How to ask for an increase

Asking for more money is a stressful and often awkward experience. Unfortunately, for the uninitiated, it could also be a potentially harmful one for your career if you say/do the wrong thing. If you’re not careful in how you approach your employer, you risk humiliating yourself, pointing out your flaws instead of your strengths, and even throwing co-workers under the bus unintentionally.  Every boss, worker, and company is different. But when it comes to asking for a raise, there are some universal “no-nos” you have to avoid at all costs.

If your company is enjoying fat profit margins, record-breaking sales numbers, and unprecedented expansion then by all means — walk in there and ask for a raise. Things are obviously coming up roses and you need to strike while the iron is hot.

But, on the other hand, if the people on each side of your cubicle have been let go in the last few months and employees are getting e-mails on a daily basis asking if anyone has ideas on how to cut costs, that’s usually a red flag. Especially considering the down economy as of late, it’s important to know where your company stands financially before you ask for a raise. Walking into your boss’ office the day after a dismal quarterly report is issued makes you look unprofessional, self-serving, and out of touch.

When you’re trying to convince someone to invest you, it’s best to avoid complaining right off the bat.

If you haven’t had a raise in three years despite being an above average employee and you’re ticked off. It’s understandable to be a little unhappy. But you have to understand that unless you were working at a recession-proof company, times were tough all around. Many businesses lost money and lots of employees endured far worse than simply not getting a raise. If you’re going to focus on yourself, make it about your strengths and what makes you valuable as an employee. Harping on the negative comes off as lazy and self-absorbed — not the messages you want to be sending to the person who controls the purse strings.

There’s a very good possibility you are doing the work of multiple people, seeing that layoffs were rampant when the economy tanked and hiring has only recently picked back up again. But what you’re forgetting is you aren’t the only one who has been impacted, as your co-workers are likely in the same boat — both the overburdened ones still at the company and the ones who lost their jobs.

Highlighting your accomplishments and hard work without coming across as whiny means you’ll have a much better chance of a few extra bucks in your pay check.