How To Ask Your Boss For A Pay Rise (And Make Sure You Get One!)

You’ve been staying late, smashing your targets and working your butt off for months on end so naturally you want a little extra cash in your back pocket. Right, but how do you get your boss to agree with you?

“If your plan is to walk into your boss’s office asking for more money just because you feel you deserve it then you very well could be walking out the door empty handed,” explains Orla Donagher, careers consultant at The Interview Tutor. “You need to have a plan, and most importantly you need to have carried out some preparation in advance.”

To prep, Orla says to arm yourself with concrete reasons you deserve more cash. “Have you been consistently exceeding your targets, bringing in new clients and completing projects ahead of deadline? If so, back those achievements up with facts and figures, so you’re able to talk about how much money and how many clients you’ve potentially earned the company.”

Now you need to pick the best time to nab your boss. Busy periods, when they’re mega stressed, are obviously a no-go, so Orla recommends you check there isn’t anything major coming up on their calendar before you pounce. Once you’ve sussed when they’re free, lock in a time and request a meeting, one on one.

When it comes to the chat “start the conversation off by asking them for feedback on your recent work performance,” recommends Orla. “All going well they’ll say you’ve been doing a great job, which will set the foundation for a positive conversation.”

This is the point where you wanna nudge in the question about your pay, and bang out all the reasons you deserve a raise. “Discuss other peoples’ opinion of your work too,” says Orla. “List any positive feedback from clients and praise from other managers or team members.” If you can show your boss how deadly everyone else thinks you are, they might be inclined to think so too, and say “yes” to bumping up your salary.

And if they say no? “Ask for it to be reviewed again and agree a timeline,” says Orla. “You can discuss other options too. Even if they can’t raise your salary, maybe they could shout your monthly travel ticket or health insurance, or pay for a qualification you’ve been looking to do.”

The bottom line? You deserve to be paid what your worth. So if it’s been a good few years since your last raise, or your salary is far below the industry average and your boss won’t give an inch, it may be time to consider moving somewhere that rewards you more fairly.

Pic credit: Dune

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