How can I successfully ask for a raise?

Question

I have been with the company for over a year now and did not get the raise that was verbally promised to me (upon accepting the job offer) after my first 3-month period nor have I received anything since. 3 People have been hired after me, and through overhearing them chatting, I have come to understand that they have had slight increases and that 1 actually started at a higher rate than I am at - even though I have more education, knowledge and work experience.
I have turned down many other job offers for more money as I really enjoy the place I work at, but would like to know how to successfully ask and get an increase in pay without sounding ungrateful.
Thanks!

Answer 1

First thing you need, is courage. you can't get your raise if you don't ask for it. Those other people have gotten their raise most likely because they have asked for it. When you do ask for it be cofident, don't show yourself intimidated by your boss. And politely explain why you deserve a raise, such your educations, knowledge you have acquired within the company etc. You might also want to include the fact that they have promised you a raise. What you're doing here is creating a foundation for your request. After you have done that, you go on and ask for your raise. Try something like: "... and therefore I strongly feel/believe that I deserve a salary increase, and I wanted to discuss the possibility of getting such increase." It doesn't have to be a long thing, Remember your boss has a lot of things to do, so make it quick. 5 Minutes would be perfect. Good luck!

Answer 2

There may be a couple of problems. How is your supervisor? Is he/she taking care of you or abusing you. It may be possible that he/she is stealing your thunder i.e. making you do the dirty work while he/she reaps all the benefits and claims all the work.

Personally, I would wait for another job offer to come along and confront your boss or whoever is responsible for a raise. The meeting should pretty much go as follows. I truly enjoy working for this company and I truly believe in its mission and thrive on my contributions to its success. As you can see based upon...(examples here) I have done a lot for the company and performed at (excellent or outstanding) level with little to no problems throughout the past year. I have a lot more to offer and would enjoy taking on more responsibility in hopes that I can improve and motivate others to embrace the company as I have. On the other side of this I of course would like a raise to accompany the increase in responsibility. What do you think about this sir/maam? Depending on the response you would react in two different ways. Thank you so much for this opportunity I will not let you down. OR I understand that you do not feel that I am ready or deserve an increase in responsibility and pay. I currently have an offer from another company that sees the value of my abilities and wishes give me greater responsibility and pay. I will have to weigh my love for this company versus my desire for success and financial stability. Thank you for your time.

At this point you would excuse yourself and begin making a decision to leave. The hope is that the boss will inquire about you and most likely find out that either you are an asset to the company or expendable which is a gamble you will have to take. Luckilly, if you have other job offers with greater pay I would not worry too much of the outcome and would seek those offers.

I hope this helps.

Answer 3

Hi, I'm in Hr and this is the best approach. You should sit down with your direct supervisor and tell him/her that you would like to discuss what you possibilities are for advancement. In particular, you are wondering when a salary increase will be available to you, because you've been there for a year and as of yet, haven't received the increase you expected at 3 months. They need to offer you an explanation of why you didn't get that 3 month increase. If it's performance based, they should have told you how to improve. If you see a blank look or they give you the run around, you know they don't intend to raise your salary. You should be allowed to know when and how to increase your salary or even if there are cost of living increases coming. Usually it's better not to outright ask for a raise, but use this approach, asking them what they normally do about increases, since you haven't seen yours yet. Good luck.

Answer 4

"...without sounding ungrateful," that's exactly right. Bosses need loyalty; they crave it. So make sure you don't seem to question your boss's judgment.

Like it or not, success in a company involves politics. Mismatch gave basically the right answer. But don't focus too much on small salary differences (after deductions it's peanuts anyway).

Instead, you could decide to act more like a leader. Your company is like a family, and you don't want to seem just another self-centred kid.

So when you talk about a raise, say what you've done that shows you're a team leader. And make sure your boss gets it that you back her or him all the way.

Answer 5

For proper etiquette, try monster, careerbuilder or hotjobs. There are quite a few articles on this topic.

Research the information. You do not want to set yourself up for failure or possible termination.

Good luck,

Answer 6

Well if u truly are better then maybe you should like tlk 2 ur boss or something... idk but that's just not right! i would be really pissed and prbly git fired for cussing out my boss so idk if you should listen to my advice!