A pay raise is a motivation for an employee. It is a recognition that shows that you are of some value to the organization and that your work is strong. It is a way a company could increase its employee morale. When an employee applies for a job in a company or an organization, he does it for some reasons, the reasons definitely include fair pay but nobody joins a company to be in the same position forever. The ultimate aim of doing a job for an employee is “Self-Growth” and seeing the money in his/her account getting multiplied.
This is why when most employees ask their employers for a decent raise, it’s because they feel that they are an asset of the organization which has been contributing to achieving organizational goals and are of a greater value than what their regular pay reflects. They feel like they deserve much better and it is absolutely normal to ask for a raise. There is nothing wrong with trying hard and being great at your job. It’s okay to be ambitious.
Being an employee of the company, you may hesitate in asking for a raise but this why we have this article to make that easier for you while sounding professional. You cannot directly approach your boss by saying that, “I want a salary raise.” You might get an answer like, “Okay sure, no worries, you will get it…when you get more experience.”
Some Skills that You Require In Order To Ask For a Raise
- Negotiation Skills: It means settling differences and come to a conclusion where both parties are satisfied.
- Proactive Communication Skills: It means being confident in your speech and being presentable so that you can prove your point.
- Professionalism: It means being polite and calm by maintaining that superior and subordinate gap.
Dont’s of Asking for a Raise
- Do not give an ultimatum that is, “I want a raise or else I quit.” This is a sign of being extremely unprofessional by sounding irrelevant.
- Do not bring others down in the process of showcasing yourself.
- Do not compare your pay to your co-workers.
- Do not get emotional or make it sound personal.
- Do not make up false job offers from other companies as they can get you in trouble.
- Do not take undue credit for work that you did not do.
Guide to Asking For a Raise
Some employees don’t ask for a raise because they think that their efforts should be seen by their managers themselves. Their hard work should pay off without pointing it out, which is fair. But you should know that your bosses have information about all the hard work that you have been doing and you still need to keep your point that describes why you deserve a salary raise.
Your Pitch should answer the question that ‘Why you deserve a raise?’ In order to craft your pitch for asking for the raise, let us now see how you can ask for a raise and get positive results:
1) Start with a research
Do online research of what is the current value of the work that you have been doing in other organizations that are in your city. This way you will find out if you are being underpaid and you can use this information in your favor during your pitch by being reasonable.
2) Gather all the data and Talk numbers
Research all about the background work you did. Make a note of every time your company was benefitted from your work and effort. Know the exact number of contracts that you turned into a positive deal, the exact number of clients you brought in business, the exact number of visitors that turned into customers, and the exact number of projects that you have worked on so far. Keep a track record of every amazing work that you did and are doing and don’t add any false information. Keep it real and come up with honest numbers.
3) Always Pick a Right time
Knowing when to ask for a raise is also a very important aspect of actually getting a raise because there are multiple possibilities that you can get rejected even after your pitch was great, just because of bad timing. You have to be emotionally and mentally intelligent about your timing.
Seek an opportunity when your boss is happy and is in the mood to listen to whatever you have to say. You can also put your pitch when you have successfully completed a project because there is a fair chance that your boss won’t refuse it.
Avoid asking for a raise in a situation where your company is facing a loss or is not doing well financially or just failed to meet a target.
4) Learn to Negotiate
As you read above, it is important to know how to negotiate. You and your manager will not always be on the same page about the decision. The manager may try to weaken your pitch by adding things like, “With the increase of raise, your responsibilities will also increase.”
Convince the manager that you are aware of all the responsibilities that will come along with it and that you are ready to work much more efficiently to justify the salary raise you want.
Set a target, the exact amount by which you want to get a raise. Keep communicating with your manager, so that he is aware of your progress.
5) What to say while asking for a raise
Be polite, professional and specific when you ask for a raise. Your start sentence could be:
“Sir, I have been working for the same pay for a long time, I would really appreciate a raise looking at my past results and work performance. I would like to share my accomplishments if we may talk about adjusting my salary in accordance with my contribution to this company.”
“I really think I am doing exceptionally well in my job and so I am hoping we can raise my pay to Rs. (specific amount of raise that you want).”
“I have been working really hard and I have successfully achieved the contract target that led to a 15% increase in profits. I’d be happy if my salary aligns with the sort of work that I am contributing to the company.”
“I would appreciate it if you take out some of your time to review my performance record with respect to my pay. Kindly let me know whenever you are free to talk about it.”
6) Share your goals with your manager
This is where your proactive communication skills will do the work for you. Discuss your long-term goals with your superiors. Explain to them that the reason you are a part of that company is that you saw your growth here. Let them know about your accomplishments and have an open conversation stating why do you want a raise. Ask them how you can get better at your work. If you are working at a higher level than what actually your work is then mention it in your conversation.
This can turn out to be really helpful and bring you a step closer to your raise.
7) State the After-Effects
In order to give a positive end to your pitch, mention how effectively and efficiently you will work after getting the raise. Discuss your future goals for the company, talk about your vision of future projects that you will be working on with the company, how will you contribute to the company in achieving more profits and bringing more clients in to invest in the company. This will reflect how much you love and value your work.
It would be a matter of joy and great achievement if you get that raise, but do not get demotivated or discouraged if you get ‘no’ as an answer. There is always a better opportunity and better time for you. Ask your manager what skills do you lack, work on that feedback, and get better at what you are doing right now.
If you are doing the work and you know that you have those skills then it is time for you to leave for your own betterment and get a job where you get value for your work. Search for a job that meets your aspirations. Keep your morale high.
Conclusion
To sum up, remember that you carefully build your case with the perfect timing of presenting it with all the numbers and records. A role-play to your pitch is always an option that will help you practice and anticipate future possibilities. Know your worth, be determined for what you want, and always keep your focus on why you deserve a raise. I hope that you ace the race of getting that raise.
I hope this article helps you and do leave your comments below of what you think of this article. Share this article with the people you know who are wanting to get a raise in their job.
References
- https://nsuworks.nova.edu/hcbe_facarticles/432/
- https://search.proquest.com/openview/c8b0bd393d4e758f0e67bc51ef694797/1.pdf?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=41065
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Sandeep Bhandari is the founder of PrepMyCareer.com website.
I am a full-time professional blogger, a digital marketer, and a trainer. I love anything related to the Web, and I try to learn new technologies every day.
All the team management, content creation, and monetization tasks are handled by me. Together with the team at PrepMyCareer, the aim is to provide useful and engaging content to our readers.