You've stepped up in your role. How do you secure the raise you deserve?

Negotiating a raise can feel like a high-wire act, but knowing your worth is like having a safety net. Here's the thing: you're not just a cog in the machine, you're a difference-maker. Research the going rate for your position, then dust off your resume and take a victory lap through your accomplishments. Think of all those late nights you hustled and the unique skills you bring to the table. Feeling armed with facts and your awesomeness will give you the confidence to walk in there and say, "Hey, I deserve this raise!" And guess what? You probably do.

In my opinion, knowing your professional value is essential when seeking a raise. Start by researching the average salary for your role within your industry and region. This provides a solid foundation for your case. Emphasize the unique skills and experiences you bring that warrant a higher pay grade. Remember, knowledge is power—understanding your market value boosts your confidence to request what you deserve.

We often don't give ourselves credit for the little wins. Those little wins are where your raise lives. Keeping track of them is SO EASY. I made a habit, every single day, to write down the projects I was working on. This is dual-purpose: to keep my on track with all my spinning plates and to keep a running record of just how much I was doing to support my team's goals as well as my company's. When the time came to put together my official raise request ("proposal"), a had an entire menu of wins to choose from. It was a mic drop when I was able to ask "do you want me to keep going?" when making my case for a raise.

Don't be a hero, be a documenter! Sure, everyone loves a good pat on the back, but when it comes to raise time, pats don't pay the bills. That's where your personal "success scrapbook" comes in. Throughout the year, keep a running list of projects you crushed. Did you streamline a process that saved the company a ton of time? Note it down! Did you go the extra mile and solve a tricky client issue that could have turned sour? Add it to the pile! The key is to turn those wins into cold, hard numbers. How much time did your process save? What was the dollar value of the client you kept happy? Numbers speak volumes to higher-ups, so quantify your achievements whenever you can.

Negotiating a raise is like catching a wave - you gotta wait for the perfect one. Imagine this: You just crushed a huge project, the kind that leaves everyone slack-jawed. That's prime wave territory! Your boss is likely feeling grateful and might be more receptive to acknowledging your rockstar status with a raise. Same goes for performance reviews. It's your time to shine and showcase all the extra value you've brought. Come armed with concrete examples and stellar feedback, then ride that wave right into the raise conversation. Companies also have financial tides. If you hear whispers of budget planning meetings, that might be a good time to test the waters. They're already thinking about allocating funds.

Quantify, quantify, quantify. Completed a process improvement project for your team? Document the number of hours you just saved folks, multiply by the average hourly rate you are paid, and voila- the amount of $$$ you just save the company. Provided pathways for upsells and cross-sells for your sales team (even though you aren't in sales)? Contact them to get a rough estimate of the income those efforts brought in (and document that you just worked cross-functionally with them). Prevented a customer from leaving? You just locked in monthly income AND solved a problem. Let your manager know when they ask "so, why do you deserve a raise?" that because of your efforts, there's extra money laying around the company...