5 Steps to Asking for a Raise

At some point in your professional life, you'll probably wake up to realize that the paycheck you're getting from your boss just isn't enough to justify all the work you're doing. Arriving at this point, you could suppress your discontent and keep on working as you are, start searching for a new job, or start preparing to ask your boss for a raise. While you should never dismiss the first and second options offhand, asking your boss for a raise is almost always the best option to start with. After all, there's nothing stopping you from either suppressing your discontent or trying to find a new job after you've been turned down for a raise anyway. And if you succeed in getting a pay raise, it will save you a lot of stress and hassle in the long run.

Here are 5 steps to help you prepare to ask your boss for a raise:

1. The first and most important step in building your case is to research the average pay for a worker in your position and with your qualifications. Check online career websites (PayScale.com, Salary.com, and GlassDoor.com) for insight on what your salary should be. Also, browse current job listings for similar responsibilities and skills to learn what the going rate for your qualifications are. Print out your comparables and have them ready for reference if your boss feels like you are being unreasonable.

2. Once you've done your research, you can start building your argument around that information. You may feel awkward if you're being paid at the average or above average rate but there's nothing keeping you from asking for a pay raise and a corresponding increase in your workload and responsibilities. If you're being paid below the average, then you have moral weight to your arguments. In both cases, you should set your requested pay rate a bit higher than what you actually want in order to leave you room to negotiate with your boss.

3. Having done your research and built your argument for why you deserve a pay raise, it's time for you to deliver your argument to your boss. Schedule in advance a face-to-face meeting, and let him know what it is about. This will give your boss an opportunity to come prepared. A surprise request rarely gets instant approval.

4. When beginning the meeting it is important to keep the mood serious and not completely jokey, but kick things off with a laugh. One study shows casually asking for a ridiculously large amount of money upfront both lightens the mood and creates a really high anchor value, leading to a higher pay raise than for those who kept it serious and honest throughout.
5. During the meeting, talking past one another and getting angry is something that you really want to avoid. It’s best to be professional first and it’s completely okay to suggest scheduling another meeting in a couple weeks after you have time to gather your thoughts.

Of course, you won't always succeed at getting your raise even if you follow all of these steps perfectly. Sometimes you're simply unlucky and your boss won't or even can't afford to give you your raise. But so long as you have a real shot at getting your raise, following these steps will let you make the best case possible and boost your chances of success with your pitch. Good luck!