If you’re not earning enough to compensate for the efforts and time you put into your job, you may start to feel cheated and demoralized. But, instead of giving up on your job, why not approach your boss and ask for a raise. Who knows? You might get a “yes” from your boss.
The truth is rarely will you see a boss that will willingly raise your pay after realizing your efforts and additional responsibilities. You may have to ask for a raise yourself. This is why it is important that you learn how to ask for a raise from your boss, especially when you know that you truly deserve it.
To help you make the right move when demanding a pay rise from your boss, we have gather some useful tips. Now, take your pen and start to note these tips as we unfold them one after the other:
1. Make your request at the right time
Timing is of great essence when seeking a pay raise from your boss. Try to study the situations in your organization and make your request at a time when you know it will be difficult for your boss to say “no.” Some of the important occasions you can target to bring up the discussion about pay raise with your boss are:
- During yearly appraisals
- During monthly reviews
- After a recent success of which you’re a key player
Once you know you truly deserve it, bringing up the topic at any of those times won’t be difficult for you. If the timing is right and you truly deserve it, your boss will be more than happy to grant your request.
2. Do your research
Before meeting your boss and start throwing around some absurd amounts, make sure you do an in-depth research about the amount earned by people in your position in other relevant organization in your industry. This will give you a better understanding of the monetary value of your work. Once armed with this information, you can do a quick comparison with your current salary before approaching your boss for a raise.
3. Proactively communicate your achievements
Before asking for a raise, be sure you can back it up with verifiable achievements. Do not hide those values you’ve added to the organization in recent times. Rather, you should flaunt them, and back up your claims with data where necessary. If your boss found you’re truly valuable to the organization, raising your salary to compensate for your contributions won’t be a big deal.
4. Focus on why you deserve a raise (not why you need it)
When contemplating to ask for a raise, try to know why you’re doing it. Do not ask for a raise because your living costs have gone up. This won’t fly with your boss. You’re not the only employee in your organization. What if everyone decided to ask for a pay raise for the same reason of increased cost of living? So, instead of giving your boss numerous reasons why you need a pay raise, you should rather convince him or her to see why you truly deserve it.
Conclusion
Not every boss will be ready to appreciate your contributions no matter how glaring they are. So, while planning to ask your boss for a pay raise, you should prepare your mind to take “no” for an answer. However, whatever the outcome of your request, positive or negative, be ready to carry on without losing your enthusiasms. At least, you will be able to know whether or not there are opportunities for career growth in your organization. Once you’ve imbibed the habit of hard work, you can always take your skills and experience elsewhere where you will be better appreciated.
Find these tips useful? We have more career advice, workplace tips, and job search tips on our blog. Don’t forget to check them out!
Photo by Amy Hirschi on Unsplash
