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Asking for more money


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I'm not sure if this is the right place for this, but you guys have been so helpful to me that I figure I'll give it a go.

 

I have been working at a popular retail store for nearly four years now, and have held the same position (sales associate) throughout. I know my department extremely well and am well-versed in pretty much every other department throughout the store.

 

I have been content with my part-time status of 20-30 hours a week partly because I'm in college. But the supervisor of my department recently got promoted to a new position and there appears to be an opening. The last time this happened, they hired an outsider to fill the supervisor position (I didn't even inquire about it) and it was a disaster. The guy they hired ended up quitting after a month of subpar work, and they promoted someone else from within to take the spot.

 

This time around, I think I could handle the increased workload and responsibility. It seems like an exciting challenge, and I have a lot of ideas I could bring to the department. Of course, for it to be worth my while, it all comes down to the dollars.

 

I was hired in 2009 at 7.75 an hour, which is what they start every employee at. Since then, I've gotten three raises but still only make 8.55/hr. I find this to be a bit low, but considering I'm only part time I never aggressively pursued more money.

 

I'm worried that if I ask to be the supervisor, they will try to give me a raise of less than a dollar or even no raise at all. In my head, I think 10/hr is very reasonable for me to request. But I really have no idea where I stand.

 

I know it can't hurt to ask, but I want to do this the right way. Your thoughts?

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discuss the possibilty of promotion; i think you are a felllow female here so this is what i've read/learned- men assume they are worth every dime and tell the interviewer why so as to be clear, then they discuss promotion and money

 

when i was young, i threw the wrong things in the ring - my lack of assertion, my confusing my worth with being flirty/cute enough

 

too, avoid ambushing anybody, ask the people you work for for a ten minute appointment about your job, or email them

 

tell them what you told us, then smile and leave

and then wait

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I'd start by finding out the figures they are going to use when advertising the position - from what I can tell your figures are guesstimates based on the salary for your position rather than the supervisor position.

 

And when negotiating always add at least 10-20% on top of the figure that you want so that you have wiggle room.

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prettylittlethings
I'd start by finding out the figures they are going to use when advertising the position - from what I can tell your figures are guesstimates based on the salary for your position rather than the supervisor position.

 

And when negotiating always add at least 10-20% on top of the figure that you want so that you have wiggle room.

 

It probably works differently where you guys are but in Australia popular retail chains have set salaries?

 

Nobody moves up by sitting in the back seat. Take initiative and ask to speak to your boss. Tell him/her that you would like to be considered for the role available and think you have what it takes to fulfill the role to the greatest potential. Tell him/her what you're going to bring to the table and don't be afraid to sell yourself a bit. Then mention that your desire to have that added responsibility would also depend on how you would be compensated... And infact what would be the monetary incentives. Direct, polite and confident.

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prettylittlethings

It might also help to say that you're looking for a job which requires more responsibility, one that challenges you and exercises the skills you've acquired to the maximum rather than you're just interested in the role because it has come about. You can also mention that you're interested in a role with greater monetary incentives, not just the role that has come about. It just makes you appear like you're being a bit more proactive.

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Good points. I know my brother's girlfriend recently got a promotion at a retail store and was only offered a 50 cent raise, but was pushing for at least a dollar raise. Granted the job went to full time and full time benefits immediately, but 50 cents is nothing.

 

Your situation also sounds like a popular retailer I was at. Supervisors only made $12 (sounds like minimum wage is less in your area). If management knows you're in school and only working part time due to such, they probably do not think you'd be able to work full time or are not interested. Definitely inquire regarding the position and tell your manager you are ready and willing to make your job the first priority. (Which it will be if you want the promotion, so you have to consider which you want to put first, school or the job). I know hiring outside people for management positions was always the case at my past retail job, instead of promoting from within. I'm really not sure why unless they want someone experienced.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Seconding what darkmoon said.

 

Also, are you certain that working full-time in a position of greater responsibility (I don't know about where you live, but where I do, supervisors often stay longer even than the advertised hours, to oversee opening and closings)... will not affect your college grades? I think it is admirable that you are working while studying, but IMO some people seem to tip the balance a little too far and compromise their grades to earn more money from their pay-the-bills job. Your grades don't matter that much to prospective employers unless you're intending to do grad school, but they still matter more than the bit of extra money that you will get otherwise. Unless you are either (1) extremely confident that you can breeze through college even with a fulltime job, (2) really desperately in need of cash right now, or (3) working in a job that will give you better career prospects in and of itself compared to your degree... You should always prioritize your degree.

