Salary tips : New boss told me that my salary is low!

I am a Mechanical Engineer with 7 yrs of experience. My current salary is $63,000 and typically get 12% to 14% bonus. Most of my friends from college make around $75,000 to $85,000. I am in a field that is very specific and there are only 3 or 4 competitors and I have friends in most of them. These competitors are calling me for interviews but I haven' t meet them yet.

I am a in very good work environment and haven' t think much about my salary but I am getting marry and need to buy a house. In San Diego, even combining with my fiacee' s salary, I can' t afford a decent house unless my salary increases by $10,000. So, I told my new boss that my salary is at least $10,000 lower than the average compared to my peers and other research I have done. I also told him about the praises from Sales folks in the field who rely on me for technical support and I volunteered for Six Sigma training for the department.

He said he understands that my salary is low and will help me. He said it might not be $10,000 but will be much better than a normal raise. I wanted to press on for a specific number from him but then didn' t want to be too pushy and let it go.

The raise will be effective in March and I am very anxious. Should I talk to him again to get for the raise percentage or should I just accept whatever comes in March?

I'd wait till March and see what you get. If it's way under what you hope for or expect, then you can see if it's negotiable. I agree you're underpaid, and isn't it nice to have a boss who told you that, rather than take advantage of the situation? You probably will not get your jump to a fully competitive rate all at once, so if it's less than $10k but still a good jump and you're happy where you are, take it. Then see about a full jump to par the next increase.

My husband went through this recently--was told at his job that he was making top of the range and paid competitively, but when he started looking for a new job, every good recruiter he worked with told him he was underpaid anywhere from $6 to $10k... So at least your own employer has owned up to it and you'll be recognized for the work you do! Good luck!

Absolutely wait until March and see what happens. Once you know what the increase will be, you can make a far more informed decision about what to do next - maybe saying "Thank you very much" will be the best option.

Career Tips

New boss told me that my salary is low!