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Asking for salary raise during performance report

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  • Sep 23rd, 2019 9:10 am
Sr. Member
Apr 23, 2014
991 posts
448 upvotes
Toronto, ON

Asking for salary raise during performance report

I have a arts degree in Economics and few months ago I was hired as a data entry clerk for sixteen dollars hourly.

I had initially asked for a raise during interview because they demanded more skills than what the title originally demanded (generating reports instead of just entering data), but I did not get clear answer. In the few months I have worked, I also dwelled into automation, through VBA, doing some R, and running reports in BI/Tableau, all of which I have taught myself since the time I was hired. I am not 100% at these programs, but I get done whatever is demanded, since I go home to study material and then apply it at work.

My management has been impressed so far, as they wanted me to do basic stuff in excel and did not expect me to run stuff in tableau or command VBA to automate productivity. My performance report is coming soon where management will discuss progress with me.

So I beg to ask, should I ask for greater responsibilities and THEN a salary increase (the BI people on indeed get 60k+, but I have no work experience except this). Often times I end up working for free since they won't pay overtime, but I can't get the work I am doing otherwise (automation, though I am doing out of free will so I can put it on resume in future). Or just ask for salary raise and in spare time continue to learn R/VBA and find new job (since more responsibilities mean less time to do other stuff).

It's a transportation company and we have about 300+ people working there, I am the only person who knows R/tableau. The only issue is, they don't actually need these skills, but I do it because it's easier to do in Tableau than Excel and again, I can put it in resume in future.

If my salary raise is refused, I do wonder what is a good time to leave the company if I find another employer who actually require my skills? I think it will look bad on resume if I say I have been with this company for 5 months and already looking for new job.


Edit: I want to add since I am recent grad, sometime I see ads like "apply only if graduated within 1 year". Are those high paying jobs (because of gov't subsidy)?
Last edited by vanclty on Sep 23rd, 2019 12:39 am, edited 2 times in total.
30 replies
Deal Expert
Dec 5, 2006
16792 posts
12575 upvotes
Markham
Wow, impressive work, like R like Tableau. You should find an analytics job , minimum BI

Do you know Python? If not, might be start to learn a bit . Udemy has some good courses below 20 dollars

In terms of your question: I don't think you should ask salary increases, I think you should ask opportunities during performance review. Like obviously you are over qualified for data entry.

I don't think you have issue looking for new job even after 5 months as far as you are not looking for same level job.

Low level job turnover rate is high.
Last edited by smartie on Sep 11th, 2019 10:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Sr. Member
Apr 23, 2014
991 posts
448 upvotes
Toronto, ON
smartie wrote: Wow, impressive work, like R like Tableau. You should find an analytics job , minimum BI

Do you know Python? If not, might be start to learn a bit . Udemy has some good courses below 20 dollars
Thank you :) - my work doesn't really appreciate the amount of energy these things take, mainly because they don't understand and need it. So it's always nice to hear kind words.

Like I said, I am not 100% but so far have done what is asked. Udemy is where i go to learn all skills! School thought me written stuff, so I saw videos of R and apply stats through that, now i know computer stuff too! haha

I am planning to get much better at R before i start python because stats people demand R, so it can make me stand out more, as python is easier and more people do python than R. R is also harder, and limited to stats more, so that can be a reason as well for preference. And of course, i can know 10% python and 90% R on resume, then I am able to put both on resume and continue to work within R, unless where python is required.

In terms of salary increase, I have been told by others also not to ask. But i fail to understand rationale. The most they can do is say no, but they can't fire me over asking it.

But yes, it's a 60k+ job, only issue is I have no work experience and everywhere I look, it is always like "minimum 1-3 years experience required"
Last edited by vanclty on Sep 11th, 2019 10:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Deal Expert
Dec 5, 2006
16792 posts
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vanclty wrote: Thank you :) - my work doesn't really appreciate the amount of energy these things take, mainly because they don't understand and need it. So it's always nice to hear kind words.

