To start, you want to do an honest evaluation of why you deserve a raise. What have you done over the last year (or other amount of time since your last increase) that makes you deserving of more money? Think about things such as sales, cost savings, errors you found, customer or vendor comments about you, how your job has evolved or changed, new responsibilities and so on. It is always the easiest to keep track of all of these changes in a notebook or file somewhere so you can go back and recall them. If you haven’t done that - Make sure you start right away and keep one going always. Consider it your “Pat on the Back” file.
Next, write down the 5 most important items from your list and how they impacted the company or your department as a whole. What would have happened if you had not done it or it was missed? Even though your list may be 50 items long, you want to focus on the top 5 as to not overwhelm the meeting. Usually, this is more than enough.
Finally, schedule some time to meet with your boss or manager. It is easier to have it scheduled than to do a drop by for something like this since you want their full undivided attention. During the meeting, be honest about what you would like to accomplish. Say something like “Thank you for taking some time to meet with me. I wanted to talk with you about a raise. I feel that my impact over the last (amount of time here) has proven my worth and value to the organization. Let me tell you some of the accomplishments that have had the most impact on the company….”
The most important thing to remember is to stay focused. Have an idea of what type of raise you are looking for, what impact you have had and be honest and direct. The worst case scenario is that you hear “No” and you know the answer and can make career decisions from there. By following the tips above on how to ask for a raise at work, you could be increasing your paycheck by next month!
Tags: Money & Salary
