Asking for a Raise

Updated April 26, 2o22

At one point or another in one’s career, you arrive at the realization that, “I need more money.” When that realization hits you can spend less, save more money, or make more money. Maybe you’ve cut way back on spending, but it’s still not enough. You might have even considered refinancing your student loans or downsizing your home or apartment. Did someone say “tiny house”? Jokes aside, at some point, you’ll come to the conclusion: You need a raise. Tough nobody likes asking for a raise, if you want more money, you probably have to. Here are a few tips we’ve gathered on how to increase that take-home pay.

But Why?!

Did you get a new car? Did your landlord raise your rent, or did you lose a bunch of money investing in cryptocurrency? These are all reasons you might need money, but they aren’t good reasons to ask for a raise. Look at it in a different way. Say you go to a coffee shop every day and your $3.00 coffee is suddenly $3.50. You ask the guy behind the counter why the price went up. If his answer is, “we’re serving higher quality coffee” or “we have bigger cups, now.” you may not care much about the price increase, but if he says “we want to make more money,” then you might not be as happy. Your salary is no different. It’s a business decision that needs to be made. Your boss needs to understand why you need more money. Just like any other business vendor if you’re bringing more value to the company, that’s a great way to earn a raise. By the way, stop buying that coffee, you can make it way cheaper at home. Hello, French Press.

Toot Your Own Horn

It’s not enough to do a good job and hope it gets noticed. Make sure your hard work gets noticed! If you have positive news to share try and do it in person. Let your supervisors know any milestones you’ve achieved or when you’ve met or exceeded goals. Now, let’s be clear here we aren’t saying go bragging about yourself at every opportunity to the point it is obnoxious, but anytime you can let them know you’re helping, do it. This can be one of the hardest things for some people to do. Many workers tend to lean towards the humble side and just aren’t self-promoters. If it’s just too hard for you, try seeing if others will help to share your efforts with the boss and do the same for them. Regardless, the simple truth is when you get noticed more, you usually get paid more.

This is EVERYTHING

Timing can be everything when it comes to a raise. And that can be tricky. Knowing when and how your job evaluates pay increases is important to know. Sometimes, you’ll walk into a performance review and there will already be a decision made regarding your compensation. At some companies, there’s never a set time and you won’t ever get a raise if you don’t ask. What is usually best is after you’ve laid your plan as to why you deserve a raise, set up a time to talk with your boss one on one. Make sure you figure out how much you should be making based on your skills and value to the company for negotiation. This will let them know that one, you want a raise, and two you’re serious about finding a way to make that happen.

Work Past the “No”

Let’s face it getting a raise isn’t always easy. The answer could very well be “no.” Use that “no” to figure out what it’s going to take for them to say “yes” and allow that to set some new goals for yourself. That way when the opportunity comes around again you can show them what you have accomplished.

Find Someone Who, Will

Don’t ever threaten to leave as a means of getting a raise, but if they’re not willing to give you the compensation you feel is deserved, maybe it’s time to start looking. Your company may not be in a good financial state or just unwilling to pay more. Some companies lowball employees on salary simply because they’re betting you’re not going to leave. If you don’t feel valued, see if you can get more compensation elsewhere. If you go this route of finding a new job, just make sure you’re making a logical decision and not an emotional one. The grass often looks greener in another pasture, but people often leave a job for more money only to find the hours are longer, the expectations are higher, or it’s not a pleasant environment. If you decide to leave, know what you’re getting into and compare compensation before you make a decision. Let’s say you do get an offer and you’d consider staying at your current job, see if they will counter offer. If they are truly happy with you, they will often agree when faced with the cost of finding hiring and training a new employee.

Out of the Box

If you can’t adjust your salary to your lifestyle then you need to adjust your lifestyle to your salary. There’s probably plenty of ways to save without pinching every penny. Most you’ve probably heard of like cutting down on subscription services, eating out less, cutting the cord on cable, or buying used products. To save money you may have to think outside of the box. One thing you can do that typically most people don’t think of is—refinancing student loans. Refinancing could help to lower your interest rate, saving you in the long term, and probably lower your monthly payment which means more cash for you.

Regardless, how you choose to proceed in your journey of asking for a raise understand your strengths. In order to really understand the value that you bring, you need to know what you’re good at. Be sure to stay on top of the news and changes in your industry. If you’re constantly looking to improve your own personal skills this can help to attribute to the value you bring your company. Go ahead and sign up for that Saturday webinar or get that additional certification you want. Be your best and if your current company can’t seem to see that, then it’s time to move on. Good luck on your career journey!