Do you believe you should be paid more for your work? If so, knowing how to ask for a raise is a valuable and essential skill you need to learn now. However, how do you write a raise letter? Do you have a conversation or should you put it into writing? We recommend preparing a salary increase letter so that you can feel more comfortable with your talking points and provide formal documentation. Here are some tips for how to ask for a raise in writing:
Make Sure The Timing’s Right
When you feel ready to ask for a raise in writing, first check if the company’s ready to give you one. If your company doesn’t have the budget or is unprepared, they won’t be able to provide for a raise. If you’re not aware of the financial health you can do some research. There might be cutbacks in spending or they have laid employees off. Also, look for information on how the industry is doing. By doing industry research you will be better prepared for any response. In addition, get a feel of your manager’s stress levels. If he’s been under added pressure lately because of the amount of work you all have, you see everyone acting erratically, or if the workplace is just a hectic mess, wait a bit.
Don’t Surprise Your Boss
You don’t want to catch your boss off guard. Once you have made sure the timing is right, be sure to talk to your boss in person. This can be extremely intimidating, we know. After all, you are looking up info on how to write a raise letter to possibly avoid this step, right? The truth of the matter is, your boss doesn’t want to be side swiped. Whether you set up a formal meeting or catch your boss at a good time in their office is up to your corporate culture. Either way, giving them a heads up before sending a letter increases your chances of success.
Include Your Achievement And Accomplishments
Reflect on your most recent accomplishments. If you’ve recently exceeded an important goal use this time to ask for a raise. Maybe you’ve also reached other milestones before that your manager doesn’t remember. Take some time to make note of them and showcase how you have helped the company’s growth with numbers and facts. Don’t just give an overall statement, but rather provide exact dollar amounts or percentages such as, “I’ve increased sales 23% over the last year and 30% this year. Just this month I brought in $10,000 in sales.” This will help “wow” your employer and make them see you as an asset at your workplace. If your accomplishments don’t include numbers, you can still include them. This might be processes you improved, new policies that improve customer service, working on an issue or project for another team, etc.
State The Exact Raise You Want To Receive
Do your homework. Don’t just go in asking for a raise but go in prepared with exact numbers. Visit website such as Indeed (https://www.indeed.com/salaries) or Glassdoor to find out what the average salary for your job is according to the market. However, there are factors such as your experience, education, and years working in that market that will influence the pay rate that you should ask for. If you do this homework you will then have an idea of what your work is worth in exact numbers. Also consider the years you have been working for your employer and other special skills that you contribute to the company that can also add on to that monetary value of yours. Now you will have a salary range that you would be happy and comfortable asking for. A general rule is to ask for a 10 percent raise. If you are asking for more than this, you will really have to justify your reasoning and make a strong case.
It’s helpful for you to ask for a raise in writing because it will be more straightforward in terms of numbers. You can even create a graph or table for you to showcase your worth. This may seem excessive to some, however, if you have increased the company’s revenue enough to make a graph look good, it is worth showcasing.
Thank Your Boss And Organization
Even if the conversation didn’t go as you wanted or as planned show your appreciation for your employer or manager’s time. It’s recommended that even after you have a brief conversation about getting a raise that you ask for a raise in writing. It’ll be easier for you to not forget any points that you have to make and also easier for your employer to understand every point made. Maybe your manager has to talk to someone above them about your raise, so make sure to send him or her an email with a quick recap of the conversation in terms of the reasons you’re asking for a raise and the numbers you’re asking for. If you get turned down you can keep this email for when you ask for another opportunity for a raise later on. Add a thank you to this email to show your appreciation and gratitude.
You’d be surprised with how many individuals underestimate all the fascinating and undeniable work they do at their jobs. At El Paso Professional Resumes we can help you understand what your work is worth and create a useful estimate to gauge if your salary is where it should be or if you should start asking for a raise and how. Whether you are interested in how to write a raise letter or want to hand the job off to a professional resume writer, we are here to help. Give us a call today!