Negotiating a salary increase

[vinsanity]

Background info: early last year, I applied for a position within my company a step up (or two) from my current job. My boss didn't want me to go, so she offered me a 10% pay increase with additional duties and responsibilities, which I took.

A few days ago, my brother informs me of a job at his company which is almost exactly like my current job (probably more busy work to do), but with the potential for at least a 12-13% higher salary than what I'm currently making.

When I applied for that last job, my boss was kind of hurt, mostly because I went behind her back. I don't want to make the same mistake again, and I feel that I owe it to her to let her be the first to know if I ever thought about getting another job. On the other hand, I can't keep letting opportunities pass me by.

What I've decided I'll do is to tell my boss that I've been "recommended" for this particular job, but want to give her a chance to match the salary first. However, I haven't made negotioations like this before (concerning two jobs at competing companies). Have any of you engaged in this kind of negotiation with any of your bosses? Any tips you all would like to share would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! :)

[spiritedaway]

In this particular instance, I'm actually not sure you'll have a lot of leverage since you are only "recommended" for a job. You'll have a lot more leverage if you have an offer in hand. If she decides not to keep you, you could still change jobs at that time.

[vinsanity]

Yeah, that's what I figured last time, and that's why I went ahead and applied for the other job before consulting with my boss first. I'm hoping not to do the same this time, but I'm not quite sure yet how I should pose the request.

[ccll]

I would try to strike a compromise between action and inaction. Just ask for a regular raise. Tell your boss that inflation is about 3.5%, and that you would like another 3.5% to match it. Tell them that the going rate for your job is 12% more than what you make, present them with "proof" if you think it would help, and say something to support your worth as an employer. It sounds like your current position is the more favorable one. If your main concern is income, it can be easier to set a precedent for good raises and establish trust at the company you're with than to try another employer. In a couple of years your old salary may have outstripped the "better paying" one. Just an alternate view.

[vinsanity]

That's pretty much what I tried during my last performance evaluation earlier this year. Which led to a pretty reasonable outcome, so it's probably worth using again.

The thing with using "comps", though is that my job in particular entails much less work than the same job title at any given company. Which I appreciate every bit of, but it leaves me in the 25th percentile salary range. So to answer my own question in a way, until I start to pick up more slack and go above and beyond my job duties to make it more of an apples-to-apples comparison, I can't really utilize that negotiation tactic just yet. Which by the time that happens, I'd theoretically be in the salary range I was aiming for this whole time. I've in fact been picking up extra duties here and there, which gives me a better argument for a higher increase than comparing salaries at other companies, anyways.

Thanks for the discussion; it really helped me sort my thoughts.