Has it been a long time since you negotiated your salary? Or maybe you didn’t before? Do you feel inside that your work, you have added a real value to your employer that deserves a salary increase? If you feel that the years of experience you have are worth more than you currently earn, you should probably consider asking for a pay raise. Take a look at the perfect ways to make this wish come true.
What is the Best Time to Ask for a Pay Raise?
Everything comes in its perfect time, especially when it is related to salary and to improving your living conditions. Did you stand in front of your boss more than once and told yourself you are going to talk now, and then you hesitated? Asking for a pay raise is not an easy demand. You should wait for the right moment. You may wait months or even years, before asking for an increase you deserve other than the usual bonuses you receive from time to time. In this article you will find some tips that will guide you to know how to request a pay raise.
Looking for more Job related tips? Fratres will help you along the way.
Consider the Financial Situation of the Organization
Asking for a pay raise is related to several conditions, among them the organization’s financial situation. If your organization is achieving large profits, this might be the right time to request a pay raise. If the organization is a stagnant phase, these are no secret to anyone. The crisis will be marked by a reduction in employment, salary delays, and you may even have access to financial reports. Then, you should forget about asking for a pay raise.
Consider the Annual Increase in Salaries
Many organizations make an annual increase for all their employees at a certain time of the year. This annual bonus depends on several reasons such as a holiday, the company’s annual anniversary. It can be also conditioned by the employer’s estimation of the employee’s job performance. Try to ask for a pay raise, before this annual gift approaches. Your request to increase your salary prior to this procedure is possible, as employers may consider your request. But, it doesn’t make sense to take this step, after your organization has already raised the wages.
Take Advantage of Your Success
If you have successfully completed a huge project, or just made a big deal, this may be the time to request a pay raise. Although your employer may have knowledge of your overall job, he may not be aware of the efforts you have actually put into this achievement. Even if your employer has rewarded you for the achievements, try to convince your employer to turn this reward into a fixed pay raise you can receive every month. This might sound like a greedy demand. But, since you are the maker of this breakthrough, you have the total right to list your wish in return.
Compare with Other Employees
You should have a good idea of how competitive salaries are in your field. It is very inappropriate to ask someone directly about their salary. That’s why you need to conduct an online research or ask the question in online forums, where veteran employees can give you the right answer about how much they earn and how long it takes for them to get the pay raise. Once you collected the necessary information, you can be more confident to ask for a pay raise, as other employees have previously obtained it.
Prepare your Justifications
List your specific reasons to ask for a pay raise. They can include; achievements, additional responsibilities or contributions with others. You can also state the professional development you have reached, the new strategies you have adopted, and the way your performance has improved through time. You can prepare a list that includes the professional raise from which you shifted in the level.
How Should I ask for a Pay Raise?
Now you have come to the right step concerning a pay raise. You should follow these tips without being very insistent on your request. This demand can be through:
- A meeting, in which you can negotiate your current salary and ask for a pay raise
- A letter, in which you can state your reasons for boosting your salary
1.Do not email Your Request
It is better not to email your request. You cannot guarantee if your employer is checking emails on a person or his own PA or secretary who does this mission. It will not be very appropriate, if your request is delivered through another person. That’s why it is not recommended to ask for a pay raise through emails. It is better to recommend a meeting in which you can discuss your payment in a private atmosphere.
2. Prepare Yourself for the Conversation
Meeting your boss for payment discussion requires a set of preparations. Each workplace has its own dress code. But, the most essential step is to look confident and know how to break the news to your employer. Train yourself on making sustainable conversations with your employer. Start talking about the organization in general moving to your situation at work.
3. Just focus on yourself.
It is not professional to compare your salary with others, even if you had made some prior research and investigated their pay raise. It is not a question of people. Each employee is an independent situation. Each one has his/ her own reasons to reach that level. That’s why your conversation should be self-centered and don’t turn it into a comparison chart.
Use your Personal Life as a Final Reason
Your desire to increase your salary may be related to family expenses and economic challenges that many employees want to improve. That’s why your pay raise is not only based on professional backgrounds. It should target your personal life, since the latter can affect your performance, if it wasn’t fixed. You can keep your personal reasons as the final steps to justify your need to raise your salary, so that you become more focusing on your work and less worried about your personal finances.
These were the different steps to ask for a pay raise and when and how you should ask for this request.