How to Get the Raise You Deserve
Page 1 of 2
by Gayle Goddard
You know you are worth it, but when it comes to asking for a raise, you get a little weak in the knees -- you and about 70 percent of the workforce. There are ways, however, to strengthen your pitch.
When Mary was hired as senior vice president of operations by a London estate agent, she was determined to prove her worth and, when raises were considered in 10 months, to increase her salary substantially. Because her company had no performance guidelines in place, proving her worth was up to her.
She knew she'd implemented valuable cost-saving measures. Having recently hired two people who would answer to her, she also knew she'd be shouldering increased responsibility. And the notes she had routinely taken during the course of her work let her accurately document her achievements.
"You can't expect other people to remember your accomplishments, so you need to keep these things out front," she says.
Because she was responsible for the budget, she knew what fellow employees earned. What she didn't know was how their salaries compared to those outside of the company. That's where the Internet proved invaluable.
"I did a market survey, which was one of the best things I could have done," she says. "I found out only two salaries at our company were below market, and one of them was mine."
