I have been asked this question a few times lately, so I thought I would jot down a few comments. This is probably one of the more difficult things to face as an employee. If we are feeling underpaid and undervalued and have not had a salary review in over a year, we start to think about planning for THAT discussion. Even if there is a scheduled review, we still have to plan and be preprepared. There was a key word in that sentence – “Prepared”. That is what you must be when you are about to sit down at the bargaining table. So what do you do to prepare. Here are some tips:
Jot down notes of your major accomplishments and “wow” factors since your last raise – have back up info if you need to.
Search for jobs in your local area and print off reports where there are salaries noted that are within the range you believe you need to be at.
Do some salary review searches – some of the popular job search engines have these for free. Print off your findings for this and the previous point’s findings of current jobs with the salary you are looking for.
Think about what it is that your boss/manager will say to you – be prepared with answers to help you substantiate your case.
Be prepared that there may be some additional actions on your part like: courses, certifications, etc that you may be able to take to move you to that next level – have these as back pocket items.
Once you are “armed” with all of this information, you will be much more prepared for the discussion. Stay positive, take the word “feel” out of your sentences when talking about the fact that you are looking for a raise,