because the job is terrible.

I don't know I've tried the grass is always greener - didn't really work out.

THis job is not the greatest - no real room for growth. However it is solid work, sustainable and relatively close to my house.

Other jobs I have found are a bit farther out and i'm sure I will be working more hours then I currently am - 37.5 hrs a week 

KittyCat

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my supervisor once asked me how I am able to "get so much done when everyone else is doing about half of what you do on a daily"
My previous supervisor consistently told me that I was one his top performers. A different supervisor pushed and applied for my promotion at the request of other coworkers (they are awesome) even though I had inquired with my own supervisor several times. The final raise I got before leaving: ~$0.22, and there were other issues regarding promotions, growth, advancement, and whatnot. Yeah, I do not regret leaving his supervision.

jba302

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Being a claims adjuster is shit. If you can leverage it into something else, do it. Now.

-Former Claims Adjuster

AZDude

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You are not an ahole for asking for a raise. You are a sucker if you dont. Just tell your boss "I do more than most of my co-workers. I am expecting a $7K raise in the near future. Thank you.".

The absolute worst case is he says "sorry, the money is not there". Not a big deal.

First though, understand the financial position the company is in, and what kind of leverage your supervisor really has. Ultimately, you can bring an offer letter in and say "beat this or I'm leaving" if you are willing to actually leave.

Asking for a raise is much harder than negotiating when you are hired, keep that in mind. If another place offers you $55K, counter with $60K. You can make several thousand dollars with just some confidence and a couple of minutes of time.

Kevin S.

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Being a claims adjuster is shit. If you can leverage it into something else, do it. Now.

-Former Claims Adjuster


Thank you! I really have trouble motivating myself to be here everyday and do my best - especially when most of co-workers are a bunch of jerks. I refuse to let this job crush my soul ! lol

I'm looking (have been for several years now) into getting into the field adjuster job field for an insurance company.

I have my property and casualty license. ASE & I-CAR ceritifed. Over 10 yrs of claims and automotive collision estimating experience. WHO WANTS TO HIRE ME! haha

Hopefully something falls my way soon...not sure how much longer I can deal with this job. Hearing a grown woman beg and cry to you profusely that she is not at fault on her collision claim / has to make a choice to fix her vehicle or feed her baby - is not something I wanna deal with anymore. Granted she is a bad money manager but I don't know the entire store. All I know is this job freaking sucks!




Kevin S.

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You are not an ahole for asking for a raise. You are a sucker if you dont. Just tell your boss "I do more than most of my co-workers. I am expecting a $7K raise in the near future. Thank you.".

The absolute worst case is he says "sorry, the money is not there". Not a big deal.

First though, understand the financial position the company is in, and what kind of leverage your supervisor really has. Ultimately, you can bring an offer letter in and say "beat this or I'm leaving" if you are willing to actually leave.

Asking for a raise is much harder than negotiating when you are hired, keep that in mind. If another place offers you $55K, counter with $60K. You can make several thousand dollars with just some confidence and a couple of minutes of time.

Great info! Thanks!

So my current job has some potential (not for moving up unfortunately but at least some potential for a raise - at least how I see it).

Last week the new guy up and quit - 6 months of training. 3 months that I helped and held his hand with. Stayed late everyday for about a month straight to guide him and help him the the insurance exam / then boom - not even a 2 week notice! Oh well...

Another guy retired about 3 weeks ago.

So there is 2 open positions. Now I don't know exactly how funds allocation works for each department but lets say they only hire 1 addtl adjuster. I think allocating another 7-10k extra per year to me is not out of the question? no?

I honestly have never negotiated my pay during the hiring process. If they offered me a job and it was reasonable I took the job. Now though that I'm a bit older and have the possibility (with the current state of the economy I guess) to actually pick my next job I will have to fine tune how to go about counter - offering a salary.

ANother thing- I have talked to my Manager about 2-3 times max. He is a very private individual to the say the least. How do recommend going about asking him for a pay raise? Should I ask my claims manager up front in person or write an email? What is faux pas  - granted I work with a blue colar staff but I don't want to offend anyone.

I honestly feel like just kicking open the door(metaphorically of course) to his office and saying "I need to make at least 50k to justify staying here"


AZDude

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Do you have performance reviews or anything like that? Normally that is when to bring it up, right after your boss tells you how good you are doing. If not then just e-mail him and set up a time to discuss, and then bring in your evidence of why you deserve a raise. Make sure its realistic. Expect initial resistance.

I have asked for a raise a couple of times in my career. First time I was told yes, then a couple weeks later it was rescinded due to administrative difficulties(some shit about changing processing companies, I did not buy it). Eventually they did give it to me, but by then I had one foot out the door already. The other time I asked was because I was given sparkling reviews and figured I would try to take advantage of the situation. I got a small raise, but I got a bigger than usual bonus at the end of the year.

Good luck, and remember that you owe the company nothing. You dont owe them your loyalty or anything else. Do what is best for you and your family.

Brilliantine

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DW used to be a claims adjuster; she's scarred for life.

Her job came with a car. Does yours too? It might be valuable to think in terms of perks, benefits, any deferred compensation such as unvested 401k contributions, etc.

