<prompt> Human: I have been working at my current job software engineer for almost 2 years now at a pretty well established company. I feel that when I started out I started at a salary pretty low for the type of company I am working for in the area. I also have yet to get a pay raise. I started with a large group of people and most of them have already received at least one, if not multiple, as well as promotions. It has nothing to do with job performance. All of my reviews have been positive, to the point where my manager is trying to groom me into a team lead. The problem is that in my 20ish months with the company, I have had 4 different direct managers, and similar situations above them. Because of this, I think that my manager doesnt really realize my situation.I am currently working on a major project that will end in about a month. When it ends, I feel I will definitely have earned a raise, and will initiate a talk with my manager regarding one. I have a number in mind, but it would be 15 raise. I feel that this number is fair for my age with my experience in my field in the area, however since I started low to begin with it looks like a rather large pay increase. In reality though, I am the lowest paid person on my team, training people who make about this much because they started with grad degrees and I only have a B.S.. At my company, these employees are treated identically with the exception of initial pay.I have 2 questions. First, without any sort of hard evidence to prove my claims or any other offers from other companies, is it possible to receive a high raise like that based solely on job performance and what I mentioned above?Second, if my manager denies my request but offers me something lower, is there anything I can do to let him know that I am serious about this number? Would denying his offer and telling him I will begin to search for other jobs offering that much cause him to reconsider?TL;DR: Having raise conversation soon, how do I negotiate a deserved fairly sizable salary increase?  <response>: I was in a similar situation. Like you, it was the result of starting low and negotiating to a market rate. It can be done; I negotiated a 27 raise 55-70k in a technology consulting firm. My experience was with a small-medium sized company, 250 employees where I had good relationships with my boss, boss boss, and HR. Perhaps its not a completely analogous situation, but Ill share what worked for me. Do your homework to know what youre asking is reasonable. As AuditorTux said, get your hands on salary guides. One I especially liked is from Robert Half Technology They gives you a baseline plus multipliers based on individual skills, geographic location, etc. My job description at the time was a combination of multiple positions so I included a bump for having to use multiple skillsets. Have these numbers in your back pocket but they should not be your sole argument in these negotiations. Think about the value you provided for your employer or your clients. Think about these projects that youve been leading. How many people, how big was the budget? Did you save them or a client some serious money? Earned certifications or awards? Have you improved some internal processes? In the consulting world, have you exceeded your billable hour goals? Brought in new or repeat business? Gone above and beyond in any particular way? Now that youve brainstormed your accomplishments, write them down in short bulletpoints you can speak to. Can you quantify these in dollars? I prioritized the most impressive accomplishments that provided the most value to my employer at the top of my list. Prepare and rehearse your main points like you would giving a presentation. You ARE giving a presentation, one that could net you thousands of dollars a year! Sell yourself. Its uncomfortable for most people, but youll have to toot your own horn a bit. Remember, they dont care why you need more money, what they pay other people, or what you found in some salary guide from bullet 1. Demonstrate that youve provided value to them, thus earned more money.My experience was in a promotion meeting, so it was a little different. My boss congratulated me and offered a paltry raise 5? given the substantial title change. Before he could shuffle me out the door as he intended, I expressed my sincere gratitude for the increase and said I would like to take a moment to review my accomplishments. I went into my prepared points, and then countered with 75k, hoping to settle on 70k, which we did after he mulled it over for a week. I avoided using percentages in my counter, and I learned theres definitely some truth to the anchoring effect.As for how YOU can bring it up, I suggest setting aside some time on your boss calendar to discuss your career. Give your boss time to prepare so youre not bombarding them at the water cooler not that you would.Good luck. 