my life sucks.
so i've been at my job 90 days and was up for review, which meant i got to ask for a much needed raise (i make $14K after taxes. terrible). so i asked for my review and got put off for 3 days. then today, at 5 minutes until i got off, my one boss remaining in the office comes up and was like, 'well, M & F aren't here (again) so...here's your review!' which totally took me off guard.
he went on to talk about how awesome i am and how everyone loves me there and how they're going to start having me do more stuff (finally) and then sneaks in: 'and we're giving you a thousand dollar raise' and then keeps on talking. and i'm like WTF because i've done my homework and KNOW that that's bullshit (it comes out to about $65 a month...before taxes). i mean.. i have a fucking MASTERS DEGREE. and i do WHATEVER THEY TELL ME TO DO. but since he just kept talking and made it sound very non-negotiable, i just kind of sat there, stunned.
the average salary for my job in my area with my experience is like $18K (which still sucks). i'm barely barely barely making it at $16K (this is before taxes). my student loans are up in about 3 months. i can hardly afford to LIVE at this point, let alone pay LOANS off! and the main point is that i really want to start saving money, for, you know, my future. which i will have none of at this point. the thing is, they're really nice, and i somewhat enjoy working there now, but... i can't afford to work there!
my dad said i should go back in in the morning and very nicely tell them that i got taken off guard and that i have done my homework and know what the average salary for my job is and that i was wondering if that raise is negotiable. ok, so as if i wasn't terrified enough about just asking for a raise, now i have to look a gift horse in the mouth and say that the raise they're giving me isn't enough? i'm so fucking upset right now, i can't even function.
i'm a receptionist at a law firm.
job hunting here is... well, let me put it this way: finding a job that's full time and salary-based is like finding a diamond in an ocean of salt.
or something equally impossible/rare.
so i'm not sure i will benefit from taking another job, plus... when am i supposed to interview? i'm at the job i've got from 9-5 every fucking day.
Oh AP :( I'm so sorry! That sucks! It sounds like you really do like your job--but yeah--you totally deserve to be paid higher! I hope you can get them to pay out for you!!!!! ((((((HUGS)))))))
(((hugs))) I'm sorry you are having a rough time. I know how hard it is. My hubby's company has had a hold on raises for the past 3 years or so and just recently, he finally got an itty bitty one. It may be that your firm can't afford to pay more with the economy the way it is. Hopefully you'll be able to renegotiate to get what you need though. My dad had a Ph.d and ended up having to work at KFC for $40 a day back in the 80's! Hang in there and you will reap the rewards of your education and hard work!
That sucks AP!! Good luck tomorrow on asking them for a bigger raise.
oh, they can afford to pay me whatever they feel like (i was TOLD this in my initial interview). they are swimming in money. besides the fact that the head lawyer finagled some bullshit contract where he only pays $250 a month rent for the next 100 years (this sounds ridiculous, but it's true). our office takes up an entire floor. an apartment in our building is like $2000 a month. an apartment. not an entire floor.
they are obviously very good at skimping and not paying what they should for things. isn't that how the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor?
if they like you so much, let them know that on this salary, even with the raise, you will not be able to survive. you could say things like 'your review yesterday made it seem like i deserve a bigger raise, and after researching salaries of other people in my job, i know that a 19k salary is normal." or something like that. im not very good at negotiating.
Then they can more than afford to pay you what you are worth. Good luck tomorrow...imagine all of us angry vegwebbers standing behind you (making threatening gestures) while you ask them politely for your raise.
Be confident & assertive, you'll get your raise.
dude, ap, that sucks big time! you need to ask for another raise considering you barely make enough to cover rent, let alone bills and food. that's crazy!
i know what you mean EXACTLY about wanting to stay at he job but just not knowing if you can get by, though, and it makes it so hard to be good at negotiating how much you make because you are afraid that they'll be like "well, you're dispensable" instead of giving you what you want. so sad.
thank you guys for all the support. i did some research and found that i am in the lowest percentile of my job in my area. actually, lower. the LOWEST percentile is 19K. so i'm going to print the graph out and see what i can do.
i'll keep you updated.
good luck ;)b
That sucks way bad. My teaching stipend is more than your salary. Make those bastards pay up! You could totally make more money working at a grocery store or pizza place or something.
