It is a very delicate matter to ask for a pay raise. There are just few ways hot to do it correctly, and there are so many ways to do it incorrectly. Our certified resume writer service publishes for you 10 methods that definitely will not help you to get an increase in pay.

As a result of negotiations on increase in wages you can get even more that you have asked, such things also happen! Of course, you will be extremely glad if a pay increase is just what you have asked. Even if it is a little bit lower than you expected, well, this is also a cause for joy.

Anyway, life is cruel, that is why a person who asks for increase gets refusal. In addition, this refusal hides more serious risks than the absence of increase: strained relationships with the boss, difficulties in promotion or even the need to change the current job to less attractive one.

That is why your petition for wage increase should be prepared very thoroughly and carefully. Properly placed accents will help you to get the desired increase, and eve if you fail, our online service will also give you advice how to avoid unpleasant consequences of failure.

Our professional executive resume writers present you 10 main mistakes composed by the HR experts, which employees make when they decide to tell their employers that their work is paid not highly enough. So if you want to earn more money, avoid these mistakes.

1. Ask for a pay raise when company cuts the budget

If employer minimizes the costs, you will look very silly asking to increase your salary. Put yourself in the place of your boss. If he performs massive budget cuts, in this case it will be a big problem to increase someone’s payment.

Although, according to HR specialists, you still can discuss this issue if you see that you are underpaid comparing with other workers in the company and on the market in general. But you should do it in such a way that your employer will not think that you are airy-fairy. Here is what they advice to say: “I know that there is budget cut now, but also I know that I am underpaid comparing with other employees in the company and on the market. I do not know how you look at it now. Probably, we should return to this issue in six months”. There are cases when companies cut separated positions to keep valuable workers and increase them salary.

2. Ask for a pay raise without meeting expectations and achieving the set results

You try to show to your boss that average market salary at your position is higher than you get. But you can lay up claim for it only if you have not failed. The right time to ask for a pay raise is when your productivity is first-class and worth the increase you are requesting.

3. Start talking about increase when an employer is extremely busy and has a lot of work to do

If your manager is already put out of temper, then your request will probably become another “headache” for him instead of a task that he will seriously consider. Choose a moment when your boss is not that much loaded with work, and his mood if fine, then make sure that you ask about pay raise in such a way that your boss does not feel pressed to the wall. These factors do not seem important, but if you ignore them you may sorry about it later.

4. Complaining and whining

It is better not to begin with the words that much time has already passed since the moment of your last salary increase, that you have many duties and other complaints. When you want to get a pay raise, your best friends are numbers and facts.

Your arguments should be about what you have achieved in your work and what salary matches your productivity. Find the salary level on your position (you can easily find it on the Internet, on the employment websites), and also ask the colleagues of your level from others companies in your city.

5. Interfere your personal life

If one of your arguments is the fact that, for example, your family expects a new addition, or that you have taken a mortgage, or that you do not have enough money for vacation, do not even try to use these arguments. An idea about the world where a pay raise happens depending on our lifestyle or budget is ridiculous and your employer will not take your arguments seriously.

6. Behave as if pay raise is your sacred right

You will not get salary increase just because you have performed your duties all the year. You just do what you are paid for, and it does not mean automatic increase. Summarize your achievements over the past few months or the last year, so that your arguments are based on the fact that you have exceeded expectations and showed more serious results comparing with an average worker in your position. And according to this calculate your value. Probably, you task was to provide $ 10 000 sales in July, but you reached this goal in April. And now you are close to fulfill the annual plan in September.

7. Brave it out

Talking about increase in wages, some people resentfully claim that they do not get what they really deserve, and then with arms crossed they say: “What can you do about it?”. You should not act like that. Demonstrate the numbers of your efficiency, show the average market wages that correspond to such efficiency and only after that you may ask: “What can you do about it?”. Also do not try to threaten your boss that you will quit if you are not paid more. This will lower your chances to get pay raise to zero.

When you begin negotiations, explain how much you like working in the company, how it allows you to develop and how you want to continue helping the company to achieve its goals. Then present your request for pay raise as a win-win strategy. Maybe, you will suggest that higher position will help you to attract more clients, helping to the company in such a way. Or, probably, you are ready to take additional responsibilities that will help in achievement of the company goals and will stimulate your employer to give you increase in wages.

8. Starting negotiations with numbers

Negotiations experts do not advise to speak about the desired numbers at once. Partially because you set an absolute maximum of a possible pay raise and doom yourself to the fact that you will get much less. That is why answering the question what increase in salary you want, it is better to ask what company is ready to offer you.

If manager keep on asking, then tell the number, which is higher than you expect, but not so high, that your boss will consider you crazy. If your research shows that you get a salary higher than the average, and your productivity is much higher than average, then it is justified to ask the salary close to top-level on your position, even if percentagewise it seems a big leap. If you can prove that you really deserve it, go ahead.

9. Cite as an argument invitation to another job, if you are not ready to quit

Offers from other employers are serious and dangerous card in negotiations on pay raise. Some employers say that such arguments are the same as if an employee holds gun to their head. If your manager thinks the same, he might be offended and upset that you have negotiated behind his back, he might doubt your loyalty and decide that he wants no longer to work with you. On the other hand, if you have good relationships with your boss, an offer from competitors can be very effective to show your value on the market. This is a concrete way to show how much you really cost.

You should be sure that you are in good position at your work before doing this. They may just say that they will cope somehow with such a loss and you really will have to find other workplace. They may not believe your bluff

10. Treat the refusal hostilely

If you do not get what you ask for, do not become offended. It will cause harm to you first of all. 50% of your success in career depends on how well you work, other 50% depends on your relationships. It is always in your interest to keep good relations, even if you have been treated unfairly. If someone has done so to you, draw conclusions but do not burn your boats.

If you get refusal, you have several ways out. Ask what you should do for promotion and pay raise and what concrete goals you need to reach, and after that suggest to return to the conversation in 6 months. By the time show that you have reached or even overfulfilled all set goals, it will give you a serious argument for promotion and pay raise. Another strategy is to ask whether they can make for you a six-month schedule, which will allow you to achieve, for example, two small salary increases, especially if the budget allows.

The point is that with the help of negotiations you have to keep a positive course of events. Your negotiations should be a professional version of the following: “I love this company! Look at how much greatly I work! I can prove it with numbers! Market believes that I deserve more! It would be great for the company to pay me more! After that I will work better! We all will benefit!”.