Asking for a pay raise gets easier as you learn to plan and prepare for the discussion

1. Choose the right time to ask.

Take into consideration the company’s economic situation and overall social context.

2. Do your research and get salary trends.

On Linkedin, you can find people’s salaries according to their position. If you’re working for a national company then you can ask your colleagues o people you know who work in the same industry and specifically in the same position.

Try to identify a percentage increase in pay that you’d be happy with. It normally goes between %10 and %25 (base your numbers on market -based pay rates)

3. Set a meeting and Prepare. Let your manager know what the meeting will be about. Prepare your arguments. Analyze realistically and objectively why you deserve this pay raise.

Write a list of your accomplishments, write all the added responsibilities you have at work, the number of extra hours you need to finish your tasks, extra projects you’re working on, etc.

4. Be ready for questions. Try to prepare for follow-up questions, regarding your responsibilities, results, and possibly changes in your schedule and availability.

5. Don’t take it personally. Managers, almost never accept a pay raise request in the first meeting so they may probably take some days to analyze those numbers.

If they don’t accept it, don’t take it personally. Ask for the reasons, if you want to, try to negotiate vacation time or flexible hours. You can also ask if it’s possible to have this conversation again in 6 months.

If they don’t accept it and you know you’re been underpaid.

Just look for another job opportunity!