I started a new job at the beginning of this year, and have greatly exceeded the job role I was brought on to fill. I've had lots of responsibilities handed over to me, and have been able to reduced the work load of most, if not all of our management team. I just passed seven months in my current role, and I was interested on when it is appropriate for me to have this discussion? Also, what are some things that I could do to prepare for this conversation? I'm just starting my professional career and do not have any experience with these type of conversations.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

$30,000 Millionaire said:

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Are you a new grad in their first job?

With these conversations, it is important not to come across in the wrong way. At 7 months in, it would be considered early to ask for additional comp. The general "standard" is around a year. I do think you should have a conversation with your management, just don't lead with comp. Ask for time to meet to review your performance. Discuss your accomplishments, talk about growth areas, and highlight that you like what you're doing and are interested in knowing what you should be focused on to ultimately advance with your company. They'll get the hint, trust me, and if it naturally comes up in the conversation, great. Do it again 6 months from now and then you can bring up comp. it is important for you to gauge that they feel the same way about your performance as you do. If they do and a year goes by with no prospect of wage growth, then you know the situation you're in. Compensation is always a balance between what you're learning vs what you're earning. I've stayed at places a longer time than I ordinarily would have based on what I was learning, working on, and building a resume with even though I was underpaid. Eventually the scale will tip and you'll move on. It's worked out really well for me in the long run.

To add another point, it has been my experience that companies generally don't wait long to reward great employees. I gave an employee a big raise recently and they'd worked on my team for less than a year. They absolutely earned and deserved it by making my life a lot easier. It was my pleasure to do it. That said, I would have been annoyed if they'd asked me for it, though.

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That is great advice. I would add that you should identify the $$ value of your efforts. How much money did the company save by virtue of your efforts?

Unless you were brought in under unusual circumstances, your company will think their compensation analysis for year 1 was appropriate.

Either sit tight and continue to prove your value to your boss and the company or possibly ask about the review process and get feedback what you can do over the remaining time period to contribute at a higher level.

I would not even discuss money. Keep it about what you can do to make your boss's life and job easier.

OldSoully said:

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I started a new job at the beginning of this year, and have greatly exceeded the job role I was brought on to fill. I've had lots of responsibilities handed over to me, and have been able to reduced the work load of most, if not all of our management team. I just passed seven months in my current role, and I was interested on when it is appropriate for me to have this discussion? Also, what are some things that I could do to prepare for this conversation? I'm just starting my professional career and do not have any experience with these type of conversations.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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I respect your attitude and ambition but you need to slow your roll a bit. Keep in mind, they hired you expecting you to do your job well. That's why they pay you. If you feel you are under compensated after only 7 months of employment, it seems your problem might lie mostly in your initial negotiated compensation.

Here is my advice. Continue to work your tail off and please your company. Be glad you have a job that you excel at and are mostly happy with. If after 2 years you don't see a raise, return to this thread for advice on how to ask for one tactfully. If you aren't happy with your job for other reasons after 2 years, find a new one and get your raise on the move. Just my $0.02.

Definitely talk to your boss. Definitely keep it about your performance. Always remember that you don't always know what it is that you don't know. At 7 months, I'm guessing there's plenty you don't know yet. If your role expanded, that means there's room for growth in the company. That's normal and a good thing, but you will rarely be compensated for additional responsibilities as soon as you take them on.

Keep the conversation about your performance, your future, and your shortcomings going. Ask where your weak points are, and work on improving them. I would not be bringing up compensation at all in your particular circumstance.

If you do all of that, you will be a better employee, and you will be worth more to them. If time keeps going by, you keep growing and expanding your value, and they won't compensate you for it, someone else will. But you have to build the resume first.

Last 5 posts are nails.

In my job, at least, you're still costing the company money at 7 months in.

I think a year is an appropriate time to start discussing your value (or cost of replacement).

Alright I'm back ags and wanted to clarify a few things without mentioning to much, not 100% sure if the individual I would have this conversation with is a texags member.

1. I previously worked with this company in a different position, left for an extended internship and was fortunate enough to be brought back on with this company into a more vital role. So despite being in my new role less than a year, I realized I didn't describe the unique circumstance I'm considering the background story.
2. I'm a recent grad, the position I'm in is a completely new role within the organization. I've exceeded the "intended" job description, taken on several other roles to assist in anyway possible, and significantly reduced the work load of each VP. Several of these VP's are retiring in the near future, some positions will be replaced completely, other positions will be split between two current employees. I'm concerned that if I hesitate on salary negotiation too long that I'll be overlooked with respects to compensation because of all the senior position shakes up that are coming down the road. I don't want to sound selfish but I'm afraid I'll be stuck with all the responsibilities of a VP, just without the compensation of a VP. In other words, I want my seat at the table lol.
3. Regarding the question about the value saved by my efforts. In my role, I'm responsible for determining the company's bottom line. My first project was a detailed analysis of our portfolio, and re-evaluating our pricing structure for the upcoming year. We are expected to have roughly a 1.16 % increase in our GPM this upcoming year.


Also, I want to say thanks for all the beneficial advice and helpful recommendations! As a young professional, it's difficult to find relevant information and resources for my situation, but everyone had good advice and I appreciate it!

