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Wear short skirt, high heels and use the sexist lipstick color if you are going to ask your male boss for a raise. Is this the right kind of tips on getting a raise for women? I wonder why there is such a title. Are tips on how to get a raise supposed to be different for men and women? Well, here is what I have to offer, and I think these tips can be useful for men as well.

First of all, you have to believe in what you ask for. There is no place for thoughts like this: "Do I really deserve a raise?". If you don't consider yourself a valuable employee, neither would your manager. You have probably noticed that any job interview contains a question about expected salary. It seems very reasonable: a hiring company gets to know how a potential employee estimates him- or herself as a specialist. Why would an employer pay more than a person is expecting for his or her job?

After you have realized you fairly deserve the raise, you have to be prepared to prove it to your boss. Make a list of the things you have accomplished since the last time you got a raise. Have you taken any course or got any certificate? Have you mastered your skills which are important for the job you are performing? May be you have just successfully finished a new project or have got more responsibilities while making the same money. Be ready to bring those facts on the table when negotiating your salary. If you can't think about any of the listed accomplishments, you can always emphasize that you have become more experienced, hence more efficient in your position.

One more thing to consider is finding the right time to ask for a raise. Pay attention to your manager's mood and to the atmosphere at the work place. If it has been a bad day for your boss, the situation will negatively affect the decision about your raise. The best time is when you've done a job your manager is really happy with. Just ask for a raise directly avoiding vague hints that could be ignored. If the answer is no, don't take it as a failure. Negative outcome is also valuable, because it can be a sign for you that you didn't meet you manager's expectations. You always can work on it and find the way to get a yes-answer next time you negotiate a raise.

Learn more about this author, Alvira Litvyak.
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