EP chance - Large Salary Increment (Marketing)

[tempah]

Hey guys,

I have heard a few stories of EPs on this forums getting rejected due to a salary increment being quite high, and of course it does bring up that concern for me.

For context, I have been in Singapore for two years and I work at a big MNC Advertising Agency on an SPass currently.

I started as an Associate ($3250), and was promoted in January as a Senior Associate ($3750), I then worked on a big client who will be changing their Ad Agency to Agency X.

Agency X, reached out to me on the recommendation of the client and have offered me a managerial position ($6300), which is way more than I had thought would be offered. I've accepted this offer and the EP is proceeding soon.

A few factors for added info:

Education: Masters (Marketing)
Relevant Work Experience: 5 years
Age: 29
Nationality: British
Current and Potential employers both MNCs.

So, I would say what is a concern for me is the 68% salary increment in the role. The HR has reassured me its not an issue but when I do see a few cases such as on these forums there is a little bit of doubt.

Does anybody have any experience they can shed on this topic? It would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!

[singaporeflyer]

Hey guys,

I have heard a few stories of EPs on this forums getting rejected due to a salary increment being quite high, and of course it does bring up that concern for me.

For context, I have been in Singapore for two years and I work at a big MNC Advertising Agency on an SPass currently.

I started as an Associate ($3250), and was promoted in January as a Senior Associate ($3750), I then worked on a big client who will be changing their Ad Agency to Agency X.

Agency X, reached out to me on the recommendation of the client and have offered me a managerial position ($6300), which is way more than I had thought would be offered. I've accepted this offer and the EP is proceeding soon.

A few factors for added info:

Education: Masters (Marketing)
Relevant Work Experience: 5 years
Age: 29
Nationality: British
Current and Potential employers both MNCs.

So, I would say what is a concern for me is the 68% salary increment in the role. The HR has reassured me its not an issue but when I do see a few cases such as on these forums there is a little bit of doubt.

Does anybody have any experience they can shed on this topic? It would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!

Should be OK i guess.

[sundaymorningstaple]

I agree. It sounds like your where being taken advantage of in your previous position, relative to your education.

[tempah]

Thanks for the input guys!

[Addadude]

First of all, congrats on the promotion and the new job.

As SMS said, you were probably underpaid in your first role. (Not unusual at all for the ad industry.) In fact, if you had continued to stay on at your agency you'd probably find that, even when you are promoted, your salary increment for each promotion would be pretty low compared to what you could get changing companies. Just the way the business works.

So, as others have said, this shouldn't be a problem when applying for your EP.

On a career note, moving into a 'management' position (assuming you'll have people reporting to you) will be quite different from being a sole contributor. You might want to bone up on management techniques online or via some books as agencies are notoriously bad at providing management training.

[tempah]

First of all, congrats on the promotion and the new job.

As SMS said, you were probably underpaid in your first role. (Not unusual at all for the ad industry.) In fact, if you had continued to stay on at your agency you'd probably find that, even when you are promoted, your salary increment for each promotion would be pretty low compared to what you could get changing companies. Just the way the business works.

So, as others have said, this shouldn't be a problem when applying for your EP.

On a career note, moving into a 'management' position (assuming you'll have people reporting to you) will be quite different from being a sole contributor. You might want to bone up on management techniques online or via some books as agencies are notoriously bad at providing management training.

Thanks for your response! Seems you're pretty familiar with the way Ad Agencies work as everything you said has been spot on

Indeed would take multiple promotions to reach the same salary level vs just switching to another agency.

Good to know the EP shouldn't cause any red flags that can't be reasoned or explained. And thank you for the career advice, indeed will have a team of my own which will be a great experience for me. Do you have any reading recommendations off the top of your head? And for sure, agencies have have poor formal training in general, just learning as we go!

[sundaymorningstaple]

With around 20 years in the industry, yeah, he's pretty clued in.

[Addadude]

Do you have any reading recommendations off the top of your head? And for sure, agencies have have poor formal training in general, just learning as we go!

Can't say I can think of any immediately but I think just about any people management book would suffice at this stage, especially if you'll be managing non-creatives. Managing creatives is a whole different story ( ) and probably requires a degree in psychology...

The only extra tips I can provide are:

1. Learn how and when to delegate. This is one of the toughest things to learn as you move into people management. The temptation will be to try and do everything yourself as you'll think it will be faster. Don't make that mistake.

2. Until you really get to know your team, over explain when you are asking them to do things. What might seem perfectly clear to you in your head could well be totally opaque to them. It's better to risk being pedantic at first then to end up unintentionally confusing people. (Note this is not the same as micromanaging which is a big no no.)

3. When your people come to you with their ideas, take a mental step backwards. These ideas may not be what you had in mind at all when briefing them - but that doesn't mean that they are not perfectly viable. Different people think differently and solve problems differently. That's a huge strength, not a weakness. (This was the hardest thing for me to learn as a leader.)

You will make a lot of mistakes as new leader but that is to be expected. Learn and grow from them. Good luck!

[Addadude]

With around 20 years in the industry, yeah, he's pretty clued in.

I wish it was just 20! More like 30! (But then I started when I was 5...)

[sundaymorningstaple]

With around 20 years in the industry, yeah, he's pretty clued in.

I wish it was just 20! More like 30! (But then I started when I was 5...)

I keep forgetting how long I've been here.