So I’ve been at my company for two years now and I’ve gotten praise from my manager and director in regards to my work ethics.
I told them I am ready to move on to something with more responsibility and if I saw a job on the internal job boards, I would apply. They both agreed willingly and if I found a posting I liked I would email that to the director because he knows quite a bit of people. So I did.
He told me the biggest issue is salary. I am in the grade 3 tier right now. The job I’m interested in is grade 5, which is (and I’m guessing here) about a 30%-40% difference from grade 3. I know that is a huge jump but I know I am qualified for it. Anyone have experience with internal salary problems? HR probably doesn’t like giving out large bumps in salary.
The director said we can discuss. How do I approach this situation?
HR will be a real pain with this move. You’re going to have to have the director doing a real sell job. Discuss it with him and see where it goes. You’ll have to convince him and HR that you could fetch that salary on the market and that they would be harmed by your leaving to do so. Good luck.
I have a friend at Scotia who recently did a 2 level jump without any objections - she also had about 2 years experience but the hiring manager was convinced she was a fit for the job so HR complied. She managed to land the interview as her past manager was able to set something up directly with the hiring manager. If the hiring manager wants you enough, they should be able to convince HR that you’re fit for the level and salary, regardless of your current level.
At my former employer they were very rigid about moving up more than 2 levels, to the point where they hired externally when there were qualified internal candidates who simply didn’t meet the leveling requirement. This created what we came to refer to as “the boomerang.” You take a job at a competitor and 12-18 months later you come back to a new job 3 or 4 levels higher. Leadership knows it’s a problem but they are very slow to implement change.
What is the reasoning behind HR not wanting to bump salary by a huge amount even though it’s for a different job? Are they worried that in the future, you would ask for the same (eg. grade 5 to 7)?
I can’t imagine working for a company where HR has any real authority over how much one gets paid. In the US, HR is there to handle the administration of benefits and make sure that cupcakes get delivered to the monthly birthday celebration. That’s essentially what their education qualifies them to do. Their authority is not to tell your director how much you’re worth, otherwise they’d have a real job.
If I were you, I would find another job at a different company with the pay raise you feel you deserve. Then you can give your 2 weeks notice and say your decision to leave came down only to the company’s policies on salary. If your boss wants to keep you, he can tell your HR chick that you will be earning $X per year from now on.
Nearly all companies with an HR department have levels. Perhaps you’re not at the level to know that. You really think the hiring manager pulls a number out of his ass for a salary? Every position has a target comp range. Quite frankly stratman you have a ridiculously immature view of HR.
^ Levels isn’t what I have a problem with. This is a company with 9000+ employees so there has to be some kind of benchmark.
What I don’t like is how the levels corresponds with the employee instead of the position. Pay is supposed to be correlated with the position being applied for, not the employee doing the applying, if that makes sense.
Anyways, I’m going to talk to the director today. See if he can get me an interview with the hiring manager. Wish me luck!
it doesnt matter what level you think you are or manager thinks you are. when you first start you are put into a level based on salary and experience. if you are level 8 and qualify for a position in level 11 you might think its no problem but it will be very hard for HR to approve a 3 level jump based on your current level.
thats why its important to negotiate as much as you can when you first get the offer.
This, it’s always so tempting to take a lower package to get your foot in the door or to join a new team but its difficult to catch up once you’re there.
Just out of interest, has anyone ever met someone that works in HR that isn’t a total ****? I’m sure they must exist…
The last 2 interactions I’ve had with HR were to enroll in an FSA and to thank her for bringing the cupcakes last month. She got the peanut butter and chocolate ones I like!
On the other hand, when I wanted a raise, the only people I spoke to were the head of my department and the CEO. When you don’t work for a 9000 person company, people actually know who you are and how you’re different than their other employees.
I know that I’m supposed to negotiate my starting salary but I had no room for negotiations. I went back to the same company that I was working for when I was still in school. I was in a grade 2 tier in school. After graduation, they moved me to a grade 3.
So I talked to the director and he said that if there was a grade 4 position, I could get it. But right now there are none. He said he’ll talk to the hiring managers of the two jobs I wanted (…but I don’t think it’s likely I’ll get them). He also said that I’m underpaid for the amount of work I do but I know that employees here get a maximum annual raise of only 2%. My current job is considered “clerical/admin” so I don’t want it anyways. If I can’t at least get interviews for the grade 5 jobs, I’ll start looking elsewhere (I have started).
Yes, because the average guy works for a <10 person shop. Most of the folks here making salary decisions have to run it by HR, or use HR to pull comparables or what not.