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I agree, people always told us to work and go to school full time, but don't realize the effects it has on some people. While some have great time management skills, it's also a considerable amount of stress. Your degree is ultimately the most important, and you will be able to make more money faster once it's completed.

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I agree, people always told us to work and go to school full time, but don't realize the effects it has on some people. While some have great time management skills, it's also a considerable amount of stress. Your degree is ultimately the most important, and you will be able to make more money faster once it's completed.

 

Different cultures, hey? :) Asian cultures have always, always prioritized the grades. Perhaps a bit too much, which is why many people from Asian cultures graduate college with excellent grades but never having worked a day in their life. Different strokes for different folks, but IMO teaching kids a balance would be nice, though the Asian way is probably good if you're intending to get a scholarship for grad school and thus really need the 100% focus on grades.

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Definitely agree! My Asian best friends are UC grads and have never gotten lower than a C-, however have never had a true paid job and didn't have to work while their parents put them through school. Needless to say, they are having a tough time with the job market.

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Definitely agree! My Asian best friends are UC grads and have never gotten lower than a C-, however have never had a true paid job and didn't have to work while their parents put them through school. Needless to say, they are having a tough time with the job market.

 

People who were able to go to school paid for had it made. There's the rare person who can juggle school and jobs and get a 4.0, but most of us couldn't and didn't.

 

I asked for more money repeatedly, and finally got it. I was sick of having gone almost two years with no raise, and then got a big one for my wait, so that's good.

 

I still need to make more money overall, but I'm not going to where I currently am. I just want 2 years here on my resume, and that's coming up soon. Then I'm looking for jobs in another state so I can get away from this horrible area!

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I know what you mean. I'm sticking out my current job for another year because experience is so pertinent in addition to a college degree. When I get my bachelors next year, I'll have 2 years experience under my belt so I can move on to something much better paying. I am grateful to have the job I have now, because it pays okay due to my lack of degree and professional experience...but with the high cost of living, lack of medical benefits and growth opportunities...I need to be able to move on in the near future.

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I know what you mean. I'm sticking out my current job for another year because experience is so pertinent in addition to a college degree. When I get my bachelors next year, I'll have 2 years experience under my belt so I can move on to something much better paying. I am grateful to have the job I have now, because it pays okay due to my lack of degree and professional experience...but with the high cost of living, lack of medical benefits and growth opportunities...I need to be able to move on in the near future.

 

I hope the degree affords you those opportunities, I know so many people, including myself that it hasn't helped that much.

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I think a lot of it depends on what your degree is in and where you live and how much competition there is. My friends and relatives with degrees that are having a hard time finding a job have degrees in things like Psychology or Rhetoric basically degrees that are useless unless you have a graduate degree. If you have a practical degree or a degree in something useful and high in demand, you have a better chance. However, to be competitive in the job market, experience in that field also helps a lot. Some have the degree, but no experience. This is why it's imperative I choose a practical and useful major and gain experience while in college. In my area where there are a lot of highly educated people, there's a lot more competition. But if you move to an area with not as many college grads (only 30% of the U.S. population has a college degree) you have a much better chance of finding a good paying job.

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If you want your degree to help you a lot in your future career, you need to do your research and choose a degree that WILL help you. Degrees such as nursing, medicine, law, engineering, architecture, etc, are nearly failsafe, or at least as failsafe as they can be in today's world. In the middle are degrees such as management, finance, accountancy, statistics, biological sciences, chemistry, computer science, information technology, etc - in most places they will help you but are not failsafe, and you need skills/experience along with the degree to get employment easily. On the other hand, degrees like history, literature, art, and all their offshoots... eh, I'm not taking a stab at them, I fully respect that they may enrich a person's life in other ways, but in most places they aren't going to give you as many career options as the others.

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I think a lot of it depends on what your degree is in and where you live and how much competition there is. My friends and relatives with degrees that are having a hard time finding a job have degrees in things like Psychology or Rhetoric basically degrees that are useless unless you have a graduate degree. If you have a practical degree or a degree in something useful and high in demand, you have a better chance. However, to be competitive in the job market, experience in that field also helps a lot. Some have the degree, but no experience. This is why it's imperative I choose a practical and useful major and gain experience while in college. In my area where there are a lot of highly educated people, there's a lot more competition. But if you move to an area with not as many college grads (only 30% of the U.S. population has a college degree) you have a much better chance of finding a good paying job.

 

It baffles me that only 30% have a college degree, but then I remember the states in the south :laugh:

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