WorkToLiveNetwork.Net

How to Ask for a Raise

Written on May 8, 2009 by Will Irvin

Filed Under: Working To Live

If you are like many working people today, you would like to make more money at your current job.  Who wouldn’t?  Maybe you’ve been on the low end of the spectrum relative to your co-workers when raises are handed out, or maybe you’ve been passed over for promotion while others are moving ahead.  Perhaps you’ve seen your workload increase with no corresponding increase in compensation.  Whatever your reasons are, you are always entitled to ask for a raise.  The keys are how you approach it, and how you handle the answer you get.

Approaching the Situation

The Timing

Sometimes just breaching the subject of getting a raise can trigger an unpleasant reaction from your boss.  This is just something you have to be aware of and move past.  Finding the proper timing for your request can increase your chances of being successful, however.  For instance, asking for a raise right after you’ve just completed a big project on time (or even early) is a good time to consider asking for a raise.  Another good time to ask for a raise is right after you’ve gotten a good or excellent performance review.  However, the day after you’ve called in sick to go and play golf probably isn’t the best time to ask for a raise.  (If you make a habit of this, you shouldn’t be asking for a raise at any time, honestly).

How to Ask for It

So, you’ve picked your timing carefully, and you now have the attention of your boss.  How do you go about asking for a raise?  It’s very simple, really.  You make a list of the reasons why you deserve one, and you lay them out clearly before the boss.  If you’ve taken on more responsibility, list the new tasks you have been performing, and show how well you’ve shouldered the additional load.  If you feel that you have been looked over in favor of others, feel free to express that and be prepared to show examples of why you feel you are at least as, if not more so, deserving than the ones who have advanced or gotten raises instead of you.  There’s no need to be defamatory or insulting, but you can certainly illustrate performance differences between yourself and your co-workers in a professional manner.

How to Handle the Answer

Handling a “yes” answer is the easy part.  All you have to do from that point forward is continue to do your job well, and strive to do it even better.  If you get a sizable raise or promotion, your boss is going to expect you to step up your game a bit to prove you deserved it.  The hard part is what to do when the answer is “no.”  The key to handling this situation is to go in to the situation with a plan regarding what you will do if the answer is no.  You have to go in with the willingness to quit your job if the answer is no.  You don’t necessarily have to actually quit, but you should prepare your mind for that possibility.  Particularly if your boss is one of those who would go ahead and fire you just for asking, assuming that you are going to be a “problem employee” from then on, if you already have in mind that you are going to walk out, you won’t be as shocked.

So, go ahead and ask for that raise.  More than likely, you deserve it.  Just be careful to approach the situation carefully, and be prepared for whatever answer you get.  Lastly, remember that if you don’t ask, the answer’s automatically no.