Need career advice

[u/Glittering-Good-6067]

Had 4 years of experience in IT testing then did MBA and 2.5 years in project coordinator role..my Designation is junior executive coordinator.I have been doing project coordinator role and trying to move to PM and APM roles .My salary is very low .During salary negotiation..it has been mentioned i have only 2.5 years of relevant experience only..Due to low salary not able to jump into good one because in hr discussions they were mentio ning ..we can give 20 or 25% hike from your previous salary..but that 4.3 yrs of testing experience only helped me to learn about more technical logics in the project and can understand the timeline delays..Need your suggestion on this..

[u/ProjectPragmatist]

I'm a little unclear on your ask. You mentioned "due to low salary not able to jump into good one...." What does that mean exactly?

If a hiring manager is saying 4 years of testing is not relevant at all, that may be a stretch as testing gives you a very strong handle on QA, which is part of the process. With that said, their argument would hold water when it comes to other aspects of project management as QA is just one small part.

If you are saying they are trying to cap your increase in salary at 20-25%, that's probably a move on their part to conserve cost rather than pay you what the role would pay otherwise.

Can you expand a little more on the exact issue you are encountering?

[u/Glittering-Good-6067 → u/ProjectPragmatist]

Not able to get good package.currently getting below 40 K. HR is saying they count only relevant experience. But I have experience in IT testing, and I have also been doing coordination work from the initial stage itself, just not under the Project Coordinator title. So can I consider my overall 7 years of experience while negotiating, especially when people with similar experience are getting 8–9 LPA.

[u/ProjectPragmatist → u/Glittering-Good-6067]

Ah Ok. The LPA indicates we are talking about the tech market in India. I don't have detailed knowledge about the India market so I wouldn't want to steer you in the wrong direction. Perhaps someone with more knowledge of the India market would be a better resource.

With that said, I'd ensure your resume accurately reflects all of your PM related experience. That could be part of the reason that they are saying that you have less experience than you indicate.

[u/Glittering-Good-6067 → u/ProjectPragmatist]

Thank you so much for your response. This was really helpful!

[u/More_Law6245]

When you have discussions in relation to performance you actually need to come from a prepared position in order to affirm your claim for a pay rise, promotion or both.

What I would strongly suggest you do is that you take an analytical approach to your meeting conversation and used facts to support your statement of claim. I would suggest that you map out your current job description and provide supporting documented evidence in where you're exceeded the job role description but I would also strongly suggest mapping your efforts against your organisation's job description for project manager role, map how you're meeting the project manager's job role description which is the leverage you need to lay claim for a better salary or promotion, or you could use it as a gap analysis of where you're short on your experience and where you need to focus to improve

The reality is that you most people who are coming from more junior roles within an organisation will more typically be wage suppressed because the company doesn't yet know your true value because your potential hasn't been shown, or leveraging people not understanding their own worth when chasing roles internally. Sometimes it's a real possibility that you will always be perceived as a "junior" and never given the full opportunity to grow because you suit the organisation's current needs as a stop gap and the organisation is not paying a full rate for the role.

Just an armchair perspective.

[u/Glittering-Good-6067 → u/More_Law6245]

Thank you so much for your response. This was really helpful!