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I got offered my new job around 5 months ago. I am currently studying and still have 3 more months to finish. I have around 2 years of work experience before my current degree. I accepted the job without looking around because I don't like going for interviews. I did not even negotiate my contract and accepted the salary they offered me.

Right now most of my colleagues are looking for jobs and what I have found out is that most of them are being offered like 4000-5000 euros per year more than me. One of my friends told me that I am undervaluing myself by working at my current salary. Dont get me wrong, the salary is very good but it seems like I could get more.

I know my company has been using my name to contact almost all of my colleagues. They are telling them that I work with them. They offered a contract to most of them but most of them rejected and opted to go for another company.

One of the guys from HR and a Technical guy are coming to meet me next week. Actually I think that they have some appointment or an interview at the university and want to have a quick cup of coffee with me. Should I bring this issue up or should I wait till after my probation period ? My probation period is two months, it begins on October and ends on 1st December.. If I should bring it up next week then how should I word my concerns without making a bad impression ?

I should add that the company has been nice to me. I dont want to sound like a whiner to them but on the other hand I dont wanna be underpaid when almost everyone is being offered much more.

bbbbbbbbbb
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    Have you signed a contract with them yet? If yes, then it's too late to renegotiate now. – Jane S Jul 03 '16 at 13:54
  • Yes I have signed a contract with them but I can leave on a week's notice in my probation period. – bbbbbbbbbb Jul 03 '16 at 14:51
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    If you are happy with the salary offer and chose not to negotiate, don't let what your colleagues are saying bother you too much. Next time, negotiate. – Brandin Jul 03 '16 at 16:35
  • I'd be more concerned that your employer is telling other people that you work for them and what your salary is... – HorusKol Jul 04 '16 at 00:00

3 Answers3

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Will bringing up a salary increase before my first day make me sound like a difficult person/ make a bad impression?

Yes, of course.

You already agreed to what you indicate is a "very good" salary. You chose not to look around. Even though you already had 2 years of experience, you chose not to negotiate. The company is holding this position for you for 5 months. And you haven't yet worked there a single day. Apparently the only reason you think you should ask for more is that some friends have told you they will be getting more.

Deciding to ask for a raise now will demonstrate that you aren't willing to stand behind your word. At least it will show that you don't know how to discuss salary. It might make you seem "high maintenance". It probably won't cause the company to rescind the offer, but it will almost certainly start you off on the wrong foot with this company.

You would be in a far stronger position if you work for them for a year or two and then ask for a salary increase. By then you will have worked really hard, demonstrated your abilities and shown them the significant value you bring to the company.

There will always be someone else making more than you. Learn how to determine what you are worth and not worry about what others make. Then learn to negotiate for what you want before you accept an offer, so you won't have to have buyer's remorse later.

Joe Strazzere
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  • Thanks for your answer. Can I do that after my probation period ? It is 2 months. Will it make me look bad at that time ? – bbbbbbbbbb Jul 04 '16 at 10:08
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If you did not want to be underpaid then why did you take a job without looking around and not negotiate the contract?

You would sound like worse than whiner. You are someone that does not want to honor a contract you signed.

What if the company had offered you 4000-5000 euros more than your colleges and came back to you and said we don't want to overpay so we would like to re-negotiate the contract?

paparazzo
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No you don't have to be deemed "difficult" but be ready to be shown the door. Go in to talk to your manager and say, "Hey I signed for too little and I really undervalued myself. I have found that I can make $6-7k more elsewhere."

As a manager:

  • I know that I signed this person for too low. Agree that I will bump them up to meet equality. Yea maybe it annoys me a little but this is nothing I would hold against someone unless I was running a sweatshop. I would probably clearly tell this person to not talk about pay for at least a year. But it wouldn't the end of the world and I wouldn't think this person was a nag. Now if they start complaining about other things I might react to their complaining more rapidly but overall they are fine with me - I am the one that was trying to "get a deal" and it failed.

  • I signed the person for a reasonable amount. Now they are trying to use leverage to get an instant raise. It is true in most cases once I make an offer to someone they have leverage, as I probably have discarded other candidates. But at the same time I now have hired a "hostile/unhappy" employee. So if this was just a job that anyone could do (admin/manual laborer/those kinds of things) I might give the person what they want then go find a cheaper replacement. If it was for a job that takes a while to learn, I would probably just fire them instantly as I don't want to waste time hiring a person who will be looking soon.

Note: If this is a country with guaranteed contracts as a manager I am looking to break the contract as soon as possible. If the employee wants out - bye. Even if I underpaid then it really depends on how I felt about them but in general I wouldn't want to start a trend of this kind of thing happening with guaranteed contracts as this is probably the type of employee that would tell others.

blankip
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