What should I bring up during salary negotiation as a junior developer?

The best and most effective way to negotiate a salary or promotion is to have a competing offer.

If they want to keep you, they’ll pay and you win. If they don’t want to pay, you leave and still win.

Im sure there are companies out there giving raises out of the good of their heart but why would they do it?

If nobody else wants to pay you more, why would I?

I know this is frowned upon here at HN and we like to think people get rewarded for good performance but unfortunately only a fraction of companies work like that.

Good luck!

Don’t bother yourself too much about salaries while you’re junior. The most important asset for you is - experience. Look for better experience, not for better salary.

Then you raise your income and career by switching companies (yes, this is the only scalable way at the moment).

Here’s what I’ve found works well in the long-term at a big company: Tell your manager that money is important to you. Tell them that it’s motivating and tell them what you said above: that if your performance doesn’t meaningfully impact your compensation that it’s a bummer.

I would tell my manager this before the formal compensation discussion so it can factor into the compensation planning that likely happens in the month(s) leading up to the discussion. This isn’t necessarily the fastest way to get a raise but it helps your manager know how to support you better, it keeps you both on the same side, and it builds a more trusting relationship. This is what I recommend if you see yourself working at this company for years to come.

Salary negotiation? If you're taking on that much accountability, you should be discussing a promotion. If they won't give you it, it sounds like you're in a good position to look elsewhere for a more senior position (with the salary that would come with it).

> my boss said there was a small change they would consider giving a larger raise based on performance.

- Bring up the things you've told us about how you stand out from the rest of the juniors.

- How long have you been there? Is it realistic to start a conversation/plan for a promotion?

In reality most companies aren't good at keeping up with salaries for juniors - whatever raise they're offering, you can likely get much more by switching companies after 1-2 years of experience.

I've worked for a lot of large consulting companies. You're not going to meaningfully change your compensation as an employee via negotiation. And if you're a junior good enough to negotiate a better raise that means you're good enough to significantly (20-30%) by jumping to a competitor. Start looking for a job and see if you can get someone to bump you up a level.

There's zero reason to be loyal to a large consulting firm. In their eyes you're cattle to be sold at market.

I have a friend who is a sales manager. One of his salesmen came to him demanding a $500 bonus for something he'd accomplished.

The sales manager thought for a moment, and countered with an offer of $250.

The salesman said he'd settle for $350.

The sales manager then said, I'll give you the $500 on one condition - you never fold so quickly like that again.

What does Jr mean? :) For example it's expected that our L2s (new grad) won't stay L2s for long. It's meant to be a very quick set of promotions up to L3 then L4 (Sr I) where things get real. Why would I care? Because along with a promo come promo raises and movement to new salary bands. At the higher levels the salary bands expand a lot and then your manager has wiggle room to work on your total comp.

So the first question I'd ask is, how am I meeting the requirements for my level, and how do I get to the next level? Ask to see what a promo package looks like. Making sure you check all the requirements for your level, and are performing on some at the next level if your fastest way to get a real salary bump at my company. This can happen every 6 months.

Now, this is what's true at my company and how it works here. How does your company work? What knobs does your manage have that he can turn? If you want to stay there a few years, have this conversation with your manager and understand how the system work, what's possible and does this fit with your goals.

>To be honest being told that my performance wont impact my salary is kind of a bummer considering i have to wait another year for the next possible raise. I can see myself working here for some time, but i feel like saying that would make them feel like they can pay me less as im not going to leave in the foreseeable future.

Your concerns are valid and it is not your fault that your employer doesn't understand how hot this industry is for workers _right now_. Personally I don't think the hotness is sustainable (see implosion of Fast), so make your move while you are able. Obviously the response will vary based on your company's policy, your manager, and HR department, but anecdotally, I was able to negotiate two raises in the same year with competing offers (even after leaving the company and re-signing) and one the year before. Granted, I'm still sitting well below what I could be (and was) making, but mental health sure is a fickle bitch sometimes.

It seems more comfortable to stay on board and accept the raise, but you’ll likely be better served by moving on, especially in this job climate.

Getting exposure to other teams, companies, products, and entire verticals is one effective way to build seniority.

Know what your level of experience commands, both in the market, and at your company. If you ask for peanuts then many companies will happily oblige. LinkedIn actually offers a salary tool, where it will list the going wage for a particular position, either in the market, or at your specific company. They crowdsource the information, so there's not a guarantee they have your company. I'd ask for the higher end of the spectrum, as they likely won't see you as out of the park, and be willing to counter, assuming they don't accept right off the bat.

The best way to get more salary as a junior is to switch companies every year or two. Assuming your current company does not give adequate raises (most company's do not).

Did you sign a non-compete with the consulting company? Might the customer be interested in hiring you since you are the expert on their project? Otherwise trying to get promoted or leaving are your options.

No point negotiating until later in your career. Get other offers, the experience you get interviewing for other companies is worth in dollar value more than anything else you’ll learn in the next 2 years.

> small chance they would consider giving a larger raise based on performance

Small chance?! Wow. If raises are not primarily based on performance, then you either have to wait around to be "tenured" enough to get more $, or figure out how to please the people who are in charge of giving out raises. Both are not ideal if you're young and ambitious

If I were you, I would quantify the impact of the project you worked on (in terms of specific revenue / profit $) and use that in your negotiation

Most likely, you'll need competing offers from other companies to get a sizable raise. Also good to know your market value: https://www.levels.fyi/ is useful for big tech; https://topstartups.io/startup-salary-equity-database/ is useful for startups

Juniors by definition are entry level, unless you have a degree from a university they're specifically shopping for , or a minor in the sub-market they're targeting (translating Egyptian hieroglyphics, organic chemistry, whatever), or some other special qualifier you don't have much room for negotiation unfortunately.