How do you ask for a raise? It's been almost a year now since I graduated and started working for my dream agency but my salary is pretty much shit at the moment. Any advice is much appreciated!

You don't ask for a raise at less than a year. You ask your supervisor how you're progressing and what you need to improve on to reach the next level. Once you're sure that your supervisor has an opinion of you as high as you do, then you ask what timeframe you should be looking at to be considered for promotion.

And it's never about your personal financial situation. It's about the value that you bring to the agency.

^ Is that a joke? What's a $10k raise compared to your salary costs to the agency? If companies paid our junior staff better we wouldn't have such terrible turnover and teams would t be understaffed all the time.

You're a year out of school. Adjust your expectations.

I wrote down a list of my responsibilities that were considered to be the next job level. I scheduled a meeting with my boss and asked what more I could do to get promoted or get a raise. Got promoted a month later!

I love how senior levels come in and preach about how they made under 30K starting off, as if that's supposed to give perspective. How long ago was that? 8, 10, 12+ years ago? Come on now... Maybe 8 years ago you were making 25-30K starting off. We'll problem is juniors are still making that type of wage today. You can't sit here and say that's not a problem. There's a reason why Obama was trying to push through the overtime law in 2016...

Almost 1 year? What kind of Dickensian nightmare do you live in?

You guys have all the wrong attitudes. Expecting juniors to live just above poverty after taxes and student loan payments is ridiculous. If agencies can't afford to pay reasonable wages to employees, they shouldn't be in business. They need to stop undervaluing their talent and cut corners elsewhere. And the way we make that happen is demanding more. OP, I needed a real raise after a year to pay my student loans, which were more than my rent. My agency wouldn't give it to me so I found an agency that valued me more. You can do it,

To everyone who replied, it's been really insightful on how people in the industry view this issue. Thank you for all of you who gave really sound advice and also to those giving me a reality check with opposing perspectives. All I know is that I'm doing what I love and that's probably what's keeping me going even though it may seem financially irresponsible for me to pursue this career path. S/O to all the fresh grads out there! PS: Probably planning on relocating in either a year or two.

I tend to agree with AD1, you're jumping the gun a little. Most of us can hope for a cost-of-living raise once a year and sometimes we don't even get that. Usually you don't start asking for raises until you're way overdue.

I wouldn't listen to the nay sayers, just because the process is what it is, doesn't mean we have to follow it. It sucks that entry level doesn't get paid enough to live without constant financial stress, but it won't change unless we keep pushing. Talk to your manager about your thoughts. If they won't hear it, find a shop that will pay you more.

Go for it. Doesn't matter how fresh out of school you are. It's all about how much you've accomplished and how hungry + talented you are. If they don't listen, get an offer somewhere else. If you can't get an offer somewhere, well, then you don't have what it takes to get a raise.

$3M to save money on recruiting efforts, less expenses to Canne and other smoke and mirror meetings for SVPs and higher would do a lot more for the companies' bottom line. Consulting agencies today are cutting out travel expenses and making people work locally. They aren't immune to that kind of spending either, but employee satisfaction far exceeds what we have at agencies.

I will start taking about how your performance and how much the price of things have raise, so you deserve a better salary

Wow, I've been working at my place for almost a year too and I'd be surprised if they gave me a raise let alone ask. But hey, Tila Tequila got money from random people just because she asked so why not you?

You should probably see a therapist about that Stockholm Syndrome, @AD. Keep telling yourself that if it helps you put up with the bullshit. But I seriously recommend you growing a pair and a) standing up for yourself or b) investing time and energy into being a "rare gem". The industry is dominated by bullies with no talent. If you've got talent, they're at your mercy. Not the contrary. Like I said before, @OP, life is leverage. And right now, talent is everything. Take advantage of it and completely ignore the boy club members over here.

@sc1. Quick math. $5BN in billings @ 4% commission (Which is about right under FTE structures) = $200MM in revenue. Half that goes to non-talent expenses listed above. Another 5-10% to profit. So you have about $80-90MM left to split across 1000 employees. Which is about 80-90k per employee some make more others less, but there is a finite pool of $ available.

Yes there are other streams of revenue like tech fees and cpm arbitrage, but media agencies are also operating many clients at 0% profit or sometimes negative. So those streams fill the gaps and to get to black.

Believe me, I agree that entry folks are underpaid especially in this economy but unfortunately there is a huge supply of media planners and a market that has determined their worth. It sucks and I want change as much as you, but the economics are what they are right now. I'm just trying to help the youngsters understand it isn't personal and it is a business. A business that does reward talent over time.

Talk to your supervisor(s). Build a plan to define what you need to do, then achieve those goals. Proactively seek out responsibilities, projects, and chances to push yourself beyond your comfort zone.

Not saying this is you, but employees who think they're entitled to a raise because of the time they've spent in a certain position, or because they see others moving up, are often passed over because they're just doing enough to get by. You have to earn a raise and promotion.

Do A+ work, talk to your supervisor(s), and set a plan for growth. And remember that managing your managers and selling yourself is important, too. Just don't be obnoxious about it. If the raise doesn't come, that means it's time to look elsewhere.

I also don't consider a year after graduation excessively long. But if you've talked with your bosses and you're doing excellent work, 12 - 24 months is reasonable for the next step (assuming your agency doesn't have a salary freeze in place).

This is exactly the kind of behavior that drives up the cost of this industry. Imagine this at every level with clients bankrolling us less and less. Sorry your salary is low but we've all started there. I made under $30k when I started and now I make 8x that because I am good. So just focus on being good and fame and $$ will follow.

It's called paying your dues. Everyone did it. You get overworked and underpaid until you prove yourself and year after year you'll keep making more and hopefully working less. It's the circle of life.

The raises worth getting happen in counter-offer wars once you have proven your worth and are so valuable they fear losing you. I fought for so, so many team members to get increases, but unless you are full blown secret weapon or the client gets weak in the knees for you, go get another offer and be prepared to take it.