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Wait For The Right Moment. The right time to
ask for a raise is right after you’ve achieved
something signifcant, for example, completed
a tough project under budget or when your boss or
other key person has complimented you. If money
is tight in the company and you have not made any
signifcance contributions lately to help ofset that
problem, now may not be a good time to ask for a
larger share of a dwindling pool of money. Timing
also refers to the company’s policies and procedures
in terms of the amount of time between reviews and
raises and when it’s “acceptable” to ask for a raise.
Broach The Topic Professionally And Stay
Emotionally Neutral. Be professional, polite, and
respectful. Always negotiate your salary with
your direct superior. Never go above his or her head
or to the Human Resources department. Set up a
meeting with your boss to address this topic. That way
you’ll know how much time you have and your boss
won’t be taken by surprise.
Dress For Success. On the day of your meeting,
dress as you would for a job interview or
business conference. You may even want to
develop a script to follow. Just keep it fexible. When
making your case, don’t compare yourself to co-
workers—stick to the feld in general. Anticipate any
objections the employer might be able to raise and be
prepared to justify your cost-efectiveness.
Ask for What You Want. When asking for
anything in life, you should be certain you
know what you want. Otherwise, you’re leaving
the decision up to someone else and you may come
out dissatisfed. You can’t be shy about asking to be
paid what you’re worth. Give your boss an estimate of
how much your eforts add to the company’s bottom
line. Ground your proposal on objective criteria.
Create a one pager that includes comparables
and, at the bottom, estimate your fair market
value in light of those comparables. That
will help convince your boss and give your boss
something to show to higher-ups to justify giving
you a raise. That one-pager will also add to your
confdence in the negotiation.
Present an Outline of Your Accomplishments.
Use as many details as possible, such as
numbers and facts. You’ll want to take fve
to seven of your most recent or biggest-impact
contributions and present them in a bulleted list.
Most bosses are interested in numbers. If you are in
marketing, how do the things you do put proft on
the bottom line? If you are an administrator, how do
you make money for the company, or, how do you
save money for the company and how much of that
savings drops directly into the proft margin of the
organization?
Stay Positive. Talk about how you are happy in
your current job. . Focus on what you deserve
rather than what you need. Emphasize the
benefts of your skills to the company. Don’t present
your current salary/position as a problem.
Don’t Monopolize the Conversation. Know when
to listen. Yes, you’ve arranged this meeting and
you’re there to tell your side but don’t dominate
the discussion. Say what has to be said and then
listen. Listen closely and give your employer plenty of
room to talk. Often the more time people are given
to talk, the more they will say—even just to fll that
silence.
In addition, it is important that you listen to all
your boss has to say. You want to be cooperative,
not demanding and combative. You will likely gain
an understanding of how things work within the
company and what the company is both willing and
able to do in your favor.
Be Flexible And Open to Other Options.
Consider negotiating for perks. Maybe a pay
raise won’t fy at the moment, in part because it
would involve extra taxes and workers’ compensation
for your employer. But you can ask for other things,
including an extra week of vacation, extra personal
days, education benefts, etc. So include and discuss
other types of compensation that would be valuable
to you.
Have an Exit Strategy. Express your
understanding of the boss’s position. If
your request for a raise is denied, try to fnd
out where you can improve so that next time you
ask, your boss will have no choice but to reward your
eforts.
Confrm the Details in Writing. Write
a follow-up memo after the meeting,
summarizing the meeting, demonstrating
your value, and highlighting your accomplishments
and send the memo to your boss as documentation.
Document any salary promises. If you were not able
to obtain an increase in salary, fnd out when you
will be able to revisit the issue. Be prepared to ofer
suggestions of what the next steps should be.
Negotiating a Salary Raise
Negotiating salary is, for most people, the hardest part of the job process and the cause of
considerable anxiety. The key is to be prepared, reasonable and confdent.
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Marsha A. Ostrer
From: http://www.articlebase.com