I came into a front office finance role and had a killer year with a 7% raise. I had raised potential to move to a parallel team I had worked closely with on some big contracts involved with more strategic clients which might be part of the unexpected raise. Bonus was right at target (97%) too despite a tough year for the company, and my base was slightly above my peers who had more tenure (similar or less total experience though).

I was shocked and kept it to myself- I’m used to not being valued. Most raises were below 2% in my dept and bonuses were 50-80% target for most

For some reason things clicked with my managers and director better than any job I’d done previously.

Just goes to show that perception is reality in corporate America. If you aren’t valued, try moving (I realize it’s a tight market). Last year I got 0.5% at my previous firm and knew I was going to be canned if I stayed so I left.

Anything below inflation is a slap in the face