A few years ago, a young adult sought guidance on asking their employer for a raise. They were certain it was only the right thing to do as they had done well with the onboarding and initial training program. The young employee was feeling comfortable where they had been placed within the organization and had eagerly taken on responsibility. This person was advised that its very common for new employees to ask for a raise within the first 3 months of employment. If they were to move up in earnings they’d have to initiate it. Luckily, someone else advised it was a bad idea and if they wanted to move up they’d keep up the good work and not risk offending the employer. I completely agreed.
If someone has given you advice to ask for a raise before the time is right, please ignore them. While there is no absolute answer as to when is the right time to ask for a raise, start with this list to see if timing is in your favor.
With help from Cynthia Cole
Agriculture is such a great industry to consider joining! As consumer demand for agricultural products is growing both domestically and internationally, demand for a diversity of careers increases as well. And contrary to popular belief, many jobs in ag are very well-paid. To illustrate, below is a list of the five highest-paying jobs in agriculture.
A company’s foremost senior executives hold strategic management and prominent leadership roles within a startup or proven organization. As one might expect, they are the highest-paying jobs in agriculture. C-Suite roles include such titles as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Operating Officer (COO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), etc. To learn more about C-Suite Executive careers in agriculture, click on the following links to career profiles:
Are you trying to make heads or tails of your most recent job offer? Or maybe you are weighing two opportunities at the same time. Perhaps it seems obvious you should accept the highest pay. But what about benefits? Whatever your situation here are some points to ponder before you sign the on dotted line.
We are all trying to make as much money possible to secure our future. Even though the obvious answer may be to strive for the highest salary, it’s not everything. We often see employees change jobs and step away from glamorous high paying jobs to do something that makes them happier, less stressed, or creates more of a work/life balance for them and their family. Step one is to look beyond the dollar signs and ask yourself, will I be happy in this role?
Once you know where your heart lies, you can really begin to weigh out how the job offer adds up. Focus first on the pay structure. What’s the base salary and is there additional earning potential like bonuses, incentive, or commission? Base salary plus performance pay is called total cash, this is what you can expect to bring home in a year. This is where you need to ask some questions of the employer to understand what is the target total cash compensation (base salary + performance pay if goals are met) versus actual total cash (base salary + performance pay actual paid out). Ask informed questions around how performance reward programs are structured like how is performance measured, are the earnings capped, what stipulations exist, is there additional earning potential beyond the program presented, and how often goals are typically met by those already in the role.
So you’re thinking about asking for a raise. Good for you! But first, ask yourself before you end up rejected and feeling defeated: do I deserve a raise? That’s a loaded question, one that can’t simply be understood unless you understand the context of asking for a raise. Here are a few other questions to consider before you take a deep breath and head for your manager’s office.
Quick answer, yes! Someone somewhere is making more money than you, doing your exact same job. It’s the truth. Looking at agricultural employee compensation for almost 10 years now, I can tell you that not everyone is making the same thing. In fact, sometimes I am surprised to see the variation that exist within our industry or even within the same company.
Three years ago, AgCareers.com provided a wonderful opportunity to its employees called “Spend a Day in Ag.” Employees were provided the day off to go and explore the world of agriculture. The goal was for our non-ag employees to learn more about the industry they support day in and day out by job shadowing. For our more experienced ag employees the goal was to learn more about an unfamiliar ag sector or to grow their ag knowledge.
The team did a great job at finding unique opportunities to experience agriculture. Overall, I feel our staff were excited to get out of the office, get our hands dirty (in some cases – not all ag jobs are dirty jobs) and learn something new. I grew up on a family farm and experienced livestock, crops and produce on a first hand basis. Finding something new to learn about seemed difficult, but I knew I wanted to go beyond what was familiar. These thoughts led me to question where all of the ag products go after they are harvested and processed.
You’ve jumped through flaming hoops to find and apply to a new job opportunity. Learned the art of contortion to successfully navigate the tangled web of candidate screening and interviewing. Launched yourself out of a flaming cannon when you notified your employer you landed a new job opportunity. What death defying performance remains? Limber up for the tight rope – the exit interview.
What is an exit interview? An exit interview can be any form of questionnaire or dialogue to learn more about your experience as an employee at your current role within a company. It’s called an exit interview because these typically occur once you are exiting or leaving the company.
Why does it matter now – I’m leaving? It matters a lot! Maybe not for you, but for the company and the fellow co-workers you are leaving behind. This is a discovery opportunity for the company, to learn how to improve operations, culture, leadership, etc. Your feedback can help influence much needed change.
