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How to Get the Raise You Deserve – Top 12 Tips for Getting a Raise

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How to get the pay raise you deserve

Here are 12 ways to go about raising your earnings.

  1. Record your accomplishments: It is up to you to prove what you are worth. Set aside a regular time weekly to list down your most recent activities, focusing on ways you have increased productivity and/or lowered costs. Think in terms of numbers – money signs, percentages and even “kudos” in writing from your boss. These are facts at your disposal when you next sell yourself for the best possible terms when asking for a raise.
  2. Develop your power of persuasion: This is really easier said than done. Approximately 95 per cent of all executives consider the ability to persuade – to win others over – to be a key attitudinal factor in success. It is also the only way open to you to win a discussion on salary, so read up on the subject or take a course in persuasive speaking or do both.
  3. Change your image: An attractive, well-groomed person is more likely to get the job, promotion and handsome salary raise. Consider investing in career fashion and related expenses like good haircuts, facials and exercise classes.
  4. Know when to make a move: When you know it’s time that your personal review is due, approach your superior a month earlier because once he has decided that you deserve a four per cent raise, for instance, getting him to change his mind would be difficult. If you are new to the company, you might want to check through the grapevine of other colleagues’ pay adjustments and whether there is room for change. If you and your boss have done something spectacular, discuss the salary issue right after that job.
  5. Base your case on merit, not need: You are asking for a raise because of your contribution, ability and experience. Never mention your need for a larger apartment, college education of your children or high cost of living in general as most employers will brush these aside by simply saying, “Things are tough all over.”
  6. Be specific: Asking for a vague raise often elicits a vague response. A person who specifies, for example, an eight per cent increase to RM36,000 per annum, is more likely to be listened to because of the concrete proposition.
  7. Keep your boss talking: As the salesman often quotes: “The sale doesn’t start until the customer has said ‘No’.” If your supervisor has refused your specific request, come back with reasons why you believe this is an appropriate figure, with examples of what others in the industry get and ways you have proven your worth. The longer you keep your boss in discussion, the better the chance to persuade him to meet the amount you have asked for. Also, the tone of your voice and choice of words are important – avoid expressions like “demand” or “deserve” and never make your boss feel backed against the wall; let him get the feeling that money is not the only thing that matters to you.
  8. Put in writing: You should put in writing what you have done to merit the raise you are asking for – have it in your briefcase as you attend the meeting with your boss. Remember “doing your existing job exceptionally well” means you can make a case for moving to the upper pay scale for a new position while “having added responsibilities to your job” gives you the ammo for having the pay scale changed altogether. When the meeting with your boss comes to an end, present your letter to him and ask for the contents to be considered when thinking over the salary revision.
  9. Ask for guidance: Assume that you have failed, that your boss had told you that you did not deserve the raise. Ask how you can make that transition or what should you do to have you rated as “outstanding”. Write down the points your boss makes and use them as specific guidelines for future such move. Ask him politely for another review in six months. And if all other tactics fail, well, look for other “greener pastures”.
  10. Know your market value: There is a going rate for everything and not knowing the market rate for your job, or the one you wish to apply for, puts you at a disadvantage. Do some research by checking with trade associations and the Labor Department, and ask for 15 per cent more as leverage.
  11. Turn down the first offer gently: Never say “Yes” to an employer’s first offer; chances are too good that a second, higher offer will be made. Pinpoint your minimum salary in advance so that you will not be offered below that when an offer is made. If the offer is below your expectation, then make a counter offer of 20 per cent higher and, if necessary, you can negotiate down from there, always keeping your base amount in mind.
  12. Transfer to another department: If you are open to changing your career in search of more money, keep in mind that top management considers some department more equal than others in terms of promoting people to higher-level jobs. The top three departments are general management (running a division or subsidiary), finance and sales. Personnel and human resources are way down the line – poor bets.
How to Get the Raise You Deserve - Top 12 Tips for Getting a Raise by
Authored by: Granted Contributor