How to ask for a raise

Please sir, can I have some more?" Do you remember the tension in that scene by Charles Dickens, when the young Oliver Twist dares to ask for more food?

Negotiating about money is at the very top of the discomfort zone. Still, anyone who wants to live with relative satisfaction in the business world must learn to do it - coolly, calmly, and with goodwill. And like anything else, negotiating for money becomes easier as you gain more experience doing it.

Once you are convinced that you deserve a raise, obtaining it is primarily a communication problem. The thought "Joe deserves a raise" must be transferred from your mind to the mind of the person who decides how much money will be in your pay cheque.

Unfortunately, that other person is likely to resist your idea because he/she is rewarded for controlling costs, not for approving raises. Overcoming such resistance will require determination and patience.

Ask and ye shall receive

It is amazing how few people actually do it. Sometimes people do not want to put the boss on the spot, or run the risk of being turned down.

But if you do not ask, everybody will think you are satisfied. Most really good raises are won through organised campaigns, not by brief displays of verbal dexterity at evaluation time.

There are gender distinctions that influence how people approach asking for a raise. In our culture, for generations men have been more comfortable with demanding rather than inquiring. Demanding is tagged with the feeling that one has the power to get.

Certainly, 'inquiring' does not have the same weight as 'demanding', nor does it have the same result. If women do not prepare for seeking a raise as if it were a demand, rather than an inquiry, they will always fall short.

Be firm, not adversarial. All conversation has an inherent power structure. Depending on who has the upper hand, you should adopt one of two basic styles: approachable or authoritative.

When you are being approachable you respond, ask questions, avoid confrontation and use qualifiers ('I think', 'maybe', etc.). When you are being authoritative you make statements, issue demands, argue, contradict and never qualify.

Top executives respond best to an authoritative style. The most effective approach is to blend the courtesy of an inquiry with the impact of a demand.

The best body language is to stand face-to-face, with your bodies squared. Make direct eye contact and hold out your hand at the end of the meeting for a handshake. That shows confidence.

If you have never asked for a raise and are not sure you have the self-confidence to just flat out do it, a simple (and usually disarming) way to approach the matter of money is to tell your manager, "I'm interested in asking for a raise. How would you do that if you were me?" More often than not, this both breaks the ice and leads toward a friendly conversation about your compensation.

Make your boss' priorities your own

Your own judgment that you deserve a raise will not, by itself, get you one. The better you make your boss look to his/her superiors and peers, the more valuable you will be and the harder your boss will work to make sure you are happy with your compensation.

As unfair as it might seem, simply working hard is not what gets people raises and promotions. Working hard on whatever the boss thinks is important, does.

A boss wants to know that he or she can count on you, not just for solid work but also for being willing to go the extra mile even before you are asked.

Salary increases usually bring with them more work and responsibility. So learn new skills and seek additional responsibilities whenever you can, even if you are not in a position to get a raise or promotion immediately. After you have shown you can do the job, ask for the raise.

Find out what standards your boss uses for measuring performance. Only accomplishments your boss appreciates will motivate a raise. Concentrate your efforts in the areas (projects, skills, abilities, work habits) that your manager particularly values.

Working hard does not necessarily earn raises either. If you have to work hard to accomplish what others do more easily, you may be admired for stretching, but you probably will not receive a raise right away.

Consider enrolling yourself in a training programme for easier, quicker performance - and a future raise.

Getting the raise you deserve

It is not enough to just do good work; people need to know about your accomplishments. You should market yourself internally all year long, not just at review time or when you are in a position of anger and resentment. Make sure that your boss and other key people in the company know what you are doing.

Build a case throughout the year for increasing your salary. Keep a record of your achievements and get them in front of your boss a few months before you are actually scheduled for your annual review.

Note special accomplishments and particular victories. Quantify improvements where you can. Send copies of relevant memos to your boss and other key individuals. Share credit for your successes with your boss and your subordinates.

Using a counter-offer

Competition is a good thing in auctions and sporting events. But when trying to squeeze a raise out of your employer, experts say pitting another offer against your current job can be a dicey tactic.

Before 'resorting' to an offer/counter-offer situation, most experts recommend more straightforward negotiation. Be prepared to leave if you are serving your boss an ultimatum. If you are not okay with splitting, then do not pretend you are.

After the counter-offer, you may be expected to perform better than ever. On the other hand, if you have already been shouldering a heavier load in hopes of getting a raise, highlight this point when negotiating. Remind him/her that you are doing a bigger job now than when your salary was set. Now is the time to ask for a bigger title too.

When someone comes to their employer with a job offer from elsewhere, it is not a great sign. Not only is it a sign that they are not happy, but some may see it as a sign that they are not the most loyal of employees.

You may not have been hitting the streets with your résumé (in fact, a head-hunter could have called you), but your manager may perceive otherwise. Your best bet is to keep ongoing money talks with your boss so that getting to this stage really is a last resort.

Do it yourself

When you let someone else negotiate on your behalf you lose a major advantage: the ability to use your relationship with your boss or your prospective boss. You should negotiate yourself and, if possible, do it directly with your boss.

Make him/her your ally in the negotiating process and she will work hard to make sure that you are happy with the offer. If you decide to use a third party, it is generally best to do so only after you have already negotiated as much of the package as possible yourself.

Pounds, shillings and pence

It is important to be specific about exactly what amount you are expecting. Otherwise, your manager has no guidelines to negotiate and neither do you. What happens most often is a compromise. And as with all situations, you have three choices: accept it, leave it or change it.

Know your own worth. It is important to base salary discussions on market value rather than on your current salary. To do that, you must know the range of salaries being paid to others with similar skills and experience. Name a specific amount that is the highest figure you can justify - you can always negotiate downward.

You are more likely to win by working within the established evaluation/compensation system than by trying to get an exception made in your case. If your methods of lobbying for a raise are so intense that they strike your manager as pushy, you may never get what you want. In fact, you could end up losing ground.

If you do not succeed

If you are not given the raise you want right now, try to find out if or when you might expect it. Ask what you need to do to earn more. Ask for further training, a membership in a professional association or some other benefit.

You may have to be patient. Most organisations operate within established policies regarding when salaries can be raised and by how much.

Managers are not always free to dispense raises when their staff members deserve them, and in these days of low inflation, even the biggest raises may be capped at five per cent.

Do not forget, nothing ventured, nothing gained. The bottom-line advice has to be not to give up. Keep working, patiently, to convince your manager that you do indeed deserve a raise. Once you have done that, you will have gained a powerful ally in persuading upper management to give it to you.

Whatever happens, keep your attitude and demeanour business-like. Win, lose, or draw, stand up and smile, shake hands and express your appreciation when the discussion is over.

Discussing career and salary with your manager is the best way to clarify what each of you expects of the other. And the subjects of money and career advancement that may seem threatening as one-time discussion topics can become reasonably comfortable if they are part of a continuing dialogue.

CSB Recruitment Agency has been supporting the local business community with its services since 1987. For further information you can write to CSB at Vincenti Buildings, 14/19 Strait Street, Valletta VLT 08, call them on 2122-5800 or 2124-6543, fax: 2123-0520, e-mail: jobs@vacancycentre.com, or visit www.VacancyCentre.com.