Like I said, I am not 100% but so far have done what is asked. Udemy is where i go to learn all skills! School thought me written stuff, so I saw videos of R and apply stats through that, now i know computer stuff too! haha

I am planning to get much better at R before i start python because stats people demand R, so it can make me stand out more, as python is easier and more people do python than R. R is also harder, and limited to stats more, so that can be a reason as well for preference. And of course, i can know 10% python and 90% on resume, then I am able to put both on resume and continue to work within R, unless where python is required.

In terms of salary increase, I have been told by others also not to ask. But i fail to understand rationale. The most they can do is say no, but they can't fire me over asking it.

But yes, it's a 60k+ job, only issue is I have no work experience and everywhere I look, it is always like "minimum 1-3 years experience required"
That's true about R. But you also should be aware that R is more for statistical person and Python for everyone such as data scientist, business analytics and so. So if you know Python, you have more chance to find job.

At your job level, generalist might be better than specialist in terms of R and Python
Sr. Member
Apr 23, 2014
991 posts
448 upvotes
Toronto, ON
smartie wrote: That's true about R. But you also should be aware that R is more for statistical person and Python for everyone such as data scientist, business analytics and so. So if you know Python, you have more chance to find job.

At your job level, generalist might be better than specialist in terms of R and Python

That's a good way to put it, a generalist might as well do since I am looking at basic salary, not the 100k specialists will require lol. What do you think of SQL? I was thinking of learning it as well with R (before doing python). Currently I only know introduction commands.

In the future, i want to be statistical person. The BI drew me in because jobs for BI have high intro salary (60k) but limited over long run, whereas Python have lower starting salary (40k) but higher salary over the years (100k). Plus BI is easier to learn than Python.
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Dec 5, 2006
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vanclty wrote:

That's a good way to put it, a generalist might as well do since I am looking at basic salary, not the 100k specialists will require lol. What do you think of SQL? I was thinking of learning it as well with R (before doing python). Currently I only know introduction commands.

In the future, i want to be statistical person. The BI drew me in because jobs for BI have high intro salary (60k) but limited over long run, whereas Python have lower starting salary (40k) but higher salary over the years (100k). Plus BI is easier to learn than Python.
Usually its SQL and (R or Python)

Tableau definitely has a lot resources , their website is great

I think you should really think about your career path , not just job

One more thing is you don't have to know everything to get job. A lot companies looking for potential and something is more important than technical skill, one example is curiosity

From what i see, the biggest challenge is people stay in one job too long and then fall into comfort zone and wont move on even there is an opportunity
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Jun 14, 2018
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Your company isn't going to pay a data entry clerk $60k+. You know what you need to do. Ask for the raise. If they give it to you, cool. If they don't give it to you, that's cool too. Either way, you're going to leave for an analytics job the first opportunity you get.
vanclty wrote: If my salary raise is refused, I do wonder what is a good time to leave the company if I find another employer who actually require my skills? I think it will look bad on resume if I say I have been with this company for 5 months and already looking for new job.
I think it would be understandable to leave a job 5 months in for another job that will double your salary.
Sr. Member
Apr 23, 2014
991 posts
448 upvotes
Toronto, ON
MarinersFanatik wrote: Your company isn't going to pay a data entry clerk $60k+. You know what you need to do. Ask for the raise. If they give it to you, cool. If they don't give it to you, that's cool too. Either way, you're going to leave for an analytics job the first opportunity you get.
I think it would be understandable to leave a job 5 months in for another job that will double your salary.
Hey bro thanks for reply

I don't expect 60k, even a 4000-10k will do me good, that's a few extra hundreds bucks/month I can use towards getting a better car. 16 is just too low for the amount of work I do. My supervisor is paid 20+ (mainly because she's been around for long), but I do more work than her, not just data entry and then chilling during free time.

