How To Ask Your Employer For A Salary Or Wage Raise

There is probably virtually nobody alive who hasn't at one time or another felt the need to ask for a raise in their salary or wage. Whether they actually gathered the nerve to ask for that raise is a different matter entirely. This hesitancy is often caused not by the fact that an employee is not worthy of such an increase, but often because of simple ignorance of how to ask. There's also the element of the unknown involved when asking for more money, since employers are not often known for playing fast and loose with the company till.

Before You Ask, Stack the Deck

Before you actually ask for a raise, there are several things you need to do, most all of them are matters of knowledge and attitude.

The first thing to understand before you ask for a raise is to realize that you are paid not for what you do, but for the value you add to time. If, for example, the person working next to you does the exact same job as you but does it faster and more efficiently, there would be good cause to pay that person more than you. As a result, to change this situation, you must prove that the work you are doing is in fact of a higher value than another person doing the same job or at least that you are providing more value to your job than when you started.

Toot Your Own Horn

There are people who work in jobs across American who probably would never get a raise or lose their job simply because nobody in the organization knows what they do. This is especially true in large organizations. If you want a raise, you will need to do just the opposite. You will want to not only raise the quality of your work, but you will also need to make sure everyone, especially your boss, know who did it.

Show a Difference

It's often been said that you should dress not for the job you have, but for the job you want. It's true. Tomorrow, regardless of your job, dress and groom yourself just a little better than you did on the previous day. It's guaranteed that people will notice. The same goes for your work. And while you're at it, improve your personality and receptiveness to work. Volunteer for projects, especially those that nobody else wants to do. You can rest assured that when the boss needs a tough assignment completed, he will know who to speak to.

The Stage is Set

Once you have accomplished all of these tasks, it's time to ask for not just a raise, but an increase in your salary or wage. There's a big difference in these two that most people don't often realize. A raise is based on several things, including seniority, inflation, and other factors. That's not what you want. You want your salary or wage increased, which is based on improvement. This difference is what you will make your employer aware of and if things work as they should, the same as you will be compensated for.

Editor's Note: Peter Wendt is a writer from Texas. If you feel you are justified a higher wage and need to seek legal counsel, he recommends visiting AustinEmploymentLawyer.com

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