My wording is exxagerated, but I'm in a company that doesn't have much turnover ever. It's in a unique situation now where 5 of the 6 VP's will be retiring within the next 3 years. So although the wording is very much exaggerated, I'm trying to emphasis the point that getting a "seat at the table" is now or never. Simply, based off the fact that it's uncommon for this much organizational restructuring at the most senior level within the org.

Does that make sense?

Well IrishTxAggie you're probably right and because you might be right.....there's now a tear in my beer. Lol.

If that job title doesn't come until down the road, I still think I have a justifiable reason to hope for a pay increase. Thus, going back to my question for making this post.

how big is the company?

You can rightfully justify a raise and some level of promotion within title and duties given the information you've provided. It's the VP role that I believe is a bit far fetched. It's great to have the aspiration, but at the end of the day you've been with the company for less than a year and you haven't gained enough "real world" knowledge. It's unfortunately what I believe the be a sad truth in this situation. But I hope you can prove my thought wrong and I will gladly eat crow and buy you a few beers if it does work out that way for you. Best of luck.

On a more positive note... situations like this do often lead to promotions for good contributors as the firm works to maintain some level of continuity and recreate succession plans. After an initial performance review to gauge your performance and reputation, I'd definitely be telling them that you like the company, see yourself working there for a long time, and want to know how you can help fill in gaps and increase your contributions in what will probably be a somewhat challenging time.

Don't you think a company with such low turnover already has a succession plan in place?

There are most likely 2 or 3 people ahead of you in line for each VP role.

i am intrigued.. in addition to size of company, i am curious to the typical career path.

I don't think a performance review has ever been done within this organization. Old school mentality, so the work is either done or your time here is.

I don't care if you saved the company a billion dollars and know the CEO personally, you are still a recent grad with ZERO negotiating room here. There is a time and place for everything, asking your boss for a raise and insight into a VP role after a year of employment is not the right time or place.

However, I can tell you are very ambitious and motivated. This will get you very far in your career, but you have to know when to dial it down as well.

OldSoully said:

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I don't think a performance review has ever been done within this organization. Old school mentality, so the work is either done or your time here is.

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I'm using performance review in the informal sense. Have a chat with your boss about what you're doing and what you can do.

Ezra Brooks said:

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powerbelly51 said:

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"I've been working for a whole 1.5 years and think I deserve to be a VP"

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I typically dismiss much of what is written about the Millennials as exaggerated stereotype, but reading this makes me reconsider.

Maybe the OP should have his mom call to discuss his pay/position.

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You can mock, but the market is what the market is. If OldSoully is worth what he's asking, he'll get it. Value is often formed from experience, but it isn't a requirement.

My anecdote: good friend was a self taught developer through high school. Dropped out of A&M freshman year to start his own business. He's 29, through a few jumps and acquisitions, he was just promoted from Sr. VP to CTO of a well known tech company this year.

2 thoughts on this conversation.

1) I don't know how much of the OP is true and personally I don't care.

The arrogance and mentality that executive positions should only be for someone who is over a certain age is the reason our workforce is in the shape it is. Hard work, good performance, and worth are mitigated while older guys coasting toward retirement because they have 40 years of experience get the cheese.

Have talk with your boss and get his thoughts on your position and what the future might hold. Ask if and how he sees the expansion of your position so far and moving forward and what it might mean.

2) Only you can look our for you. Just do it the right way. If you aren't valued, it doesn't matter what your performance is, but it's better to know that as soon as possible to find a place that will.

AgLA06 said:

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The arrogance and mentality that executive positions should only be for someone who is over a certain age is the reason our workforce is in the shape it is. Hard work, good performance, and worth are mitigated while older guys coasting toward retirement because they have 40 years of experience get the cheese.

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I think you're misunderstanding a little... I don't see anyone saying there is an age minimum or anything like that, only that it is very difficult to perform an executive job without some time in the trenches learning how things work.

I've argued that time is not equivalent to experience and that experience is useless if it isn't applied. I know people who have taken 30 years to accumulate about 6 months worth of of experience, and others with 30 years of experience who might as well be door stops as they try to coast to retirement.

Your second point is dead on.

Ulrich said:

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AgLA06 said:

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The arrogance and mentality that executive positions should only be for someone who is over a certain age is the reason our workforce is in the shape it is. Hard work, good performance, and worth are mitigated while older guys coasting toward retirement because they have 40 years of experience get the cheese.

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I think you're misunderstanding a little... I don't see anyone saying there is an age minimum or anything like that, only that it is very difficult to perform an executive job without some time in the trenches learning how things work.

I've argued that time is not equivalent to experience and that experience is useless if it isn't applied. I know people who have taken 30 years to accumulate about 6 months worth of of experience, and others with 30 years of experience who might as well be door stops as they try to coast to retirement.

Your second point is dead on.

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I completely agree. The tone of some of the comments above that was essentially sit down and shut up because he is young drive me nuts. Title and promotion should be based on merit and the job you do. Period. I hope he doesn't think he'll make VP, but to tell him not to work towards a promotion for work he feels he is excelling at is ridiculous.

He did a horrible job of explaining the situation and there are too many variables to really draw a conclusion on how and why a first / second year employee is expressively working with VP's.

Yet here we are.

Thank you for posting! I appreciate the advice and was honestly anticipating more of these type of comments when I first made the post!