How To Ask For a Raise

Have you ever wanted to ask for a raise? Ever decide not to do it? I think there are a lot of people who want to ask for a raise and probably deserve one but just don't do it. Why? A lack of confidence and a lack of experience in doing it. Well if you don't do it then you're going to struggle to get the experience. So you have to start doing it if you are going to make it a habit for the future.

Some people might say it's kind of greedy to want to ask for a raise all the time. But let me tell you this - If you want to get to the top of your game, then you want to work for a company who is constantly trying to grow and help their customers. This means they make more money, and that means you need to help them make more money. That also means you should continue to get rewarded for helping them to get there.

So here is my ultra-short primer for building the confidence to go and ask the boss for a raise. Trust me - if you do it once, you'll never get sick of doing it again and again.

1. Do you homework - You've consistently been working hard to deliver great results. You know what your market rate is. You know why you deserve a raise and can explain it well. Make sure your employer knows about the value you are bringing.

2. Visualise it - See yourself walking in and delivering your request and why you deserve it. If you are the beat-yourself-up type, then you will always find a reason why you don't. Ignore those doubts.  Just see yourself walking tall and presenting yourself confidently. Don't even think of really going in and asking until you have that scene playing in your mind.

3. Speak and act confidently - When you walk in the room and start talking, talk like you mean it. I don't mean demanding, I mean confidently, like someone who knows what they are talking about. Think of someone you know who talks like that. If you can't think of anyone, then check out Muhammad Ali here and here. It's much harder to refuse a person who sounds like they mean business. Walk in the room the same way and look the boss right in the eye when you say it. Remember, you saw yourself do it just before.

4. Email me and tell me how it went - I hope you get the raise, but don't feel bad if you don't. After all, it's just your first try. You are going to try again in a couple of weeks anyway, right? Shake things up.

Want a great listen on confidence? Check out Steve Pavlina's podcast below. Steve introduces some other points like using external stimuli and also has some good points on why you should be confident even if you haven't prepared at all.

Accountant Careers.co.uk provides accounting jobs in the UK via its employment Web site.