No matter how much you love your job, you want to make sure you’re being adequately financially compensated for your education, experience and dedication. Asking for a raise is all about timing and having the right strategy, and using a salary calculator to better determine your asking price is a good idea as well. Here are a few guidelines for steering your way to a higher salary and better job satisfaction.
Don’t Wait Until a Yearly Review
It seems like a one-on-one sit down with your boss is the perfect time to pop the question about getting a raise. But the truth of the matter is that chances are good that your company’s salary budgets have already been set well before your review, which means there’s a good chance your request will be denied, albeit reluctantly.
Instead, you’ll want to inquire about a raise at least three months before your review. Another good time is when you’ve successfully finished a big project and are about to take on another one. Did someone leave and you’ve stepped into their role? If so, that’s solid grounds to ask for a raise.
Prove Your Worth
Your boss is unlikely to give you a raise if you can’t offer up solid proof as to why she or he should throw more money your way. Well before you ask for a pay bump, make sure you’re among the top performers in the company, or at least in your department. Make it so that there is no question of whom to go to when there’s a job that needs to be done. You want it to be so that the company would practically fall apart if you weren’t there.
Get to Work As Soon As You Show Up
Don’t become known as someone who arrives at work at 9 AM, but only starts working at 9:30 AM. Even if everyone else doesn’t know you aren’t really working while you’re in your cubicle or workstation, your work performance could reflect it. As soon as you’re at work, get to work taking care of anything left over from the day before, getting started on new projects, helping to ease the workload for your coworkers or creating a plan for an upcoming project.
Solve Problems
No company is perfect, and employers sometimes count on employees to help them realize how they can become better. While you shouldn’t be afraid to voice your concerns or opinion, you’ll have a better chance of being approved for a salary increase if you can offer up a solution to whatever issue you bring to the table. Not only does this give your employer one less thing to worry about, you have the opportunity to create a side project and take care of it your way rather than have to stick to guidelines and parameters set by your company, which you might not always agree with. Something else to think about is the fact that this side project can teach you something new, which can help solidify your worth even more.
Requesting a raise shouldn’t be a spur of the moment decision. Plan your way to victory, and be sure to keep the above suggestions in mind.
