Don't Ask for a Raise - Find a New Job

I read a lot of hand-wringing about asking for a raise.

The most important thing you need to understand is that your supervisor probably cannot get you a raise. It's just not possible.

Your boss gets at most one time a year to influence your pay - your review. At that time, your manager can ask for a good raise, or not a good raise. That's about it. There is usually a pool of money that has to cover all the raises in the group - if you get a huge raise, it means everyone else gets a tiny one. That's hard to justify, no matter how good you are.

And as any parent knows, if you have three kids, you can't buy one ice-cream cone. You must buy three. Similarly with big raises - if you get one, everyone else will want one. For a supervisor, there is a strong tendency to be seen as fair.

So asking your manager for a big raise is usually not worth it. He or she simply can't deliver a big raise, most of the time.

Instead, find a new position that pays what you are aiming for, and apply. That is the best way to get a raise in pay.

When a new position is being staffed, the salary rate is not set yet. At that time a manager actually has far more ability to get you more money. The position will have been approved with a range of available salaries. For an entry level computer science grad in Colorado right now, that might be a range of $65K - $80K.

If you are making much less than the top end of that range, you will have a better chance of getting a rise in pay by switching to the new position and coming in at a higher rate.