For my second job, I can't really tell them hey I was being underpaid for my skills. Like they'll think I'll leave them too after 5 months if I find better salary.
Deal Addict
Apr 21, 2014
2321 posts
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Alberta
vanclty wrote: Hey bro thanks for reply

I don't expect 60k, even a 4000-10k will do me good, that's a few extra hundreds bucks/month I can use towards getting a better car. 16 is just too low for the amount of work I do. My supervisor is paid 20+ (mainly because she's been around for long), but I do more work than her, not just data entry and then chilling during free time.

For my second job, I can't really tell them hey I was being underpaid for my skills. Like they'll think I'll leave them too after 5 months if I find better salary.
You could say that you outgrew the role very quickly. The role was mainly data entry/input and running the occasional report. However I took the initiative and did x,y,z..... and learned x,y,z on my own time and applied it to make processes much more efficient. My current employer doesn’t have a direct need for all the analytics I can provide, nor do they have a suitable role that would be a fit for someone of my skills and qualifications....

Easy to explain !!
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Jul 19, 2004
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vanclty wrote: Hey bro thanks for reply

I don't expect 60k, even a 4000-10k will do me good, that's a few extra hundreds bucks/month I can use towards getting a better car. 16 is just too low for the amount of work I do. My supervisor is paid 20+ (mainly because she's been around for long), but I do more work than her, not just data entry and then chilling during free time.

For my second job, I can't really tell them hey I was being underpaid for my skills. Like they'll think I'll leave them too after 5 months if I find better salary.
I think you are selling yourself short. Even though you just graduated the skill set that you have is valuable and you should be aiming for higher paying jobs. You already know you won't get a big enough raise at the same job, so start detailing what you are doing and polish up your resume. If you sell yourself well you can get that 60k job. Good luck OP!
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Dec 5, 2006
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someone16 wrote: I think you are selling yourself short. Even though you just graduated the skill set that you have is valuable and you should be aiming for higher paying jobs. You already know you won't get a big enough raise at the same job, so start detailing what you are doing and polish up your resume. If you sell yourself well you can get that 60k job. Good luck OP!
Agree

Just see how many new grads come into market and earn 70k+? I think target 60k ish is not unrealistic
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Sep 4, 2007
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Be careful not to automate away your entire job. It's clear that you can do way more than the role asks, but if your company isn't sophisticated, it might not know what do with a BI or analytics person. As an insurance policy, you might want to just start applying to new jobs.
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Dec 5, 2006
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frozenmelon wrote: Be careful not to automate away your entire job. It's clear that you can do way more than the role asks, but if your company isn't sophisticated, it might not know what do with a BI or analytics person. As an insurance policy, you might want to just start applying to new jobs.
Good observation
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Feb 19, 2017
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You need a license for Tableau. How did you, as a data entry clerk, even get access?
Sounds like your office doesn't even use Tableau so how are you sharing your reporting?
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Walch1102 wrote: You need a license for Tableau. How did you, as a data entry clerk, even get access?
Sounds like your office doesn't even use Tableau so how are you sharing your reporting?
Not sure OP case , but tableau has free version

And tableau doesn't prohibit data entry clerk access it and no one said data entry people cannot have license lol
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Feb 19, 2017
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smartie wrote: Not sure OP case , but tableau has free version

And tableau doesn't prohibit data entry clerk access it and no one said data entry people cannot have license lol
The only free version is Tableau Public, which requires the data to be shared to the general public. If so, he is violating all sorts of company policies.

And while anyone can access Tableau, why would his company pay for a license for someone who's job doesn't need it? Where's the business justification?

Also, data entry and data analysis are often mutually exclusive. If he was hired for a data entry job and he's spending all his time doing data analysis, who is doing the data entry? There's a very limited amount you can automate with VBA. You need more ML and NLP for that.
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Walch1102 wrote: The only free version is Tableau Public, which requires the data to be shared to the general public. If so, he is violating all sorts of company policies.

And while anyone can access Tableau, why would his company pay for a license for someone who's job doesn't need it? Where's the business justification?

Also, data entry and data analysis are often mutually exclusive. If he was hired for a data entry job and he's spending all his time doing data analysis, who is doing the data entry? There's a very limited amount you can automate with VBA. You need more ML and NLP for that.
Why his company paid for his license, I don't think its up to us to decide. We might never know

In small company, it's very common one person manages end to end process regardless job title. If you finish your data entry in two hours, what's issue to do analytics job?

