ALT-1 Tips on how to ask for a Raise
Almost everyone looks forward to receiving a raise. In most instances, the real raise seldom lives up to the imagined raise. Employees tend to believe that everyone but them is being paid huge sums of money. They also fancy that their employer is piling up cash because of the employee’s work. Most of the time, these last two issues are sadly mistaken. You can ask for a raise if you believe that you have earned one. The key is to follow a few rules to make the possibility have a better chance of becoming a reality.
Pick a time when you have been on a successful roll for a while.
One of the problems many people have when asking for a raise is that they ask for it when they least deserve it. By picking a time when you have been stringing together a number of successes on the job, your odds of getting the raise are enhanced. During periods when your boss is viewing you as a good performer, you should get a sympathetic hearing of your raise request. Make sure that your attendance has been excellent during this time, too.
Schedule an appointment with the boss.
Very few people like to be interrupted when they are busy. By scheduling an appointment with the boss, you are assured that you will not be intruding at a bad time. It should also mean that the boss has time set aside to give you his or her undivided attention. This will be a favorable thing for you. It means that you will have the opportunity to build your case without having the boss trying to find a way to push you out the door.
Make a list of your strengths and weaknesses.
A list of your weaknesses may be enough to wow the boss into giving you a raise. However, the typical boss will have an equally impressive list of your shortcomings to counter your arguments. By going into the raise meeting with a list of your weaknesses, you should be prepared to defend those weaknesses and possibly turn them into strengths. Do not hand this list to your boss. Use it only as a reference tool as you build your case for a raise.
Strike when the company is on the upswing in profitability.
Companies do sometimes use whining about tough business times to discourage employees from expecting more in their paychecks. The other side of that is that those same companies can rarely resist the urge to crow about making money in a good year. Corporations like to flaunt their high earnings to help support their stock prices. When the company that employs you is boasting about profits, ask for a raise. It can be difficult for them to say no when someone asks for a reasonable raise.
Be willing to take on additional responsibilities.
Employers prefer to link larger raises to promotions and expanded job duties. Make sure that your boss is aware that you would be willing to do more to be paid more. This resonates pretty well with most bosses. They like employees who are willing to do things to make themselves more valuable to the company.
Avoid looking for a raise to offset personal needs.
Whining about personal financial problems is rarely an effective way to get a raise. In fact, it can make you look like a person that should not be working for this company. Companies like employees who are able to keep their personal life on track because they perceive this as an ability to keep their working life in good order, too.
Do not argue for a raise based on comparisons of your work with your coworkers.
Since you have no real way to be sure that you know everything that a coworker does or what that person may mean to the boss, avoid bringing coworker’s efforts into your conversation about a raise. Your raise should be based on what you do in relation to what the company or boss expects you to do. It is your performance that is on display at this meeting. Work hard to keep it that way.
