These Are The Things You Need to Do to Get a Raise

Most of us feel very awkward when we have to ask for a raise. After all, ideally, your boss should see your performance and give you the raise you deserve without you having to ask for it, right? Well, ideally, we should also have nap pods that will help maximize productivity, free meals sponsored by the company and perfect work-life balance.

Unfortunately, this is not an ideal world. So if you want to get a raise, you need to ask for it. How you ask for a raise can either help or harm your case. You need to be fully prepared before you go in and ask for a raise.

So here is a list of things we have compiled that will help you ask for the raise you deserve.

1. Do your homework

You can’t just waltz into your boss’s office and demand a raise. You need to do your research thoroughly so that you are absolutely sure that you need better compensation.

Know what your job is worth in the market

You should first know what your job is worth in the market. Today, there are websites such as Glassdoor and Salary.com that you can check to get a rough idea about what similar jobs pay. However use these sites with caution as the figures given there can be a little misleading.

A good way to get an idea about what the industry is paying for a job like yours is to look through job listings or go for job interviews to get an idea about salaries in the market.

Talk to colleagues

A good way to find out how much your job is worth is by talking to your colleagues. You could approach them with diplomacy and ask in a roundabout way. Something like, “I love my job but I really don’t know what the salary range for such a role would be in the market, especially for someone with my experience level. Would you happen to have an idea?”

Somebody working with you may feel uncomfortable talking about salaries, so another way to get the information is to join job sites such as LinkedIn. You can join groups related to your job and find others in the network who would be more willing to share this information.

Time it well

You need to make sure your timing is right. A lot of companies today have specific times of the year when bonuses and pay raises are handed out. If that is the case, then a good time to ask for a raise would be at that time of the year.

However, if you are working in a smaller company with a less structured HR program, then waiting for an appraisal that may not ever materialize is not such a good idea. In such a case, it is better to ask for time with your boss and talk about that raise.