I am a programmer working for a medium-sized company in the Midwest. I would like advice on
the best way to approach my company about a raise. I've used your IT salary advisor and found my
salary is very low compared to the average salary for this area and my level of experience. I am
in a situation where I am the only programmer for a business unit of this company. I am the sole
support for three mission-critical client server applications. How do I get my manager to see I
am being underpaid?
Approach management by indicating that you're excited and challenged by the work content but
that your salary is not in line with your responsibilities or the marketplace. You might also want
to indicate that it's getting increasingly difficult to avoid headhunter calls that offer jobs
paying substantially more. If you do this with the sincerity that you really want things to work
out, it will be taken the right way. If that doesn't work, you don't have much of a career with this
company.