How To Confidently Ask For A Raise

1. Clear Communication

If you want a raise, you will have to practice clear and effective communication.  In other words, you have to know what you want, and how you can communicate that clearly and effectively to your boss with confidence. You can do this by practicing different strategies. This mean knowing:

• Your Why – Aside from wanting more money, why should your employer give you a raise?  In order to answer this question, you need to clearly communicate your why.  Think about what you will bring to the company now and in the future. Communicating your why clearly and concisely is very important.  This also means avoiding using filler words like um’s or uh’s that can signal uncertainty. You don’t want your boss to be confused when you finally sit down to talk.  
• Your Value – When you decide to ask for a raise, you will want to clearly communicate how you are valuable to not only your boss, but your team, and the company in general.  For example, if you were given a raise, this would mean you want to launch a specific initiative or to help troubleshoot a big company pain point. The key is to communicate this clearly and without arrogance. 
• Your Ask – Do you know what you are going to ask for?  Consider figuring out what you want before you ask.  It is one thing to simply ask for a raise, but that is pretty vague. Do your research before you go into the meeting. Several websites have salary comparisons. Be sure to have a number in mind as well as an understanding that it is up for negotiation, so you may end up with less than you ask for. 

Clear communication is so important when you sit down to ask for a raise.  You want to feel confident and make sure you are clearly communicating what you want. 

2. Bring Your Facts

Before you get a meeting to speak with your boss about a raise, you will also want to do your homework.  Just like in any court case, you will want to provide evidence showing you deserve a raise. There are several different types of facts you can consider collecting:

Data/Numbers – The more you can quantify your progress, the better. For example, if you are a salesperson and the goal for monthly sales is $500 and yet you consistently bring in over $1,000 in sales – that is a number to showcase. Showing that you are not only meeting expectations, but surpassing them is one way to provide backup for your desire to get a raise.  Perhaps you brought in more clients or created more efficiency – those are both ways to provide quantitative data.

Positive Comments – Have you received positive feedback from clients, co-workers, or other people within your organization?  If so, gather them together.  You want to show that your work has impacted others in a positive way.  For example, if you have an important client that really values you, get it in writing.  This way you are showing your boss that you are not just a valued employee, but that clients find you especially valuable.

Larger Role – Perhaps over the course of the year you have taken on a larger role and you did so happily.  You can talk about what the expectations were when you were hired compared to now.  For example, if your role required you to manage 2 people and now you are managing 4+ people, that is a much larger undertaking.  You can also look over your original job description and see how it compares with what you are doing now. 

As you collect your facts, you will want to make sure you are quantifying your data as much as you can.   The more you can stick to facts, the easier it will be for your boss to see how you’ve grown within the company.  

3. Put Your Best Foot Forward

You may only have one big chance to ask for a raise, so be sure to put your best foot forward.  There are a few things to consider before you set up your meeting.

Timing – Is this a good time for you, your boss, and the company to be asking for a raise?  A lot of companies do annual reviews and have a certain time of year that they give raises.  If your company just did this, it may be out of your manager’s hands to even give you a raise.  If you work for a smaller company, consider if this is the busy season?  Did your company just go through a major transition?  All of these things can determine whether the conversation of a raise will even be entertained by your boss.

Language – Consider the words you are using when asking for a raise.  Focus less

on emotions and more on the facts. This means avoiding phrases like, I’m overwhelmed, I guess, or I feel like I deserve this. The reason for this is that we all get overwhelmed, and being overwhelmed doesn’t necessarily mean you deserve a raise.  Doing extra work and explicitly saying it is easier to back up. 

Give Credit – It can be tempting to want to give yourself all of the credit, especially when you are trying to make yourself look good for a possible raise.  However, you need to stick to the real facts.  Don’t take credit for anything that you can’t back up.