asking for a raise - question on chain of command

Water Cooler Careers
#1

It’s embarassing that I have to ask this, but I’ve never held a corporate job that was strictly salaried before until this one. One of my coworkers is going to quit and I will undoubtedly take on a substantial portion of his duties while they spend 2 months to find a replacement. I figure it takes 1 week to get the job posting up, 2 weeks for phone interviews, 2 weeks for live interviews, 1 week for offer letters, and then time for people to accept and give notice at their existing firms, plus extra time they use to go on vacation between jobs)

  1. Does this automatically give me the right to ask for a raise? I haven’t been there for a full year yet and while my superiors think I work hard, they don’t seem to think I’m a superstar.

  2. If and when I ask for a raise, who do I go to first? The VP of finance? HR? Or the finance manager who oversees me directly?

#2

I’m not an expert on asking for raises but I wouldn’t do it. You’ve been there less than a year and 2 months looking for a replacement is nothing.

#3

Have you had a performance review since you joined? Was there any talk of a salary increase then?

#4

Too early to ask for a raise. You’re putting the cart before the horse. You have to do the job first to prove you deserve the raise.

If and when you do ask, you should first contact your direct manager.