Introduction
“I’m not asking for a raise, but I am asking for a raise.” It might sound like a joke, but this is the truth for many people when it comes to salary negotiations. You might be afraid of coming off as greedy or entitled—and rightly so! But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ask for more money when a promotion or new job offer means you should be earning more. Asking for more money at work can be stressful, but it’s also rewarding and worth it in the long run. Here are five tips on how to make your pitch:
Timing is everything.
The best time to ask for a raise is when you have some good news to share with your boss. If you have been working hard and meeting deadlines, then there’s no reason why your boss shouldn’t reward you with more money. It could be that you recently landed a big client or project that has made sales soar, or perhaps your department has won an award or recognition from the company—there are many different reasons why this would be a good time to ask for a raise.
Another important thing to remember about timing is that it’s better not to wait too long before asking for one. You don’t want to put off asking until it becomes awkward and uncomfortable; if possible, try making the request at least once every six months so that it doesn’t feel like an inconvenience on either side (and so they don’t forget about what they’ve agreed).
The standard advice here is “when in doubt, ask!” Asking for a raise isn’t something you should get nervous about; instead focus on preparing yourself properly beforehand and then showing how much value-addition taking on new responsibilities has brought into your role at work (i.e., “I understand we’re expecting our web traffic numbers soon… Let me know if there’s anything else I can do while we wait!”).
Do the research.
Before you ask for a raise, it’s important to do your research. You’ll want to check the market rate for your job (you can use websites like Glassdoor or PayScale), look at how the company’s financial situation has been doing recently and make sure you’re meeting or exceeding all of your performance goals.
But before any of that, there’s one thing you should always do: ask to see your pay history. If a company won’t give it to you, they’re hiding something—or they just don’t care enough about their employees’ well-being-and neither option is good news either way.
Prove your worth.
If you want to ask for a raise, it’s important that you show your boss that you’re worth more money. That means proving that:
- You’re a valuable employee. Show your boss that you work hard and are an asset to the company. Use examples of when you’ve gone above and beyond what was expected of you in order to help out co-workers or customers—or even just because it was fun! If there are any projects going on at work, share how much time and energy went into them so they can see how much effort went into them (especially if they were perceived as not being very successful).
- You aren’t just a team player but also willing to go the extra mile. Do things outside of normal working hours if necessary; don’t be afraid to put in extra effort when needed (within reason). This is especially true if there are deadlines approaching quickly or major projects on the horizon!
Be confident and balanced.
Confidence is one of the most important things you can have as a professional. When you’re confident in your abilities, it’s easier to ask for more money and benefits. If you don’t think that you’re worth more than what your current position pays, why should anyone else?
In order to be successful at asking for a raise, it’s important that you know exactly what your strengths are and how they’ll benefit the company before asking for a raise. Think about how much time and effort it would take to replace someone like yourself with someone who doesn’t know as much as you do about their job requirement or field of expertise. This is an essential part of being able to ask for a raise when there is no financial justification available within the company because they simply cannot afford extra compensation unless there are compelling reasons why they should pay more than normal employees based on performance records alone (which rarely happens).
Make your pitch.
Now that you have a clear idea of what kind of raise you want, it’s time to craft your pitch.
In your conversation:
- Be specific about why you deserve the raise. Explain what exactly makes you deserving? What have you done for this company? Have any projects or goals been completed recently? Why do these things make you a valuable employee? Be ready with examples if needed!
- Be specific about why they need to give it to me—and also how they will benefit from giving me this raise / bonus / promotion. This can include things like improved productivity due to less stress (and therefore less burnout), helping them achieve their strategic goals more quickly, bringing in outside revenue from existing relationships or clients I’ve worked with before…the possibilities are endless! Just make sure there’s some value here for both parties involved!
Know your boss’ decision style.
Your boss may have a different decision style than you do, so it’s important to understand how they like to be approached.
- Do they like surprises? If your boss likes a surprise, wait until the last minute and spring the raise request on them. This will be much more difficult for them to say no to if they feel taken off guard.
- Are they planners? If your boss likes structure and planning ahead, give them plenty of notice about when you’ll need that raise so they can plan around it. That said, don’t give away all of your bargaining chips—you want to wait until the very end of this process before asking for a raise if possible!
- Do they want control over everything? This kind of person might want total control over whether and when you get a raise…so why not let them make that decision? Ask what their policy is with raises (and other topics), then craft an email explaining exactly how much money you think would be appropriate based on those policies. If necessary, point out some accomplishments or reasons why now is good timing for such an increase based on something specific happening at work (like recent successes). Then just sit back and let those things happen!
Make sure you ask for a raise in the best possible way
In order to make the most of your request, you should do the following:
- Ask for a raise when you are doing well at work. While asking for a raise may seem obvious, many people ask for raises when they have performed poorly or have not been at their jobs long enough to deserve such an increase. This is not ideal because it will make your company feel like you’re asking them (and possibly other employees) to pay more money simply on account of your tenure and not necessarily your skillset or performance. If possible, try to wait until after three months before even thinking about requesting an increase in salary—that way, it feels less like an “advance” and more like something that was earned through hard work over time.
- Ask for a raise when you have a good reason that justifies needing one now rather than later. For example: Your company has just landed several large clients which means there is more work than ever before; or perhaps there has been some kind of change within your department that warrants higher compensation due to increased responsibilities (e.g., hiring new employees). This approach shows what value we bring by being able to quantify it with specific numbers based on facts instead of opinions alone!
Conclusion
That’s it! Asking for a raise can be nerve-wracking, but it doesn’t have to be. Remember that you are worth it. You deserve more money because of your hard work and dedication. When asking for a raise, try not to focus on what other people are making at the company or whether they deserve more than you do. Instead, think about how much value you bring to your workplace and how much more valuable you can be if they give you more money!
You can also look at this as a
negotiation. Here is a great article on the subject that works well with your preparation. If you are looking for a script, here is another
good read.
If they reject your request or come back with an answer that isn’t what you were hoping for (which is common), then don’t get discouraged—just keep trying until someone gives in or offers something better than what they offered before so both parties feel satisfied with the outcome of negotiations!
