Buy me a coffee · $1
×

Support us with a small donation 💝

Every coffee keeps the site running. Thank you!

How to Ask for a Raise

 ·  1 min read

Pay rises are frequently given to people who ask and rarely volunteered to people who do not. The conversation is uncomfortable and it is a normal part of employment.

Prepare the case first

Not what you need. What you have delivered.

Specific contributions with results attached, over the last year. Things that made money, saved money, reduced risk, or took work off someone else.

Write these down. In the conversation you will not remember them.

Know the market

What your role pays elsewhere, in your location, at your level. Job listings with published ranges and salary surveys give you a number to reference.

Being paid below market is the most persuasive argument available and it requires evidence.

Timing

Before budget decisions rather than after, which usually means several months before the review cycle rather than during it. By the time reviews happen, the money is allocated.

After a visible success is better than during a quiet period.

The conversation

Ask for a meeting about compensation specifically, so it is not raised at the end of something else.

State the case, state a figure, and stop talking.

If the answer is no

Ask what would need to change and by when. A specific answer gives you something to work towards. A vague one tells you the answer is no indefinitely, which is useful information.

Get any agreement in writing, however informally.

The realistic view

The largest pay increases usually come from changing employer. That is a fact about how compensation works rather than a recommendation, and it is worth knowing before deciding how much effort to put into the internal route.