Good luck AP!!! ;)b
You deserve to be paid appropriately for what you are doing! go get em!
go ap! those bastards better pay you what you deserve. sounds like you have every reason to get paid more and I hope talking to them works!!
I definitely know how you feel as I'm going through a similar situation. I agree that you should ask for a higher raise, but have you thought about what you would do if they don't give it to you? I don't want to give you any more worries to think about, but I think it would be good to have a back up plan if you don't already.
Also I do think you'll make more working in retail than at the place your at now, so with you actually having a masters degree and being paid shit is horrible. Best wishes. I'm pulling for you.
go in tomorrow and tell them you did your research and know that receptionist make on average $15 per hour. I'm sure they rely on you for everything and would be in a great bind if you left. stick to your guns and make them pay you. They do not want to go through the hiring and training of someone new!!! Don't settle!!!!! you are worth more!!!!
well i went in and did my talking. i printed off graphs this morning and a couple paragraphs about job descriptions (receptionist vs secretary) that showed i do more of a secretarial job than receptionist (and secretary is paid even more). i said that i was grateful for the raise, but that i had done my research and know that i'm not getting paid enough, even at the lowest quartile of my job in my area. i was very respectful, but i made it clear (i hope) that i believe i'm worth more than what i'm getting. he went on about how he never really knows what to pay receptionists and that how i didn't have experience (to which i refuted that i did - i've done all these things before, maybe not under one job title, but still, for years i've been answering phones, dealing with customers, filing, organizing, ordering supplies) and that even still, with no experience, i'm not making enough to justify what i'm doing there. i explained i was not trying to be greedy, but that i simply wanted just pay for my job, and that i also need to start saving for my future, which at this point is impossible.
he said he'd discuss... and get back to me.
we'll see i guess.
Good for you. He knows that you know what you're talking about & for him to say 'he'd discuss it & get back to you' is just his way of stalling.
I am confident that you will get a nice raise :)
Good. I think you handled it really well. Stick to your guns. If they don't give you a better raise tell them flat out that you will need to start looking someplace else. Then DO IT. Put your resume up on those websites & check around other companies to see who is hiring. Send your resume everywhere. Then to go to an interview just call in sick to your current job that day.
well i went in and did my talking. i printed off graphs this morning and a couple paragraphs about job descriptions (receptionist vs secretary) that showed i do more of a secretarial job than receptionist (and secretary is paid even more). i said that i was grateful for the raise, but that i had done my research and know that i'm not getting paid enough, even at the lowest quartile of my job in my area. i was very respectful, but i made it clear (i hope) that i believe i'm worth more than what i'm getting. he went on about how he never really knows what to pay receptionists and that how i didn't have experience (to which i refuted that i did - i've done all these things before, maybe not under one job title, but still, for years i've been answering phones, dealing with customers, filing, organizing, ordering supplies) and that even still, with no experience, i'm not making enough to justify what i'm doing there. i explained i was not trying to be greedy, but that i simply wanted just pay for my job, and that i also need to start saving for my future, which at this point is impossible.
he said he'd discuss... and get back to me.
good job!!! and if he doesn't get back to you soon it's just a sign that you need to look for something else!
we'll see i guess.
well i went in and did my talking. i printed off graphs this morning and a couple paragraphs about job descriptions (receptionist vs secretary) that showed i do more of a secretarial job than receptionist (and secretary is paid even more). i said that i was grateful for the raise, but that i had done my research and know that i'm not getting paid enough, even at the lowest quartile of my job in my area. i was very respectful, but i made it clear (i hope) that i believe i'm worth more than what i'm getting. he went on about how he never really knows what to pay receptionists and that how i didn't have experience (to which i refuted that i did - i've done all these things before, maybe not under one job title, but still, for years i've been answering phones, dealing with customers, filing, organizing, ordering supplies) and that even still, with no experience, i'm not making enough to justify what i'm doing there. i explained i was not trying to be greedy, but that i simply wanted just pay for my job, and that i also need to start saving for my future, which at this point is impossible.
he said he'd discuss... and get back to me.
we'll see i guess.
Good job sticking up for yourself! And definitely follow up with him in a few days if you don't hear anything back.
Does the college that you went to have a career center? Usually they are very helpful for finding jobs in or related to your field, and for free! It's worth a try...even a starting position in the field that you majored in should bring in way more than you are making now. Especially with a Masters degree! Good luck...keep us posted!
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