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I know that similar questions have been asked, but mine is a bit different. Here is the situation:

I have been looking for a job for a few months and finally got a job offer from a company. Though they offered a lower salary than I expected, I accepted the offer as the company seemed good and I wasn't receiving any other offers at that time.

Now I have been working for one month at this company and have just received a job offer with a salary that is much, much more than what I am receiving now. Should I mention this to my employer in hopes that he'll see what I'm being offered and raise my salary?

I'd like to make it clear that I do not want to leave my current job. However the second company is offering 62% more. Which is why I feel I am underpaid in the current job.

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    why not take the job with the higher salary?
    – Kilisi
    Commented Sep 20, 2016 at 13:39
  • I'm already working at the first company. The work is good and interesting. The only problem is my salary here. Another thing is that the second company is in another state, so I would have to move. I just want to know if I can get an increase on my existing salary by mentioning the offer from the second company.
    – krishna
    Commented Sep 20, 2016 at 13:44
  • If you tried that on me, I'd start looking for your replacement the same day, but you might be lucky, it depends how much they value you.
    – Kilisi
    Commented Sep 20, 2016 at 13:56
  • @krishna "I have been looking for a job for a few months and finally got a job offer from a company". You have been looking, why wonder if you need to take it or not? If you liked the company you are working with, you would not look for a new job. Clearly yourself believe it is time to move on. Only you can decide whatever moving states is worth it.
    – Jeroen
    Commented Sep 20, 2016 at 14:18
  • @Jeroen I stopped looking for jobs once I started working. But I got this offer from a company that has probably seen my LinkedIn page and was interested. I didn't continue job searching once I got employed.
    – krishna
    Commented Sep 20, 2016 at 14:24

4 Answers 4

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I think you should either take the higher salary job, or remain at the one you're in without trying any such negotiations while you are still very new and probably in your trial period.

You would come across as mercenary and being very new they haven't invested in you to the point where you're difficult to replace. So you would be taking quite a risk.

It might depend what your position is though, if it's a very difficult position to fill then you might be able to negotiate a better deal at least for a while. But I doubt your employer would be happy about it, and it may well be held against you further down the track.

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  • The second company is offering me 62% more. How can I ignore that?
    – krishna
    Commented Sep 20, 2016 at 14:11
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    Why ignore it? Take the job.Hand in your notice and let your current company open negotiations with you if they want to keep you. That way is better than trying to basically blackmail them (their perception)
    – Kilisi
    Commented Sep 20, 2016 at 14:14
  • You don't seem to understand the main point here - I do not want to leave my current job. I have job satisfaction working here. I just need to know if I can get a raise out of this situation because I believe I'm underpaid.
    – krishna
    Commented Sep 20, 2016 at 14:16
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    I understand fine, just that doing so is very risky, you should never negotiate on a threat, unless you're actually prepared to follow through on the threat. Otherwise your negotiating leverage is made of air.
    – Kilisi
    Commented Sep 20, 2016 at 14:18
  • Yes, you like your job, it still has that new job smell. The real question is: Do you like your job enough after one month to accept it with the pay as it is?
    – DLS3141
    Commented Sep 20, 2016 at 17:08
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Business is business. If you're in the US or (most of) Europe you can hand in your notice to your current employer, after you've made sure the other company is willing to wait that many weeks for you.

I wouldn't expect your current company to try and match your salary, but they might - at least as a time-saving measure until you're replaced. Have a look at this question for more on the subject. I wouldn't expect them to be happy about it either.

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Short answer: depends.

Some employers don't really like giving raises. Especially that you're new in the company and you agreed upon given terms, you could have renegotiate or ask for more back then. There's also the case that it might negatively mark you in your boss memory. Think about a scenario where you're the CEO of a company and someone who just started working ask you for a raise and says that others are paying more. You need to ask yourself if this job is worth doing for less money than the other perhaps you like it more and as you said you feel good there; which is by the way hugely important! Don't underestimate that quality, it's one of the best things you can ask for. Depending on your contract you might just ask next potential employer to ask until your current contract expire if you're in position to do so. This might give you some time to think. But by doing so you might be perceived as unreliable and don't gain enough trust.

Don't do anything sudden and think through every possibility. Chances are you won't be able to go back to the company you're leaving.

From personal experience I know how hard this decision might be on you right now. Because if you won't take job with better pay you'll have regrets which will affect your work at current company. If you take the job and it's worse you'll regret not staying, you might even find that larger pay isn't worth the stress.

Good luck!

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Be open about your situation to your new company. State your intention is to leave to the new company but you are happy to stay if they match the offer. Be prepared to leave (or be replaced) if they do not.

This is entirely reasonable, and although it's an uncomfortable for your current company it just illustrates that they are paying below market rates.

If you chose to stay without saying anything you will likely become discontent very quickly, as you know you are being underpaid.

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    Why would they ask to see the offer letter, and why would one accommodate such a request? That's utterly invasive. (I got an offer for X - We don't believe you - Fine, bye) I'm guessing you're speaking from experience though?
    – rath
    Commented Sep 20, 2016 at 13:59
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    @rath you make a fair point. Personally I'd be more comfortable in that situation if I had the offer-letter to backup my claim (rather than leave knowing they thought I was being dishonest). I would not volunteer to show the offer-letter, but neither would I have qualms about showing it. I will remove the suggestion from the answer.
    – RJFalconer
    Commented Sep 20, 2016 at 14:01
  • but the thing is that I don't want to leave my current company. Its a good job. How do I get a raise without risking my position here?
    – krishna
    Commented Sep 20, 2016 at 14:05
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    You can't. Any mention of the rival company demonstrates that you are not happy, and trying to get a merit-based raise after 1 month is unlikely to work either. Chose which you'd prefer; your comfortable job or the high salary.
    – RJFalconer
    Commented Sep 20, 2016 at 14:17

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