How to get a pay-rise?

How can I get a increment / pay-rise?

Learn! The more you learn, the more you will earn.

How does it work?

I would love to pay you millions for sitting on your chair, however, I do not have pot of gold under my desk.

Everything you earn must come from customers…..and they will only pay top dollar IF YOU MAKE THEM MONEY or help them in some way.

In other words, you need to have skills – good skills, in order for THEM to make money. And as they make money, you will make money.

That’s how the world works.

Frustration over increments

You may not be pleased with your increments.

Again, we’d love to pay you a big increment, but can only do so if you learn quickly and can prove it. If your work needs to be constantly checked, or if you make the same mistakes, again, and again, and again, then the cost of your project increases dramatically, because it will take longer, and more resources in order to deliver it to the client. i.e. instead of you being a COST on a project (juniors, at the moment you are COSTING, not benefiting – but we are hoping you will become sufficiently productive in the future so that you become a benefit) – we want you to become a BENEFIT.

The faster you become a benefit, the better. And the more you will get paid.

If you are frustrated over this issue, and you wish to leave – that is fine – but why leave for a small increment? You may as well leave for a large one.

Secondly, people seem to think they can “get ahead” by jumping ship every 12 months. This will likely work in the short run. New employers will be pleased to hire someone who is already trained, and they can pay for it since they did not incur the costs of training you have benefited from. However jumping ship may not work as well in the long term. i.e. in 5 years, you will have accrued 4-5 different employers, and you become “risky” in terms of anyone investing time and money into you. Some past employees have sought to get around this issue by lying on their resume.

What do I need to learn?

Some examples:

Learn, how to use your tools. AutoCAD, Tekla, Revit.
Learn how to write essays.
Learn how to speak good English. Clients VALUE THIS.
Learn how to market yourself.
Learn Australian / American standards. By yourself. Everyone wants to claim that they know the standards, but very few actually sit down to properly learn them.
Make something better, or faster, or cheaper. Ingenuity is valued highly.
Videos are highly regarded.

All of the above is hard-work, and will require self-directed learning.

If you want big increments but can speak broken Tamil-glish, and don’t know how the standards, cannot use the tools properly, cannot manage RFIs – where will the money come from?

How can I prove I have learned?

A great way to prove your expertise on a subject matter is to write about what you learned. Why should you bother?

You will benefit. By writing, you will crystalize the concepts you have learned.
Writing is a super power:

The ability to write concisely is a super power – it will open doors for you: with clients, and all manner of business. A simple proposal, well thought out, is all that is required to procure millions in funding.

Generally speaking a well thought out plan will trump none at all.

Writing has the following benefits:

Primarily: it refines your own thinking.
The process of writing forces you to validate your own logic.
It effectively communicates your logic to others – who can improve it, or invalidate it. In other words, it aids in better truth-seeking.
It allows for groups to better coordinate, in order to produce an outcome.

Prove your knowledge to others

Why should another firm hire you for a large increment, when you don’t know anything, or can’t prove you know something?

An easy way to prove your knowledge is to point to a portfolio of articles.

When you go to interviews you can say:

“Here are my articles on Tekla” or “steel detailing” on https://www.tek1.com.au/category/steel-detailing/
Here are my portfolio of projects.

Recruiters will immediately see your value. And you’ll be hired for a big increment rather than a small one.

Tek1 Affords you the opportunity to self-promote

I do not know any other firm who does this.

Most other firms will try to limit you. But we do not. Why not take advantage of it?

Promote your portfolio to the world, on social media etc.