ALT-1 Get that Raise Making the Case its been too Long
This is a very subjective issue. Some companies do evaluations annually and give raises at that time. If your company gives annual raises and you didn't get one, that is a message you need to heed. You would be smart to ask around and see if others got raises and how much. When I first started working at my last job, I got a raise shortly after I started working there. Then I got another raise at the annual review. This showed me that they really valued me. They always told me to keep my extra raises or bonuses confidential so they wouldn't get harassed by employees who did not get raises or bonuses.
If there is no program of annual reviews and raises, then it's more difficult to know when it has been too long. If you find out that others have gotten raises and you have not, it's time to evaluate your work habits and question how your performance might not be up to snuff. There are two possibilities and you need to look at both honestly. The first is that your work is not good enough, in the eyes of your supervisor, to warrant a raise. The second is that you are simply not being noticed and the work you are doing is not appreciated because no one knows how good you are. In the second case you need to make sure that your immediate supervisor knows what you are doing and how hard you are working. You might talk to her more often just so she knows what you're doing.
In the first case, it might be wise to talk to your supervisor and tell her that you're aware that you haven't gotten a raise in a while and you really want to do the best you can in this job. Does she have any suggestions for you to improve on your work? Really let her know that you would appreciate any guidance because you thought you were doing a good job. It's likely that your supervisor will be honest with you because she has nothing to lose. If she has criticisms, don't get upset but seriously work on them and thank her for helping you with your job.
