 Preparing your plan
Examine the company Save yourself some time at first and find information about how
well the company is doing. If the company is doing well financially then your chances
are better than if the company is struggling. If the company seems slow or doing
poorly your chance of getting a raise is pretty much zero. You may want to wait until
things pick up a little before asking for your raise.
Prepare some arguments If things seem to be going pretty well, put together some
arguments which will let the employer know that the "cost" portion of the equation
isn't badly effected by this request. Here are some example arguments:
- Sales are up. And you had something to do with that. There's more INCOME;
- You have saved the company money by... COSTS are going down;
- You developed some new methods of doing things so COSTS are going down;
- Because you have taken on additional tasks, the employer hasn't had to hire even more staff, keeping COSTS down;
- Being a devoted employee, your employer hasn't had to train people for a long time and this keeps COSTS down.
You get the idea. Use the equation to your advantage. Figure out ways to show how you
contributed to INCOME going up and/or COSTS going down.
Think carefully about this. Often there are creative ways to show you have contributed
to a better "bottom line." Be prepared to back up your statements with proof of some
kind.
Research pay rates Asking for something realistic in your field is key to getting a
"yes" to your request. There are some sites where you can find what people in your
field generally make. If you want to ask for more than what people are typically paid
make sure you have a REALLY strong case... most employers pay in a particular range
(depending on the industry). Here's some sites to find that out:
Remember you are comparing incomes earned by other people working locally, not those
in another province or country.
Don't forget There are some things that if you say or do aren't going to get you your
raise. No matter how excited you get about a raise never complain you are being paid
unfairly in relation to other employees. Saying: "Jack makes so much more" will likely
only result in your boss defending his/her position on paying you less.
Do not get angry or upset as this will not help you or your boss. Instead, rehearse
how the meeting will go. Prepare for this as you would a job interview. Practice saying what you want to say and how you will respond to the different answers the boss may have. Have a friend or family member help.
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