Asking for a raise can be difficult for some. Before you decide to take a drastic step because you aren't earning enough money, learn how to ask for one. Sometimes you can talk your present employer into recognizing that you're a valuable corporate asset who deserves recognition.
Get a counteroffer. It sometimes works. If you don't, it's a time-consuming and risky chicken game. You have to go to the trouble of getting another job. Before you do that, you'd better make sure you're willing to take it. Even if you don't ruin your chances of ever working for the new guys, your strategy may backfire with the old ones.
Think about it. If you were an employer, how comfortable would you feel with someone who was out the door until you came up with a 30% raise?
Threaten to leave. Your employer may have budget concerns you don't know about, and may be willing to bid you a tearful goodbye rather than increase expenditures. Don't think you're too valuable to let go.
Just ask. Make a persuasive case and present it. Don't do it at a performance review. You'll be on the defensive then. Don't do it when you've just found out that someone was hired from the outside to do a job just like yours for 150% of your salary. You'll be, justifiably, too angry to negotiate.
Write down a list of your achievements that you feel make you deserve more money, organize them into a memo and let a few friends review it to make sure you're conveying a respectful yet confident tone. Look at salary surveys and want ads online and in professional journals to gather factual evidence-beyond that new hire-that other people doing what you do in your industry are paid more. Don't focus on the fact that you need the money. Concentrate on why you deserve it, and why getting it will make you more productive.
Then wait until you're feeling particularly valuable, and make an appointment with your boss. You don't want to blindside him or her. Say what it's about and, if your boss is literate, forward a copy of the memo.
Figure out what you want, and what you'll settle for. It never hurts to start with a higher number. Figure out, too, what else you can ask for if you're refused. A performance-based bonus? Extra vacation time? Seats in the corporate luxury box?
Plan your next step if you need one. Your immediate supervisor may not be in control of the budget. If you think he or she will plead your cause to those who are, be patient. If not, consider going over the boss's head. You have to know the players to know whether that's dangerous. Maybe you have a friend in high places who isn't in your chain of command, who can put in a good word for you where it's needed.
Ask for a promotion instead. That's easy if you know of a vacancy above you. If not, and if you're willing to take on new responsibilities in return for the extra money, propose restructuring your job. This works especially well if your boss likes you and is looking for ammunition to present to the higher-ups.
Be creative. Consult this page for one unorthodox approach. There are others.
Look elsewhere internally. If you're in a large company, you may find a better opportunity in a different department. You probably won't get 30% more on an internal transfer, but there may be another position that's just different enough from yours to warrant a higher grade.
If you lose. If you're so angry that you dislike your job or your employer, this is the time to look elsewhere. If you're not that desperate, don't give up. Leave your channels of communication open. Listen to the reasons that were given for turning you down, and look for opportunities to turn them in your favor. If you were told, "We haven't gotten any big deals lately, so we're hurting," you may be able to ask down the line, "Now that we've gotten that great Wal-Mart contract, could you reconsider that raise?" Even if nothing's changed, ask again in a couple of months.
If you win. You have to be grateful, and you have to work extra hard to show it was a good decision. But wasn't it worth it?
Article provided by Homesteader
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