The following is a post by MPFJ staff writer, Kevin Mercadante, who is a freelance professional personal finance blogger for hire, and the owner of his own personal finance blog, OutOfYourRut.com. He has backgrounds in both accounting and the mortgage industry.
For a lot of people, one of the most difficult work related tasks is having to ask your boss for a raise. Though it should be something easy to do if you feel that you absolutely deserve one, it’s usually a tense situation. In no small part, this is due to the fact that there is a built-in reluctance on the part of employers to give raises. After all, the more an employer pays a staff member, the less profit that will be available in the budget.
One of the best ways to ask your boss for a raise is be prepared in advance. Doing so can stack the deck in your favor, and make it less difficult to pull off. Before you ask for a raise, try some of the following steps.
Research Your Market Value
Unless your job classification is very unique, the job market largely determines how much your employer is paying you, and how much they may be willing to increase your pay. This is all about defining your market value as an employee, and that’s all about determining how much you make in relation to other people in similar positions.
There are various web based information sources on salary levels, but the most comprehensive is the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment Statistics website. The BLS is an agency of the US Government, and not only does the site provide salary ranges for nearly every job classification in existence, but it also provides specific regional salary statistics. This is important because for example, an accountant is likely to earn more in New York City than in Nashville.
If you are on the lower end of the salary range for your job classification in your geographic location, you’ll have more room to ask for a raise. But if you are at the higher end of the range, you need to tread lightly. Your employer has access to the same information, and could use your request for a raise as an opportunity to remind you that you’re at the top of the salary scale.
The BLS site also provides ten-year growth projections for each career classification. This information is not to be underestimated. The greater the future demand for your job, the more flexibility you will have in asking for a raise.
Figure Your Employer’s Financial Position Into the Mix
You also need to consider what your employer’s financial position is at time you’re asking for a raise. If the company is losing money and cutting staff, asking for a raise may be a difficult proposition at best.
If you are on the lower end of the pay range for your job classification, you may still be able to get a raise even if your employer is not prospering. But here’s where you will need to do some careful analysis. As yourself the following questions:
- How important is your position to your employer’s overall operation?
- How well are you performing on your job? Can you objectively rate yourself as a high performer, a medium level performer – or something less?
- How difficult or desirable would it be for your employer to replace you?
- Would your getting a raise put your employer in a difficult position with other employees?
- How much do you like working for your current employer, and would you be willing to make a move if you don’t get a raise?
If you are a key employee at your company, you are a top performer, and you are well below the top range for your career in your location, you can still ask for a raise. But if your answers to a few of the questions above are generally negative, you’ll want to use caution.
Document Your Accomplishments
It’s unfortunate that many employers do a much better job in documenting your mistakes and blunders than your accomplishments. And that’s why you need to be prepared to step in and fill the void.
Seriously, this is a step you cannot leave to chance. Asking for a raise is very much a negotiation process. While you’re asking for the raise, your employer is pushing back and trying to justify why you shouldn’t be given one, or given one that’s less than what you’re asking for. You’ll need to be fully “armed” for that outcome.
You should literally have a file that includes positive past job reviews, commendation letters, and any other examples of outstanding work. If you are in either a production position or have budget authority, you should be fully prepared with hard numbers that document your statistical improvements.
You don’t need to pull these out early in the negotiations, but rather to have them available just in case things don’t go your way. If your employer resists giving you’re a raise, citing your performance as an issue, you’ll be ready with evidence that tells a better story.
Remember That It’s Business, not Personal
It’s very difficult not to get emotional when asking for a raise. After all, you’re asking your employer for an improvement in your compensation, and that’s a true “gut issue”. Be that as it may, you have to do your best to keep your emotions out of the picture. No matter how personal it truly is, it really is a business negotiation.
It’s best to be as cordial and respectful as possible in approaching your boss about a raise. You should always want to stick to the facts – as provided based on the research you have done in the steps above – and to avoid emotional generalities.
You should also fully expect some form of resistance. If you don’t get any, great! But if you do, you’ll be prepared. As noted above, your employer will have their own reasons for wanting to limit your income. Your job will be to prove – based on the facts – that their conclusion is incorrect. But in the process, keep in mind that you are merely asking for an increase in pay, and not attempting to justify your existence on the payroll. That means do your best to reasonably promote yourself, but avoid getting defensive at all costs.
You want to make sure that your request proceeds as a friendly negotiation, and doesn’t spill over into the realm of conflict. Make it clear that you are both on the same side, that the raise will help you to do your job better and to increase your performance.
Also be fully prepared to be flexible. If you’re asking for a 10% raise, and your employer counters with 5%, be ready to meet in the middle. This isn’t about winning, but about getting yourself a better compensation package.
Have a Strategy Just in Case the Outcome is Negative
Despite your best efforts, your request may still be denied. At that point you’ll need to determine whether you will be able to continue on with the employer knowing that your pay will not be increased. And that will depend on whether or not there are better alternatives with other employers.
The strength of your negotiations will rest largely on you knowing that information beforehand. If your career field is in strong demand, in you’re at the lower end of the pay scale, you’ll have the confidence of knowing that you have other alternatives going into the meeting with your boss. That confidence will likely come through, and could win the day for you. But if it doesn’t, you will have to be prepared to go elsewhere.
Should you decide instead to stay on with your employer and make a request at a later date, you will have to be certain that the denied raise doesn’t negatively affect your attitude. No matter what, continue to do your best work! This will be important on two fronts:
- Continuing strong performance will put you in a better position to ask for a raise again at a later date, and
- It will make it easier for you to find a position with another employer, since your performance will likely get you a favorable reference from your current employer.
There are risks to asking for a raise. If you should carefully consider those risks, and prepare for them in advance, not only will you have a better chance of getting the raise that you want, but you’ll be able to do it with more confidence.
How about you all? Do you struggle at the thought of asking for a raise? Have you tried asking for a raise in the past?
Share your experiences by commenting below!
**Photo courtesy of https://www.flickr.com/photos/usdagov/14605147054/sizes/n/
