How to Negotiate a Raise
It may seem like a bad idea to ask for a raise when the economy is in such a poor state and you believe that you are lucky to have a job in the first place. However, if you think you deserve more money and can come up with enough reasons why that is the case, then it is perfectly possible to get an increase. Consider the followingstrategiesbefore you start to negotiate.
Show how your workload has increased following cuts
Unless you are particularly lucky, your company has almost certainly had to make cuts as a result of the economy. This probably means that your workload has increased substantially. Make a list of all the added responsibilities that you have taken on and all the extra hours you have had to put in. Ideally, you should do this over a period of at least a month so that your boss can see that it is not just a one-off situation. Don’t forget to highlight the fact that you now have added stress, but are managing to cope with it well.
List any qualifications or added experience you have gained
If you haven’t had a raise for a while, it is quite probable that you have gained qualifications or added experience. Make a list of everything that you can think of and then link it to your job. For example, you may have completed a course in PowerPoint presentations and, as a result, are now able to put together a presentation efficiently. If you can’t think of any concrete qualifications that you have gained, think about your experience. Perhaps you are now managing people instead of being managed. Perhaps you have honed your customer service skills. There is undoubtedly plenty that you can highlight if you think about it carefully enough.
Document how your work has led to financial gain
Even better than listing your qualifications and how they are benefiting your job is to document how what you do has resulted in financial gain for the company. This may not be possible for everyone, but for those who are responsible for increasing business, it is an excellent way of giving concrete proof that you deserve a raise. Ideally, this is something that you should do over a period of time so that you can prove to your boss that you are providing ongoing value. If you haven’t brought in more money, perhaps you can point out how you have contributed to cutting costs instead.
Find out how much you should be earning
There are plenty of websites to show how your salarycomparesto other people in your area.Getraised.comis one such site, as issalary.com. If you are based in the UK,payscale.comcan provide you with average UK salaries. If you can prove that your salary is below the average, then you are in a good position to claim a raise. Of course, if you find that your salary is already better than other people’s in similar positions, you will have to work extra hard to prove that you deserve even more because of added responsibilities.
Look for gaps you can fill
If you’re lacking confidence in yourself and your ability to get a raise and want to ensure that your boss takes you seriously, it is worth looking out for ways that you can increase your worth to the company. There are bound to be opportunities to prove your reliability, so be proactive and put yourself forward for new projects before someone else does. It might mean a few extra hours upfront, but it should be worth it in the end. Even if you don’t get the raise, you can use the experience to improve your resume and start applying for other, hopefully better-paid, jobs.
Highlight any praise colleagues and clients have given you
Your boss may not be prepared to accept your word that you have contributed towards the company. Even if the proof is there, he may prefer not to see it, to get out of having to give you a raise. However, you can stop him in his tracks by collecting any praise that you get from colleagues, clients and anyone else you may come across in the course of your job. If you can get someone, particularly a client who is bringing money in to the company, to agree to give you a verbal recommendation, that is even better. Of course, you will need to ensure that you really do deserve the praise before you bring it up.
Getting a raise in a bad economy isn’t an impossibility. It just requires a lot of forethought to ensure that you present yourself in the best possible way.
