How to ask your manager for a raise

A fulfilling career is not only about making your best efforts for your employer. It has got a lot to do with receiving fair compensation for the responsibilities that you shoulder. If you have been working with the same employer for a few years,?your compensation must increase with your experience?and responsibilities. If you have changed job titles quite a few times within the organization, each of those promotions should come with an appropriate salary raise.

That being said, asking for a raise is not always an easy task. Here are some things you can do to make it easier for yourself to ask for (and get) that raise you have always wanted:

Show the manager that they receive a good ROI

You can’t just walk up to your manager, say “I want a raise,” and expect them to just comply. When you want your salary to increase, you must show the employer the benefits they receive. Talk about how you have been a committed and enthusiastic employee. Highlight how you perform well in your role and have brought profit for the organization before. Your employer would be investing in you with a?higher salary. Show them what they receive in return for it.

Talk about the added value you bring

Before you go and speak with your manager, it is better to prepare what you want to say to them. Write down some of your best professional achievements that have helped you bring added value to the business. You can use tangible data, positive feedback, and numbers to quantify your results. It is also great to point out the times you have taken on projects outside of your role and delivered well on them.

Avoid talking about your private life

Dipping into the troubles of your private life and asking the employer to give you a raise is an unprofessional thing to do. You must never use your cost of living, purchase of a vehicle, credit, or mortgage to?justify asking for a raise. Although each of these factors will have an impact on your performance at work, your manager is not liable for them. When it comes to the decision of a raise, your manager has to let your performance and results sway their decision.

Educate yourself on the employer’s salary policy

Every company has a salary policy. It states when the company does salary reviews every year. Some employers have salary reviews once or twice a year while others do not. Most large-scale businesses have established wage policies. In those companies, salary reviews are conducted annually and requests are not accepted outside that period. If you are working for a smaller employer, the wage review is probably less organized, leaving you room to make a request spontaneously.

Do your research before you open the conversation

You should walk into?your salary negotiation?with all the information you need. Take a day or two to do some market research on the subject. What are other employers paying workers of similar talent and experience? You can use resources such as PayScale, Salary.com, and Glassdoor to?keep an eye on your salary. Instead of asking for just a raise, you can give your employer a precise figure to show that you know your worth.