Advice With Negotiating Pay

I recently got a call that I have been tagged for a position internal to my company. The official offer is pending with a manager that is currently out of town. So I have time to get together my figures for pay negotiations.

Here is my situation though... Currently I work as a Network Operations Engineer I. I work on the first level support for our network team for the company. The position I just got is for an elevated level position as a Network Operations Engineer II. I originally came in as a contractor and went to full time employee status after several months. Over time I have come to discover for some reason which is not entirely clear for me I am making an inflated amount as compared to my peers. This amount actually can be considered a fair compensation for the new position I just got.

I don't want to sell myself short either though. It’s not my fault my company agreed to pay me what I am making currently and I don't feel it is unfair for me to ask for an additional 10-15% of pay when I do negotiate for this new position. To be honest I had no clue I was even making an inflated amount initially.

Long story short, I need to plan this carefully and this is where I am asking for advice. If you were making an amount significantly above your current peers and got a new position that is normally comparable in pay to what you currently make how would you negotiate the pay?

I fear of aiming too high but I also want to get what I feel is a fair increase in pay now taking on an elevated level position.

Thoughts?

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Comments

Danielm7

Every company is different, but a company you already work for is a lot less likely to try to revoke your promotion if you try to negotiate. They may tell you that you were previously paid higher than you should, like you said, but they might also give you a 15% boost. I'd ask for sure.

Danielh22185

Danielm7 wrote: »

Every company is different, but a company you already work for is a lot less likely to try to revoke your promotion if you try to negotiate. They may tell you that you were previously paid higher than you should, like you said, but they might also give you a 15% boost. I'd ask for sure.

Ya I think 15% is pretty reasonable and not an insane figure to expect.

networker050184

I think 15% is kind of high for an internal promotion just one level up (especially if you are already at the high end of your pay scale now), but as Danielm7 pointed out you probably aren't going to do yourself any harm since you're already on the inside.

Danielh22185

networker050184 wrote: »

I think 15% is kind of high for an internal promotion just one level up (especially if you are already at the high end of your pay scale now), but as Danielm7 pointed out you probably aren't going to do yourself any harm since you're already on the inside.

Kind of my thoughts...

15% is a good bump but it also depends on what you are making too. The lower amount you make the less dollar amount gain you will see.

I think too it also depends on job responsibilities and what value the company places on that particular role. Our Tier 2 group is VERY extensive and basically is responsible for everything on the network minus design / new implementation.

I've been thinking maybe I can start at 15% and if that's a no go I can hopefully settle at 10%.

Mr. Meeseeks

Another good thing to note: you shouldn't sell yourself short based on what the people around you are making. Maybe the company sees a reason to pay you at a rate higher than your peers. Could very well be why you are offered the promotion instead of said peers.

Danielh22185

Mr. Meeseeks wrote: »

Another good thing to note: you shouldn't sell yourself short based on what the people around you are making. Maybe the company sees a reason to pay you at a rate higher than your peers. Could very well be why you are offered the promotion instead of said peers.

Agreed. I think this is the main reason why I will stick to trying to negotiate 15%. I see it as I have nothing to lose and it doesn't hurt to try. It would be a serious bummer if I was able to get that 15% but was too afraid of trying.