What are reasonable expectations w.r.t. salary?

Question

Hello:

I work as a data scientist in the field of finance. For my first year I got 125K base, 15K bonus, 5K sign-on. I just had my first yearly-review (I've only ever worked for myself or for temporary jobs before this), and I got the best possible score. My manager said he "doesn't know what this will mean in terms of salary". So, I'm writing to ask those that got favorable reviews, did you get a pay bump? If so, how much was it? I'm just trying to calibrate my expectations/not get too excited. Thanks!

Answer 1

What state are you in where the starting salary is that high?

Don't expect a huge pay bump. The only time your salary really goes up is if you move up the ladder, and or job transition. Those go up by 30-35% each time, or it's not worth the move.

I think I got a 6-12k bump, without moving up positions. inflation adjusted as a regular Software developer.

Answer 2

2-5 percent raise without a promotion 5-15 percent with a promotion. Large increases usually indicate that you were severely underpaid before (more likely) or on an executive track (much less likely). This may come as a shock to you, but this is the norm across major US companies. If your skills have really improved, changing companies is often the way to realize it for employees below VP/L7