I was hired like 4 months ago , as a civil engineering technician (with my degree) , i was so happy to accept any offer that i can get since it’s my first job after graduation and i have no connections in the field,coming from Canada to Michigan, and with zero experience outside my school, now after i got some experience and 2 certifications that my company needs, i feel i am under paid , and i got a very good offer from a competitor , plus i feel shy to ask my boss for a raise now any advice?
Pro
Market for a signing bonus in-house is $0
Rising Star
They became common in the past 3 years.
Rising Star
10-25k, but some Legal depts pay zero. You're better off negotiating a higher base than a one-off payment. And you also dont want to come off as tone deaf.
Rising Star
This. Far better to get more base than signing.
Rising Star
If you have a specific basis for asking for the bonus you could ask for that number (ex, if by leaving the firm you are walking away from a bonus that would be paid out soon if you stayed).
Otherwise I’m not sure how market a signing bonus is and it may vary by company. I have had two in-house positions where a signing bonus was not offered (but the overall comp package was otherwise good).
Rising Star
Look at MLA's last two quarterly newsletters plus Lawyer Whispere's last blog post.
Rising Star
Lawyer whisperer is a bit inflated. Solutus own internal searches are lower than what they post.
I asked and got $0. I negotiated for higher base tho
what's your TC?
Pro
Signing bonus is code for “had a competing offer.” If this is your only offer, signing bonus expectations are $0. If not, it’s whatever the difference between the comp + 10 to 15k