by David B Hitchcock

Created on: December 29, 2010   Last Updated: December 31, 2010

How to ask for a raise when you deserve it

You have worked at the company for a couple years. You are a hard worker who gets results. Now its time to ask for that raise that you deserve. This one of those times that people dread. How do you ask for a raise?

Asking for a raise is very much like a job interview. You are stressed and worried. You need to prepare for it, and take things seriously. You need to communicate your skills and accomplishments clearly, highlighting your benefits to the company. You need confidence so that you will appear competent and worthy of the raise. The only two thing missing is your resume and HR. However, even HR may be required in some companies.

When asking for a raise everyone is stressed and worried. This is normal. If you deserve the raise you are asking for, you have less reason to be stressed. However it still feels like if you ask for too much, your job may be at risk. Normally this risk is more in your head than in reality. However, it is possible that if your request for a raise is refused there will be bad feelings at work which may make work difficult from that time forward.

Preparing to meet your boss to talk about your raise is very important. You need to organize your points, and prepare the details. Its almost like you are approaching the bank for a business loan – you would need your business plan in order, and be able to answer important questions before the bank will loan you money. The same is true about asking for a raise – if you can’t justify it, your boss will likely turn you down. But if you deserve a raise, this becomes much easier to do.

Communicate your skills and accomplishments clearly. This is important. While your boss knows what you do and should remember big successes of yours, your boss is busy and has a number of people reporting to him or her. For this reason, it is best for you to outline and be ready to provide details about your accomplishments since your last raise. Your choice of words will put your work into perspective for your boss. This is your chance to highlight what you are most proud of, especially valuable work that may otherwise go unnoticed. Focus on how your work benefits the company because in the end this is what matters to management. If you can do good work that saves the company money, or generates income for the company then you are a valuable employee and should be compensated accordingly!

Confidence makes this task much easier. When you deserve a raise

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