No, don’t do it by email.

George approached his manager asking for a raise. Said he had been with the company for years and was in dire need, unable to meet his personal expenses.  He just had a child and threatened that he would resign if it was received.

Sounds familiar? At times many find themselves searching for that Loophole to earn extra cash to supplement their disposable income to do the things you would like to do. Things such as get married; buy your first place; get a larger home for your new and growing family; or simply to getaway on that dream vacation.

But accomplishing these goals is not as easy as most would like. It is then that creativity jumps in as I shared in a recent article on 20 Ways to Earn Extra Income. In that article I promised to share the how to ask your boss for a raise (yikes!). But while this method of increasing your income is upfront, and center (basically right under your nose), it’s not the easiest for us to do. We get nervous, shake, get angry, scared, have sleepless nights, all in our efforts to come up with the most plausible reason why we deserve the salary/rate increase .

15 Ways To Ask For A Raise

Having managed Human Resources internationally for over two decades dealing with issues like this, I’ll share a few pointers on how to do it ‘right‘. How to Evoke the response that will not remain Static with your employer, boss, supervisor–whichever pertains to you.

Here I share:

1. Prepare yourself for the ask.
2. Timing is everything.
3. Consider your company’s policy on salary reviews.
4. Evaluate the financial situation of your employer.
5. Take on more responsibility.
6. Demonstrate your wins, and added values
7. Share your goals and ask for feedback
8. Request a face to face meeting. If you’re in a different location, use your internal communication channel. Whatever you do, don’t do the initial ask by email.
9. Focus on the ‘why‘ not the ‘need’. Why you deserve the increase (not why you need it)
10. Practice your pitch and anticipate questions
11. Don’t use other colleagues as your argument (he/she received an increase and so should you). That’s the worse thing you can do.
12. Don’t discuss workload
13. Do your research…know what the market pays
14. No, no, no. Be prepared to hear no. It happens. Decide to ask for other things such as bonus, incentives, or personal development opportunities. Be confident that once you’ve asked, you’ve taken that giant step and the request stays in your boss’ mind.
15. Never threaten that you will resign.

Still afraid? Have questions? Let’s connect

Cheers!