Noisy Thinking

Before talking to your boss about the necessity of you having a raise, you have to think logically about your situation in your company.

1. Pose a Question to Yourself if You Really Deserve a Raise: Have you succeed in impressing your boss by solving an important and crucial problem for the company? Have you taken on extra job responsibilities or succeeded in bringing in valuable opportunities to your company? Have you met or exceeded your employer’s expectations?
2. Don’t Mix Effort with Achievement: Just because you’ve been working long hours after work and ignoring that precious work-life division, doesn’t mean you automatically earn a raise. Raises are usually based on meeting or exceeding certain objectives, not only on how much you care about a job or how much you feel you’ve sacrificed. You can have all the heart in the world, but if you don’t meet your employer’s targets, it’s not going to result in a raise.
3. Understand Your Boss’ Point of View: It’s vital to comprehend your place in the system of things and your company’s attitude towards staff turn-over, retention and recruitment. Would you be easy to replace with someone who would require a smaller salary? How much of a budget does your superior have to work with when it comes to salaries and operating costs? Does your boss actually have the authority to give you a raise, or will he or she have to justify it to the higher-ups?
4. Do a Salary Comparison: Find out how your present income compares to other employees with similar jobs and same company volume.
5. Account for Your Achievements: It’s nobody’s job but your own to write your office accomplishments. Write down how you’ve met and exceeded your employer’s expectations. Assign numbers to those achievements as often as you can. What have you contributed to your company’s bottom line?
6. Craft a Memo: Now that you have all this proof of your awesomeness and how much you quantifiably deserve a raise, put it all together in a well-crafted, professional presentation to hand it to your boss during negotiations.
7. Settle on a Precise Number: While there’s some debate as to whether you should give your boss a number first or let him or her initiate the money talk, you should definitely have a specific figure in mind.
8. Have Alternatives: If your boss is not in the position to offer you a cash raise, be ready to throw out some alternative means of compensation. Could you work a four-day work week? What about extra vacation time or a performance-based bonus?
9. Give to Get: One of the most successful strategies in getting a raise is essentially asking for a promotion. If you’re willing to expand your responsibilities in return for greater compensation, both you and your boss may come out of the negotiation with something you want.
10. During a Performance Review: The appropriate time to ask for a raise in your workplace may be during your annual or semi-annual performance review, particularly if you know that you are going to receive a good review. If you’re uncertain about how the review will go, hold off on asking for a raise. Instead, use the review as an opportunity to set specific goals with your manager about what might qualify you for a raise the next time around.
11. Immediately After You Impressed him/her: If your boss has just praised you to high heaven for your work on a major project or initiative, now may be the perfect time to ask for that raise.
12. During the Good Times: Don’t ask for a raise when your company is having financial problems, or your boss is under a ton of pressure.
13. During a Scheduled Meeting: You’ll want to schedule a specific time to meet with your boss about your salary. This kind of negotiation shouldn’t be conducted via email or memos.
14. Anticipate Objections: Think of everything your boss might bring up during the meeting as a reason to not give you a raise—the budget, the timing, your performance, etc. Prepare responses to every possible objection.
15. Remain Calm: At no point, should a salary negotiation become emotional. This is a rational conversation between two adults about your demonstrated value to the company. Do not get angry or aggressive. Do not beg or cry. There’s no crying in business.
16. Do Not Issue a Threat: No good manager will allow him or herself to be blackmailed by an “I’m going to quit” threat. You want to leave. You can be replaced. Your goal is to get the raise, not make your boss angry.
17. Keep Need Out of the Discussion: This isn’t about what you need in your personal life. This conversation is about what you’ve earned in your professional life.
18. Listen: Asking for a raise is a conversation. Your boss may have justifiable reason for not giving you a raise right now. Listen to what he/she is telling you. If he/she can’t offer you a raise for budgetary reasons, could you negotiate an extra week of vacation time?
19. Redouble Your Efforts: If you did not get the raise based on your performance, clarify what your boss’ expectations for you are. Work to exceed those expectations, and document your achievements every step of the way.
20. Write Your Resume: Depending on your situation, not getting that raise may mean that it’s time to look for a new job, or it may not, so just work harder on yourself and If you feel you deserve one then you should apply for an new job.