5 things you can do to ask for a raise

1. Ask your boss for a good time to meet.
2. Put your achievements on paper.
3. Ask with humility and confidence.
4. Wait with patience and calm.
5. Follow up with courtesy.

1. Ask your boss for a good time to meet.
Avoid early morning or late in the day.
Mondays and Fridays can be tricky. Give him/her a hint of what you'd like to discuss. Some helpful lines might be, "May I schedule a meeting to discuss my role in the organization for next year?" or "I'd love to sit down with you sometime in the next week to discuss my role in the company." This achieves two things: it gives your boss a head's up and gives him/her time to prepare.


2. Put your achievements on paper.
Stay objective, listing your accomplishments in short, bulleted format. Go over your accomplishments and stress the value that you've added to the company. Keep your summary to one page and bring extra copies- your boss may want to share a copy with a confidant.


3. Ask with humility and confidence.
Now that you've put your accomplishments on paper and gone over them in a brief but adequate manner, you're ready to ask. Here are some useful lines, "I feel that I bring a lot to the organization and I like it here. I feel that my accomplishments are above what others are doing in my field. Can you give me a time frame for when a raise will occur?"

You want to convey flexibility to a certain point and commitment to the organization. If you work for a non-profit or historically 'tight' organization, communicate creativity and help your boss find a unique way of raising pay or adding benefits.

4. Wait with patience and calm.
You've made your case and asked with respect. Now the ball is in the court of your boss. Don't expect an on-the-spot raise or pat on the back. Bosses need time to think, run some numbers and talk with confidants. Give them the respect they deserve and sit there in silence. Let your boss respond in a way that is comfortable for them.
A probable outcome will be a follow up meeting within a week's time.

5. Follow up with courtesy.
A note or email goes a long way as a useful follow up to your initial Ask meeting. Avoid a phone call or face to face. Something short and sweet in an email could go like this, "Thanks for your time earlier today. I'm confident that a win-win is achievable here. Have a great day."

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