Analytics includes a lot area, ML and NLP is only part of it, you don't have to be data scientist to do analytics.
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Feb 19, 2017
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smartie wrote: Why his company paid for his license, I don't think its up to us to decide. We might never know

In small company, it's very common one person manages end to end process regardless job title. If you finish your data entry in two hours, what's issue to do analytics job?

Analytics includes a lot area, ML and NLP is only part of it, you don't have to be data scientist to do analytics.
Instead of replying without thinking, why don't you try to actually read and digest what I posted?

It's a 300 person company, which isn't large, but that not really small enough where they need one person filling multiple roles. If there was only 2 hours of work, the manager would just hire part-time. The reason they hired a full data-entry clerk is because there's enough work there to fill up most of his time with data-entry tasks.

He never said if his company paid for the license, which is why I asked. Why don't you let him respond instead of posting nonsense that contributes nothing?

I pointed out ML and NLP specifically addressing his comments on automation, which, if done well, would give him more time to do analytics. ML and NLP were not comments about analytics directly. You are obviously confused.
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Dec 5, 2006
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Walch1102 wrote:
Instead of replying without thinking, why don't you try to actually read and digest what I posted?

It's a 300 person company, which isn't large, but that not really small enough where they need one person filling multiple roles. If there was only 2 hours of work, the manager would just hire part-time. The reason they hired a full data-entry clerk is because there's enough work there to fill up most of his time with data-entry tasks.

He never said if his company paid for the license, which is why I asked. Why don't you let him respond instead of posting nonsense that contributes nothing?

I pointed out ML and NLP specifically addressing his comments on automation, which, if done well, would give him more time to do analytics. ML and NLP were not comments about analytics directly. You are obviously confused.
300 companies doesn't mean they only have one analytics team. 300 company doesn't mean they have strong analytics capabilities . Full time job doesn't mean you need Enter data all day. Obviously OP has time doing something else(analysis)

Yes I confused about Ml part

I assume OP use legit license, but yes I might be wrong, why I answered, because you asked in my reply:)
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Mar 10, 2005
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vanclty wrote: I have a arts degree in Economics and few months ago I was hired as a data entry clerk for sixteen dollars hourly.

I had initially asked for a raise during interview because they demanded more skills than what the title originally demanded (generating reports instead of just entering data), but I did not get clear answer. In the few months I have worked, I also dwelled into automation, through VBA, doing some R, and running reports in BI, all of which I have taught myself since the time I was hired. I am not 100% at these programs, but I get done whatever is demanded, since I go home to study material and then apply it at work.

My management has been impressed so far, as they wanted me to do basic stuff in excel and did not expect me to run stuff in tableau or command VBA to automate productivity. My performance report is coming soon where management will discuss progress with me.

So I beg to ask, should I ask for greater responsibilities and THEN a salary increase (the BI people on indeed get 60k+, but I have no work experience except this). Often times I end up working for free since they won't pay overtime, but I can't get the work I am doing otherwise (automation, though I am doing out of free will so I can put it on resume in future). Or just ask for salary raise and in spare time continue to learn R/VBA and find new job (since more responsibilities mean less time to do other stuff).

It's a transportation company and we have about 300+ people working there, I am the only person who knows R/tableau. The only issue is, they don't actually need these skills, but I do it because it's easier to do in Tableau than Excel and again, I can put it in resume in future.

If my salary raise is refused, I do wonder what is a good time to leave the company if I find another employer who actually require my skills? I think it will look bad on resume if I say I have been with this company for 5 months and already looking for new job.


Edit: I want to add since I am recent grad, sometime I see ads like "apply only if graduated within 1 year". Are those high paying jobs (because of gov't subsidy)?
That is a problem.

Learn as much as possible and then move on to another company where you can apply r/tableau - both are in demand.
"If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid." - Epictetus

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