How to Get a Pay Rise
Everyone loves the idea of a pay rise, they just don’t like having to ask for one. It can seem presumptuous to ask, especially if you’re not used to talking up your skills and achievements. However, you shouldn’t feel ashamed of asking for a pay rise at work if you think you’ve earned it.
Think about timing- When asking for a pay rise you should wait until you’ve gone about a year without one, or have done something significant that could warrant a higher salary. It’s also important to consider what is going on in your company at large; if they’ve just announced poor profits or redundancies, chances are your request for a pay rise will be denied.
Research- If you feel you’re being underpaid, have a look online to see what others in your field are being paid. You can do this on websites such as totaljobs’s Salary Checker, or by talking to recruiters to see what they think you should be earning. Your pitch for a pay rise will look a lot more professional if you have well-researched data as evidence for why you deserve to be paid as well as others who do the same job.
Talk to your colleagues- There’s a bit of a taboo around asking people what their salary is, so try broaching the subject carefully. Do try and broach it though, as it can be useful to know if you’re receiving the same pay as the rest of your colleagues, and if not, ask why they might be earning more than you.
Request a face-to-face meeting- It’s much easier to say no to someone over messenger than it is to their face. Having a meeting in-person will show your employers how serious you are about the topic, and means you’ll be able to argue you case more thoroughly.
Have a clear goal in mind- going into a meeting asking for a pay rise is all well and good, but you also need to know how much you want that rise to be. You’ll probably be asked what you have in mind for the pay rise, so remember to go in there with an estimate figure.
Be open to negotiation- That being said, don’t just focus on one particular number. A salary negotiation will work as a dialogue, so be prepared to move away from your initial figure. Try to have an absolute minimum figure in mind before you go in, and try to keep your negotiations above that figure.
Set out a clear argument- Employers aren’t just going to hand over pay rises without reason, and you’re going to have to justify why you deserve a salary increase. This will partly involve your research, but it should mainly be about you as an employee; the quality of your work, how you’ve improved, and in what way you’re an asset to the company.
Know your worth- Saying to someone that you feel you deserve more money can be an awkward conversation, particularly if you’re not especially outgoing. You need to fight the urge to back down, remain confident and know that you deserve the money you’re asking for.