When I first started out in my career I had no idea how to ask for a pay rise. To tell you the truth, I found the very idea of it intimidating. Going up to my boss and telling him that I wasn’t being paid enough and could I have some more, please? I had visions of that scene in Oliver Twist where the evil workhouse guardians angrily chase Oliver around the crowded dinner hall before giving him a thorough beating for his impertinence.
A big part of me also believed I shouldn’t have to. Clients had started seeking me out to do their work for them so it would have been pretty obvious to my manager just how much I had progressed. I took the approach, therefore, to simply wait until my pay rise was gifted to me by my boss. Yeah, that never happened.
Get the book – Because I’m Worth It: How to Ask for a Pay Rise
I then decided that I had two other options if I wanted my salary to go up. Either learn how to ask for a pay rise or leave the company and get a better paying job elsewhere. Believe it or not the second option felt less scary at the time so I started approaching recruitment agents. This was a bit silly of me in hindsight. I already had security and the potential of a great career where I was. As well as the benefit of knowing the people and the business.
I decided I had to pluck up the courage to ask. My head was telling me I would regret it if I didn’t at least try to get my salary increased where I was. This same problem was only going to crop up again at the next company if I didn’t. I was still nervous, though, so I did what I always do and went into planning mode. I had to make my pitch as bullet-proof as possible.
Come the day of reckoning and my carefully considered approach worked perfectly. I got the salary I was looking for and the conversation wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I had feared. Over the years I kept on using and refining my technique whenever I felt I deserved another pay rise. And I kept on getting the pay rises I asked for. Friends and colleagues soon started asking for my advice on getting their pay rises and my techniques worked for them too.
Now I have finally found the time to write a book on how to ask for a pay rise.
One that gives you a clear step-by-step process to follow and should both boost your confidence and reduce your anxiety about asking that question.
Get the book – Because I’m Worth It: How to Ask for a Pay Rise
The book contains way too much detail to include in a single blog post, but the basics to get you started are:
- Be very clear on why you should be getting paid a higher salary
What’s changed about your contribution that means you should now be getting paid more? Have you taken on more responsibility or become the go-to person for certain issues? Maybe demand for your skillset has increased and hence salaries for your role are now generally higher.
The important thing is that your reasoning has to relate to the value you are providing to the business and what that value is now worth to the wider market. You have to think about what it would cost your employer to replace you with someone of your level of skill, knowledge and experience.
Don’t talk about how much you “need” a higher salary. Your manager may sympathise but at the end of the day this isn’t your employer’s problem.
- Understand all those who would be involved in approving your pay rise
Your manager is the most obvious person but who else would be involved? Will your manager have to get it signed off by their boss? Would HR want to have an opinion?
Understanding all these key players and their likely drivers is really important. Because you want all of these people to be on your side. If everyone involved thinks you are great and are doing a good job then your chance of success is much higher.
- Make it easy for your boss to answer “yes” to your pay rise request
The best advice I can give you is to be the employee they’d love to clone. The more they like you, the better you are at your job, the more you solve problems for them, the easier you are going to find it to get your pay rise.
- Look at any hurdles you have identified and decide your strategy for how to tackle them
What if you don’t get on with one of the key players? What if the pay structure you are on makes it difficult to give you an ad-hoc pay rise? What if your company only hands out pay rises annually? What if your boss doesn’t get on with their boss? What if…?
Identify any issues you can foresee and work out a plan to get around them. You will find a lot of help on this aspect in my book.
- Research the “going rate” for your role
Head to the online job boards and start searching for roles similar to yours. Look for companies of a similar size in similar industries and locations if possible. Be sure that the roles are ones that you genuinely think you could do and start to gather evidence about the salaries being offered.
Ideally, you want to record a range of representative salaries before deciding where your current role sits. This is going to form part of your justification for the amount you are going to be asking for, as well as providing evidence you can share with your manager.
- Sense-check that now is a good time to ask for a pay rise
How do you think the company is doing? Is business good or has it gone very quiet? Are they hiring or letting people go? What kind of mood is your manager in generally? What are the vibes you are getting? Sometimes it is smarter to wait for a better moment.
- Book a meeting with your manager
Giving your boss a week’s notice is a good idea. Tell them (with a relaxed smile on your face) that you would like to book a meeting with them to discuss your salary and would next week be ok? This gives them time to prepare, do their own research and discuss your work and potential pay rise with others if they need to.
Importantly, it means they won’t feel ambushed and will be feeling relaxed and in control when it comes to your meeting. This is important if you want them to say “yes”.
- Meet with your manager and ask for your pay rise
My book goes into great detail about this part as you would imagine. Including how to set the conversation up, how to prepare your boss’s mindset and how to use psychological tricks to frame your request in the best light.
Make sure you are in a positive frame of mind and that you genuinely believe that you deserve the amount you are asking for. Your preparation and research will help you with this. Thank your manager for agreeing to see you and let them know why you have been thinking about your salary. Tell them about your salary research and talk them through the range of salaries you have found advertised. Then explain where you think you sit in that range and why. Finally, ask them what they think before sitting back and letting them respond.
Whatever they say, you need to keep your emotions in check and listen carefully. My book goes into great detail about all the likely outcomes here, what they mean and what to do next.
- Follow up
Often either you or your manager will have some more work to do before you get your pay rise finalised.
Whatever it is you agreed to do, make sure that you do it. Likewise, if your boss told you they would do something then politely hold them to it.
Learn how to do all this like a pro in my book:
Because I’m Worth It: How to Ask For a Pay Rise
My book is a comprehensive how-to guide to asking for a pay rise in the right way. Over 160 pages long and no filler.
The short advice above is just a flavour of my tried and tested method of how to ask for a pay rise.
It contains everything from example conversations and psychological tricks to working out your true value, and includes a complete troubleshooting guide.
Click here to get your copy of the book Because I’m Worth It: How to ask for a pay rise
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