Question:

I recently graduated and accepted a full-time position with the company that I interned for during my senior year. My performance reviews have been acceptable. I'm doing the same work that I was when I was an intern. My boss told me that I would be first in line for a new position when one opens up, assuming that I'm qualified for it. They turned down my request for a raise. I could make more money someplace else, but my primary motivator is not money. I want to buy a new car and will need to start making student loan payments in about six months, so a raise would really help. My position here is secure and the company is stable. With the uncertainty in the economy, I'm reluctant to take the bull by the horns and determine my own destiny by going to a different company that will pay me more and allow me to do higher level work. What should I do?

First Answer:

This is a tough situation and only YOU can decide. You need to establish your own goals and set your priorities and then determine what you want most. It appears that you have decided not to take a risk, at this time. I think that this is a good decision for you personally. So why don't you give it some more time, say 4-6 months and then re-evaluate where things are.

This will allow you to develop more experience and further weigh your options. You might want to ask your current employer to let you do an "internship" at a higher level at your current salary, thus you gain experience and more marketable skills making your venture outside of your present employer less of a risk if and when you decide to make the move. Who knows, you may convince them to promote you or give you a raise by proving yourself!!

-- Debra Feldman, founder of JobWhiz, creator of the JOBWHIZQUIZ, and specialist in cyber savvy strategic job search consultations

Second Answer:

That answer depends on you! If stability and security with minimal risks are important to you, then staying at the company you are with will provide that for you.

If your goal (regardless of the salary) is to stretch, learn new things and be compensated for a job well done, then you will want to move outside the comfort zone where you are at right now. No one can decide that for you. Keep in mind that even things that seem very secure in todays marketplace, might not seem that way in six months.

Here is a quote that I like that might help you think about what you want "According to Andre Gide One does not discover new continents without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time."

-- Linda Wyatt, Career Center Director, Kansas City Kansas Community College

Third Answer:

It may be too soon to give up on this job. Let's first look at your performance reviews, which you say are "acceptable." Ask your boss what you can do to be rated as outstanding or whatever the highest rating is. Ask your boss how you can improve your performance. Also ask your boss for more responsibility. Let him or her know that you're ambitious and ask for advice on the best way to advance to one of those new positions that opens up. Ask if there are any training or professional development opportunities that would make you more valuable to the company.

Try also to be proactive about performing better and creating opportunities for yourself beyond what you did as an intern. Look for gaps in what your department or company is doing and needs that aren't being met and draw up a proposal about how you could fill the gap and meet the needs. Brainstorm ways you could create a new position for yourself within your current company.

Finally, the salary issue. First, look back at the original package the company offered you. Did you have reason to believe then that you would be eligible for a raise so soon into the job? What were you told about when you could expect your first increase? What were you told about how employees in the company qualify for raises? Are you being unrealistic in your expectations simply because you need the money, or were promises made that are not being fulfilled?

About needing the money: Understand that your need for a new car and to pay off your loan is never going to motivate your employer to give you a raise. It's not about your needs; it's about what you have contributed to the company and what you will contribute in the future. Always base your requests for raises on your value to the company, not on your financial needs.

You may also want to read this article, Moving Up the Ladder: 10 Strategies for Getting Yourself Promoted. If you try as hard as you can to be proactive and create opportunity for yourself and to perform in a way that merits a raise -- and you still can't get more responsibility or compensation -- THEN it may be time to look for a new job.

-- Katharine Hansen, former speechwriter and college instructor who provides content for the Web site, Quintessential Careers, edits QuintZine, an electronic newsletter for jobseekers, and prepares job-search correspondence as chief writer for Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters

Fourth Answer:

I'm going to answer your question with an important question: What is your TOP priority? Is it getting a raise so you can buy a car and pay off a loan? Is it acquiring a track record of stability with one company that you've been with since you've been an intern? Is it moving up the career ladder and acquiring new skills? Is it just getting more money-end of story? It doesn't seem clear to me what your career goals really are.

Think about what you want to do in your life longer term (not just for the next six months or a year). That will make it easier to decide whether or not to stay with your current employer, or not. But also consider what your future would be if you do stay in your current situation.

You also didn't say why your employer turned down your request for a raise, but that certainly doesn't sound like a vote of confidence for you. Based on the actual reasons for that, you might consider whether or not they really like you well enough for you to do well there, longer term. You said your performance reviews were acceptable, but not excellent. That could be one of the reasons why you didn't get that raise you wanted. To move ahead quickly you've got to be great, not just "ok."

-- Alison Blackman Dunham, life & career expert, columnist, personal public relations consultant, half of THE ADVICE SISTERS®, and the author of the ASK ALISON career advice column

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