Asking For A Raise

Class Location: The Internet.

Description: This course is designed to help students ask for a raise.

Objective: Learn the proper way and time to ask for a raise.

So, you’ve decided you deserve a raise. You’ve done your homework and figured out how much others in the industry make for the same position. You’ve outlined your accomplishments and prepared yourself to respond to your supervisor’s objections. You’ve determined the best time to make your approach, and you’re now ready to throw yourself into the snake pit. A few suggestions can help you through that intimidating meeting.

• Clean yourself up a bit. Dress nicely. Look tidy and professional.
• Anticipate that the conversation won’t go exactly as you planned, and be prepared to keep up with whatever direction it takes. You should be ready to respond easily to any opposition from your supervisor. If you can, start the conversation by explaining the reasons you deserve a raise.
• Outline your accomplishments on paper, and bring a hard copy you can hand to your supervisor. Be specific but brief. You don’t want to talk your boss to death.
• Don’t mention numbers until your boss does. You don’t want to undersell yourself if he has a higher number in mind. Be prepared with information on what others in the industry are making, but don’t compare your salary to that of your co-workers. You don’t want to seem petty or competitive with your team members.
• If you have to negotiate, ask for slightly more than what you really expect to get. But don’t be greedy. Go with a couple percent more of an increase than you think is reasonable. This way, you leave yourself room to give but could end up with more than you hoped for.

Even if you’re unsuccessful in this meeting, you’ve opened the dialog. Ask to schedule another meeting when you have a few more accomplishments under your belt. Be confident, but not whiny or arrogant. If nothing else, you’ve planted the seed, and if you’ve done it well, you may soon reap the rewards.