Professional Success -Asking For a Raise? Read This First.
Asking for a raise is awkward. But it doesn't have to be.
Time to negotiate your salary? Performance review on the horizon and feel you deserve a raise? Being an advocate for yourself and asking for more money can be a nerve-wracking experience. A recent article in The Atlantic cites a study conducted by PayScale which surveyed 30,000 workers about their experience asking for a raise: “Forty-three percent had asked for [a raise], but only 44 percent of those who asked got the amount they wanted, with 25 percent not getting a raise at all.” Even though asking for a raise is uncomfortable and intimidating it’s an important and necessary business communication skill to cultivate.
So how prepare and ask for that raise?
Take a thoughtful look back at the goals you achieved over the previous year. It’s easier to identify external accomplishments such as the number of projects you completed successfully or the amount of money you earned for the company. But internal accomplishments are equally important and sometimes more compelling. What do I mean by internal accomplishments? These are professional accomplishments that may not be overtly obvious to those around you at work. When articulated effectively they can paint a compelling narrative about your job performance and help you successfully advocate for yourself. For example, say you mastered a new skill and you are accomplishing the same amount of work in half the time. Yet your boss, consumed by other responsibilities, hasn’t noticed or acknowledged your increased productivity. Your performance review is the perfect time to compellingly communicate this new accomplishment!
Once you have your list of accomplishments pick one and breakdown the steps you took to achieve it – build the story of your accomplishment. How did you identify the skill you lacked? What did you do to learn this new skill? How are you currently putting the skill into practice? What positive impact is this new skill having on your work? Craft a succinct narrative of the journey you took learning this new skill. Then illustrate why it is increasing your value as an employee. Be sure to use tangible outcomes: “Since mastering the new software the project that used to take me 4 hours to complete I now finish in 90-minutes.”
Hone Your Story.
Once you’ve got a story you feel good about it’s time to practice it aloud. Enlist a friend or your bathroom mirror. This step is key. It’s easy to silently practice what you plan to say while you’re in the shower. Simulating ahead of time what it will be like sitting across from your boss with your adrenaline pumping is integral to your success.
The final step is polishing your delivery. Maintain eye contact, focus your energy on a part of your body to calm nerves (I like using my feet), dial down verbal and physical ticks that will undermine you and your story. Do this with every accomplishment you want to share.
Finally, it’s time to leverage the sense of pride that illustrating your accomplishments has conjured: “Given my significant recent accomplishments I feel I deserve a ten percent salary increase.” You may feel uncomfortable at first but the more you practice this crucial business communication skill the better you will be come at confidently and unapologetically requesting the raise you deserve!
About the Author
Jackie Miller launched Bespoken in 2015 to channel years of professional performance experience into techniques that improve public speaking, presenting, and professional communication skills. She holds a B.F.A. and M.A. both from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
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