Asking for promotion and raise short time after hiring

Question

Around 5 months ago I have joined a small company as a software developer. I find the work quite motivating and I feel comfortable using the tools/language we use, which means I have been very productive, and the manager has repeated praised my performance.

It is clear to me that the amount of work I'm doing and responsibilities I'm taking could very easily be attributed to a senior software developer, which makes me wonder whether I should ask for a promotion and raise.

I'm sure my manager would easily agree I'm doing more than what he expected, and he knows the company could hardly keep going without me (we're a small team), but I wonder how he would take my request.

I can see how he would gladly accept my request, or how this could be seen as greedy move since I've only been here a few months, and it might look like I'm abusing my power over him (if I left now the company would struggle greatly).

Answer 1

Most companies have an annual review/promotion/salary review cycle. You noted that you have only been there 5 months. That's not long enough and you should wait until the reviews come around.

Unless something exceptional has happened that warrants an out-of-cycle review, then there is no good reason for it. Be sure to have documented your contributions to the company's performance so that when you have that discussion with your manager you will have suitable justification for a pay increase and possible promotion.

Keep in mind that the things employers look for when promoting employees is consistent performance above their current job classification or pay grade. The key here is consistent.