Amazon promo negotiation
Tentatively, I should be getting promoted in Q1 of 2022, (documents will get submitted in Q4 this year, and then hopefully approved) L4->L5 sde promo, feeling very underpaid tbh, as I’ve been doing L5 work for a long time at this point. Also, I know based on blind that the promo will not be a huge salary bump, and will put me at the lowest band. I honestly like my job tho, I can’t complain about anything. Nothing like the common blind experience. If I get an outside offer near the end of Q4, let’s say around 250-300k, is there a possibility to use this offer to negotiate a bigger pay raise for the promo? Makes no sense that they’d hire someone at L5 and give them around that much, and then offer 180 or so on a promo. Or should I expect a gtfo, and just gtfo with a higher offer. TC: 160 Yoe: 2
Does your TC include stock appreciation? I made 170-190 2.5 years ago as L4 if you count current stock prices. You could try to leverage other offers and do a dive and save but only do it after you get the promotion officially set in stone and you’re L5 on phone tool/internal systems etc. Don’t let manager know you have external offers, otherwise they might deem you a flight risk and not file promo docs. Your strategy seems like it could work especially in a world where Amazon is struggling to retain talent and hire new folks. This is assuming there’s no visa issues at play.
Yeah it roughly does. And thanks, yeah that makes a lot of sense. I was honestly thinking that I should bring an offer a couple weeks before the official promo so that salary could be negotiated and bumped while they’re talking salary for the promo anyways. But definitely see how that could mess with the promo if the manager feels like it.
No visa issues, and honestly I like my manager and would think/hope she wouldn’t mind escalating for a salary bump. Unless of course it directly affects her in some way, I’m not too sure how that works.
I thought they only did dive and saves on L6 and up? They wouldn’t dive for me at L5 a few years back.
I wasn’t even aware that dive and saves were a thing, is that a formal process for salary negotiations?
I don’t think it’s formal, but it is a nuclear option. You basically say you have external offer for x and you are leaving because of money. If they won’t save you have to leave.
I don’t think this will work and even if it does it won’t work to the extent you hope. However because Amazon is struggling to retain and attract talent there have been post on here about big increases to pay bands which would go in effect at the same time you’d get promoted. So you might see a substantial pay increase for your promo due to amazons overall shift in compensation strategy
That’s fair, and yeah the pay band increase is nice, and hopefully the bump is good. I’m pretty confident that I could get an external offer in the 250-300 range, but of course time will tell. Any reason in particular you don’t think an offer in that range would be matched? Assuming manager things I’m a high performer and worth retaining. Lots of assumptions, but just wondering why there wouldn’t be a match considering those numbers are within the range that external hires at the same level (and sometimes same yoe would get). Maybe it’s on the higher end, but not positive.
There’s lots of discussion about this in Amazon lounge. Why don’t you join with your Amazon email and read there?
What is the standard l4 to l5 raise for promotion? I’m guessing this is Seattle area compensation
Promo is not negotiable
Hm why do you say that, experience trying/Amazon manager?
Former AWS SWE. I got my promotion, it was shit, left a month later.