I'm going to continue my higher education and about to leave my current jobs. I've already told my manager that I'm going to leave but I've not handed in my official notice yet. Is it a good idea to asking for a raise before quitting to improve negotiability in the future job search.
3 Answers
If you've already put in your resignation, there's no point in asking for a raise. Your employer has absolutely zero reason to give it to you, and it will only make you look bad. I cannot imagine a scenario in which you'd be successful.
As to your worry about being able to negotiate your future salary, your past salaries should not affect how much you ask for in the future. Negotiate based on the market and what you think you deserve, not what you have been paid in the past. In some places it's even illegal for interviewing companies to ask for your previous salary. Besides, if you are going back to school, your value should be increasing after you've received more education, so your current salary should not matter.
If you want to know how much salary you should be asking for in the future, I recommend taking a look at this other question: How can I determine a reasonable salary to ask for?
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I agree it's not the best idea to do that when leaving the job but -
Negotiate based on the market and what you think you deserve
- wouldn't knowledge of how much he could possibly be earning at the current job be some kind of a indicator of current market state?– aMJayJul 13, 2018 at 6:59 -
@aMJay Yes, that is one indicator, but it's not always reliable. If you are underpaid at your first job and then use that wage as an indicator for your next job, and so on, you will be underpaid for the rest of your life. Check out this other question for some great advice on how to determine a reasonable salary: How can I determine a reasonable salary to ask for?– David KJul 13, 2018 at 11:58
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@aMJay Particularly in OP's case, where they are leaving to further their education, their next job could easily be in a completely different industry (or a part time job to help out while in school), making it even less relevant.– KeikiJul 13, 2018 at 12:27
You'd just about kill any chance for getting a good reference.
Doing so would be considered the nadir of unprofessional behavior. Some companies take it very personally when you leave. I know one company where, if you leave, you may never be rehired.
So, if they are already a bit unhappy that you are leaving, and then compound it by asking for a raise on your way out the door, it's highly likely that they would consider it a slap in the face.
Look at it from the employer's point of view. You just cost them money by announcing that you are leaving. You're going to add insult to injury by asking to cost them more money without any benefit to them. How well do you think this would be received?
Yes, you can, and I recommend you do. But you're unlikely to get the raise - because the company gains nothing by it.
If you were to say "i'm going to company X unless you give me a raise" that's fine, it makes sense. But unless you can believably say "i'm going to university Y unless you give me a raise" then why would the company give you a raise?
In this case, you've already told your boss you're going... so they don't really have an incentive to give you more money.
I haven't had the same experience as Don - heck, I've gone to study and come back to the company I left from, I don't see why a company wouldn't want to re-hire someone they already liked and is now provably more valuable.
But it's hard to make a real case for a pay rise, but I do suggest you try it to get used to asking for more money.
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1You say you recommend asking for the raise, but your entire answer explains why you think it won't work. The only thing you mention is getting practice asking. Can you explain more why you think the OP should ask for a raise before leaving?– David KJul 12, 2018 at 13:06
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1@DavidK the only reason I suggest it is to get practice asking, as you note. It's always good to have done something before, even when the stakes are different/low/non-existant. I don't think asking will work unless the OP has some circumstance we're not aware of, yes. But I don't see why that precludes getting more experience in asking for a raise either. I don't, in short, see any repercussion from asking for a raise in this scenario.– bharalJul 12, 2018 at 13:28