"Thank you sir."

There are no rules for raises, really. The only thing you might do is check the various resources out there regarding salary:experience in your region. Your bosses probably know this scale better than you.

i think it depends on the firm. i know the one i am currently at gives christmas bonuses based on how much ca$h you saved the firm in relation to how much they made off of the projects you put time in on. but nobody knows how they do it, but i hear they are generous...

however, my last week at that place is next week, and i doubt i will see any of it since i am nailing before bonuses get handed out.

typically bonuses have alot to do with your productivity...

reputation too... establish a high productivity and reputation and you for sure will get an above average bonus... retain the image for several years and you will be set for life.

my company contributes (matching or extra) to my 401k according to overall studio/firm profit and then you get a bonus and according to how well you perform. extra bonuses come when the firm has an exceptional profit gain

then there is perks that could be more than a bonus like free lunch everyday or accomodations and living expense stipend...those are the real starchitects... literally living like a rockstar

typical raise for large firms are 3-5%. They can also be higher if there is a promotion involved or you've done something above/beyond your duties. Bonuses are discretionary and based solely on office/firm profit. This year most got 5% raise and 2 wks pay bonus for the "designer" classificaton. The higher you are on the ladder (associate, Principal, and VP) the higher the bonus. (first time in 3 years bonuses are given out)

I work for a large Corparation.
Yes I am a tie wearing sellout.

My Raise will be 5% min. I want 15 to 20%.

I got a Huge Bonus 15% last year,
This year counting on even more.
This was a good year, ask for the moon what the hell.

for me it was a $3 raise after being there a year. I get the feeling that this won't happen every year, especially since i'm hanging it up this summer to move (grad school)

This past year I got offered the standard 3% COLA raise. Told them that was bull and argued for 10% and wound up around 8.5%.

It never hurts to ask for more than they offer, just make sure you have a reason, i.e. you are a productive member of the firm.

A 3% raise really isnt a raise. You're just keeping pace with inflation. At least that would be my arguement for a higher raise.

I worked for an office which was cheap enough to roll bonuses and raises into one.

Generally just before Christmas they would send out letters to employees at home notifying them of the raise the partners saw fit to give. Thus they avoided Christmas bonuses and ever having employee reviews. I worked four years in that office without once having a review. Some years we recieved a letter simply indicating raises were not going out to anyone. Cheap.