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How To Ask For A Pay Rise

Do you deserve a higher salary? Well of course you do. Let's look at tactics and techniques for making a persuasive case to your boss.

Although we might fondly imagine that our natural talent and unstinting commitment and contribution will bring its own recognition and reward as surely as Day follows Doris, the more likely scenario is that you'll end up as some kind of overlooked organisational Gollum, driven to embitterment and quietly convinced that you've been diddled out of your rightful reward.

But if nobody knows how good you really are, why on earth would your company throw more money at you? The prerequisites for getting your salary increased are that (a) you are reasonably competent, and (b) you're well regarded by your employers. If these basic elements aren't in place right now, I'd point you towards another guide in the Infinite Ideas series - Cultivating a Cool Career.

But taking these as read, here are some tips for negotiating your way to an optimal package. The first decision you'll have to make is, in the words of Joe Strummer, 'Should I stay or should I go?'

If you decide you want to stay where you are - for the time being at least - then you'll need to start gathering evidence that shows why you already deserve an increase. Perhaps you can make the case that some colleagues are getting more pay for doing the same work, or that others are getting more pay even though you do more work.

Before you fix a time to talk with you boss, make sure you know what you want out of your negotiation. This means having three figures in mind: your ideal salary (i.e. the most you dare ask for without alienating your boss), your bottom line (i.e. the lowest figure you'd settle for) and your realistic goal (i.e. the figure that you think you have a good chance of getting).

Armed with this information, prepare your case and book a meeting with your boss. Make sure you time the meeting to your best advantage. If you've only been with the company a few months, or if you've just made the mother of all cock-ups, hold off for the time being.

More precisely, go for a time of day which gives you a fighting chance of finding your boss receptive and in good humour (e.g. not immediately after they've come back from the weekly knackers-in-a-mangle meeting with the MD).

When you go to the meeting, have all the facts and figures at your fingertips. Take along relevant reports, sales figures, performance stats and any other documents that support your case. It might even be worth putting together a supporting document to leave with your boss.

If there's nothing doing, don't despair. Career-wise, it might be an excellent time to position yourself for recognition when the money does become available again. You can ask for added responsibilities or a new job title. You're taking a risk, of course, that you might be working harder in the short term for the same pay, but you've bolstered your bargaining position down the line. If nothing comes through eventually, then, to be honest, I'd be looking for a new place to work.

Apropos of which, here are a few negotiating tip and wrinkles to deploy when you've been offered a position with a new company.

Always aim to negotiate with the decision-maker rather than through intermediaries.
It's always preferable to negotiate on the basis of having received a written offer. Not only will this help to prevent misunderstandings, but it also helps to depersonalise the situation if you are negotiating over a piece of paper. Remember that you are often dealing with somebody who could soon be your new boss. It pays not to antagonize them.
Keep the tone of the negotiation positive by reaffirming your real interest in joining the company, by emphasizing how pleased you were to receive the offer, and by looking forward to working with the new company - it's just a matter of clearing up a few contractual points to everybody's satisfaction.
Try to give the company a few options to respond to rather than box yourself into a corner.
Don't let the process drag on. Negotiate crisply and settle quickly

By the way, if you decide to reject the job offer, keep it courteous and professional. Remember that the people you are dealing with are probably good networkers also. The last thing you want is to be bad-mouthed within your industry for buggering people about. For that reason, drop the company a line saying that you were pleased to have been offered the job, but that you regret that you can't accept the offer. Give your reasons why, thank them for taking the time to meet with you and wish them well with filling the post.


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