Q & A Table of Contents
Can I Get Them To Pay Me Enough?
From: Nancy, Glenmore, New York
Question: I have applied for and been offered a Directors' Level position in a major pharmaceutical company. This would a promotion of three levels higher than I am now as a manager.
At present, I am compensated at the middle of my level (level 12). The level 15 position starts at only 3 thousand dollars higher than what I make now, but on the high end would be 30 thousand more. What should I expect and how should I negotiate..or can't I, since this is an internal move?
Response: The most intelligent way to get information is to ask questions. You may ask colleagues who have previously been promoted from level 12 to level 15 what happened in terms of their initial level 15 salary -- and what kind of progress they have made or been promised in terms of increased pay.
It also makes excellent sense to ask the person/people responsible for your promotion what kind of pay you can expect when you start in your new position -- how frequently salaries are reviewed, and how fast salaries reach what levels.
Before reaching a conclusion, think about questions to ask. Make sure they are open-ended, not questions that can be answered with a 'yes' or 'no'. Making assumptions about what is going to happen may prepare you for the worst -- but won't help you make progress towards the more appealing result of a higher rate of pay.
Recognize that the promotion shows that management thinks you add value to the company. With that in mind, you need to figure out how much value you have already added, how valuable you will be at level 15 when you first begin the job, and how much more value you will add as you gain experience.
I hope this works out favorably,
Steve
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