How to Ask for a Raise

Asking for a raise can be intimidating; you may be thinking many things, such as:

• What if they say no?
• What if I get in trouble? or
• What if they disagree with me?

Being nervous is natural and normal during any type of negotiating, to assist in reducing your nerves, best to be prepared for the discussion. Before you enter a discussion with your boss regarding a potential promotion or increase in salary, ensure you know the following at a minimum:

• Know the increase you are expecting (ensure this is a realistic amount for someone with your skill and experience, nothing will kill a raise discussion quicker than an unrealistic request). Learn the salary structure of the new positions (or labour grade) in relation to your current salary; ensure your company can afford you. This number is important to know in case your boss asks what salary increase you expect and to ensure your raise is realistic for the position;
• Know the raise is justified and deserved (ensure you have received strong performance feedback by those who work with you; this can include your supervisor, peers and colleagues familiar with your work);
• Know what you are going to do if the request is denied(ensure you know what you will do and how you may react if your request is denied). Understanding your stance, if your request is denied, will assist you in controlling your emotions and help you from overreacting or doing something you may regret in the future.

Asking for a raise can be daunting and to help prepare you for the discussion, below is a simple example of how to prepare for a raise negotiation. Everyone works in different environments and below are simple suggestions to better prepare you for the discussion. Each point may not be completely applicable to your situation, the important point here is to highlight how to prepare for an important discussion that may require you to negotiate. 

1.    Align on your performance. “To be on the same page, we need to be in the same book,” Rahul Guhathakurta quote is bang on. You and your boss need to be completely aligned on your performance before you can request a raise. To get alignment, you must plan ahead and lay the ground work. If there is an annual raise time at your company, schedule this alignment meeting with your boss, three to six months ahead of this time. Items that are imperative to discuss during this meeting:

• Ask for their feedback on your performance. Come to the meeting prepared with examples of how you benefitted the company; be as specific as possible, including difficult problems you have solved. Ensure during this meeting that your boss has complimented your performance, the next step in this process depends on the fact that your boss believes you are performing. Having them state you are performing at a higher level than your labour grade is ideal but not necessary. The higher praise you can receive during this meeting, will benefit you for your follow up meeting when you make your request.
• Next, ask for their opinion on what you need to improve to get to the next level in your career. Record every improvement that is required and go off and put together a strategy to accomplish each one. Ensure before this meeting is complete, that you have received at least two things from your boss.

2.    Make improvements. For the next three months, work on every skill your boss stated you need to improve and ensure these are visible to them. Allow yourself to be seen by your boss to be working on these needed improvements. 

3.    Schedule a follow-up meeting. Once these improvements have been gained, schedule a follow up meeting with your boss.

4.    Re-align on your performance. During your follow-up meeting, re-align on your performance and ensure your boss has verbally agreed with you that you have: 

• Gained these new skills; 
• Your performance has improved; and 
• You are ready for the next step in your career. If there is no alignment, repeat step three and four till there is alignment. Your request will likely be denied if your boss doesn’t believe you are performing.

5.    Make your request. If your boss has agreed that you have gained the skills required to put you at the next level in your career, then you can discuss with them potential opportunities for these new skills. If you have shown your boss you can deliver and they have agreed, then you are in a much better position to negotiate a salary increase. You may actually never need to use the words raise or promotion; you may be able to imply these things through asking for a stretch assignment or a new opportunity. If there is a positive energy in the meeting and your boss has agreed and complimented your performance, you should be able to bring up the topic of a raise. Be confident in the discussion, as your boss has agreed that you are at the level of the raise you are requesting; you have positioned yourself favourably to have your request approved. 

Be prepared to hear ‘No.’  If your boss says ‘No’ to your request, do not get defensive. It can be frustrating to hear a ‘No’ after your boss has agreed that you are at the next level, but it can happen. If your boss does say ‘No’, you should ask follow-up questions as to why they are denying your request, and ensure you are calm and respectable. If your request is denied and you have decided that you will resign as a result, don’t resign on the spot, after the request has been denied. If may be tempting to quit in a blaze of glory but these are often short lived and you risk burning a bridge as a result. If you are prepared to resign over your request for a raise being denied, ensure you do this professionally and you have allowed the door to remain open in case you ever want to return to the Organization. 

If you know a raise is deserved and justified, do not be scared at making your request. Prepare accordingly and be confident. Successful careers do not happen by accident, they require work, effort and planning. If you are allowing your fears to prevent you from requesting a raise, remember, Chester Karrass famous quote: “You don’t get what you deserve. You get what you negotiate.” Life is often not fair; do not expect to receive everything you deserve and have earned; sometimes, you must take control of your career and push it forward.