Remember the monkey principle. Don't let go of this branch before you find another branch to grab. The best way to go about asking for a raise is with an offer letter in hand. If that other place offers you a job, bring it to your boss and ask for retention. Obviously, be prepared to leave in case they don't do anything to retain your talent and expertise.

I did something similar at my previous job. I said I was underpaid and that I was going to start looking. My manager's manager said "I do apologize for not noticing the disparity between your job responsibilities, your performance, and your pay. I will try to remedy this." He did. In the next performance evaluation cycle, I received a 17% raise.


Brilliantine

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I think it's important to give people a chance to say "Yes" to you. Just ask for a raise. Don't make it about how unhappy you are at the job or how much you need the raise. Remember that you don't even need to explain "why" you want the raise.

Since you are licensed, can you work as an insurance producer for an agent?

Zamboni

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Is it just a raise that you want? What else do you want? (more paid time off, perhaps some travel money for conferences, a more fancy title, a new computer, a personal assistant, whatever) WRITE down a list. And then think of even more outrageous things. Come up with at least 5 things that you legitimately think would make you more happy at work.

First, make that list of things that would make your job easier. Then schedule an initial meeting. Make sure they are in a good mood! If not, then try another meeting again later. Talk about how well things are going. How much you love you job (or whatever aspect of it you do love) even though it is tough sometimes. Then, let your supervisor know a list of "these are things I would like to have, with a raise being the top of the priority list." Let him or her know right off the bat that you realize they can't decide on all of these things immediately, so set a follow up meeting. Realize it might take even a few meetings to talk through your goals and the position. That way they don't say "no" to everything right off the bat. Even if they do say "no," say something like "we don't have to decide about all of this right now, let's come back to it next time we meet." No you've set them up to give you some things on the list while still being able to say "no" to other things. Make it really clear that more money is a top priority for you since you are seeing other jobs in the same market that pay more, but that these other things would not only help you, they would help the company since it will help you do your job even better. I think you should go for $55K, by the way.

Good luck!

Brilliantine

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If another place offers you $55K, counter with $60K. You can make several thousand dollars with just some confidence and a couple of minutes of time.

Not to hijack the thread but I have to say I did this. The offer that came was just about what I was hoping for. So I asked for 15k more than the offered base salary. Over email. The response arrived 45 minutes later. They said, no, we can't give you 15,000 more, best we can do is 10,000 more!!! Easiest money I ever made.

Seppia

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1- remember when you change jobs, you are ALWAYS low balled a bit. Never take the first offer.
Obviously if they previously asked you "how much would you need to take this position?" And you said X, if they offer you X you don't counter the offer.
2- I second the suggestion of sending an email asking to chat if you don't have an upcoming review.
3- be prepared to explain why you deserve the raise.
4- remember you don't owe anything to the company the moment you are doing your job. They give you money in exchange for your know how and effort. Full stop.
If they decide to downsize and you are on the chopping block, nobody is going to say "no wait, Kevin used to be super productive and serious, we owe him!" 

Basically I could have quoted AZdude's suggestions and it would have saved me time :)

BicycleB

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Props to examples of negotiating with a new offer!

Here are a couple ideas for raise at current place:

1) Study when he is not being approached by other people, approach him then.  (Knock on door if closed.  "Hi, it's Kevin.  (Boss's name), I need to talk with you sometime.  Is now a good time?")

2) Close the door so your salary conversation is private.  If he's going to say yes, he won't want other employees to know.

3) Use the little speech you rehearsed, such as:  "(Boss name), I work hard here and am proud that I've persevered here when others haven't.  I've been comparing my salary to other places in the market and feel I'm worth more than what I'm making now.   Based on my experience, someone with my certifications is worth $50,000 to 55,000.  Can you arrange for me to be in that range starting next month?"

Key points:
a) When you start by saying you work hard, you are hitting a point he hopefully agrees with.  If not, use a point he will respect. You just want to start by establishing a postive starting point he will agree with.
b) Once you start talking, he will wonder if you're going to quit.  He will be relieved when you don't.
c) The second point ("I've persevered...") is to add another positive, build the suspense, strengthen your case and most of all give him a moment to sweat.  It sounds a little threatening, though, so you could use a different point instead - "I have good quality reviews", any known aspect of good work that you have.
d) "Based on my experience, someone with my qualifications" gives him more reasons why you're worth a raise. Comparing to the market adds credence and gives impartial support to your proposition - makes it not personal.  That's good.
e) Close by giving a range where the bottom is what you want, then ask for the order.
f) Asking for a timeframe gives a sense of urgency without requiring an immediate yes or no.  He probably has to check and think; now you gave him a reasonable deadline.

If you don't like this script, write a different one.  Practice it, then use it.  Good luck.

BicycleB

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PS.  Zamboni's script is better than mine, really.  Just use mine for additional inspiration.  Good luck regardless!!

Joggernot

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In your script, have answers to as many of his/her objections to the raise (no money, ask when; others are lower, not germane to me; etc.).  That way you'll be prepared to talk around and answer the objections.

eyePod

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Another thing to think about. If you get a raise, you could use it as leverage for a counter offer to that new position. "I'd really like to come to your company but the pay difference isn't that significant."

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!