If you've finally gathered enough courage to ask your employer for a raise, there are some things you should know before knocking on their door.

Here are six pieces of advice to maximize your chances of getting a raise and what to say if you're faced with a difficult response.

1. Make Your Intentions Clear

Some people, especially freshers, are often so scared of asking for a raise that they'd rather make do with their current pay than deal with the fear of looking greedy. If you find yourself in a similar situation, know that asking for a raise is not a bad thing. It's an indication of your intent to grow in the company.

In a perfect world, you wouldn't need to ask for a raise, as your boss would notice your hard work and do it unprompted. But that rarely ever happens. So make sure to take the initiative and convey your intentions in a clear and professional way. You can say something like this:

"Thank you for meeting with me today. I'd like to discuss with you my recent accomplishments and my role in our team's success. In that, I want to put special emphasis on my salary, my performance this year, and my plans to grow within our company."

Related: Problems You Will Face in Your First Job and How to Solve Them

2. Prepare Your Argument

Man working on a computer in front of a window

When you ask for a raise, an immediate response that your boss will think of in their mind is, "Why? Why do you deserve a pay raise?". And though the reasons to earn more are intuitively obvious to everyone, your boss is not wrong to ask that question.

You must have a strong argument ready as to why you should be paid more before you knock on your boss's door. It's better that you ask yourself that question first before your boss does. Don't bring up personal matters when it comes to professional negotiations. As relevant as they are to you, they are not that relevant to the work that you do for your company.

Good Reasons to Ask for a Raise:

  • Your performance increased.
  • Your workload increased.
  • You achieved challenging company goals.
  • You want to grow within the company.
  • You developed new (and relevant) skills.
  • You display initiative and leadership.
  • You mentor your subordinates.

Bad Reasons to Ask for a Raise:

  • Your rent went up.
  • You've been with the company a long time.
  • You did everything your manager said.
  • Your coworker earns more than you.
  • Your personal expenses increased.
  • You changed your lifestyle.
  • You did your job properly.

3. Time Your Request

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When you ask for a raise is just as important as how you ask for it. If your company is currently struggling financially, now is not the right time to bring up salary negotiations. The same goes for if your boss or manager is stuck with a heavy workload and trying to focus.

Of course, you can't wait forever. So one thing that you can do is simply ask your manager when it would be appropriate for you to reach out to them. Make sure to get a quantifiable date. If they try to avoid talking to you or make invalid excuses, say something like this:

"I want to bring it to your attention that delaying this process is greatly hindering my productivity. I understand that you are really busy, but the later we have this conversation, the more our results will suffer and be harder to recover."

4. Ask for a Specific Number

phone with money

Don't enter a negotiation about your pay raise without having a number in mind. It's way better to say "I'd like my salary to be increased to X dollars" than to say "I want more money." When you introduce a quantifiable metric in the conversation, you signal to your boss that you know your worth.

Speaking of which, make sure to do your research and find out the average salary of your role in your city. This way, you have a standard to compare your salary to and can better evaluate your market value. Then, if your boss argues against your expected raise, you can say this:

"I hear you, but according to my research, the average salary for my role is X dollars. Similar roles in our competitor's company start at around Y dollars. With that in mind, I feel that my expected raise of Z dollars is a perfect reflection of my qualifications and experience."

5. Offer Alternatives

people shaking hands in a office setup

Nothing is set in stone in a negotiation. Your boss may not agree to increase your salary, but there are other benefits that you can still request if a raise is off the table. These benefits can include:

  • Work from home
  • More paid leaves
  • More paid vacations
  • Corporate discounts
  • Health insurance
  • Retirement plan
  • Better job title
  • Flexible working hours
  • Decreased workload
  • Reimbursement of commuting expenses
  • Assistance in repaying student loans
  • Streaming service subscription
  • House rent allowance
  • Recommendation letter
  • Gym membership

6. Make an Exit Plan

calling someone on mobile

If, after all that, your boss still says no to everything, and you can no longer afford to work at your current rates, it might be time to pull the plug. But don't make it a "do it or else" argument. That is extremely unprofessional and distasteful. Instead, you can say something like this:

"I'm afraid I won't be able to continue working here under those circumstances. I understand your concern, and I really want to bring greater value to our company. But to do that, I will require greater motivation to extend my performance beyond my current level."

Remember, if you are planning to propose an ultimatum, make sure you actually mean it. Ideally, you should have alternatives ready in case you have to leave your company. Perhaps you might try a different industry or skip employment altogether and do freelance.

Related: How to Be a Successful Freelancer: Essential Skills to Know

Know Your Worth

It's not always easy to calculate how valuable you are as a working professional. But one thing to always keep in mind is that you are not paid based on how hard your job is, but instead based on how easy it is to replace you.

Your job could be highly specialized and take years of academic study and multiple qualifications to be eligible. But if there are plenty of other equally-skilled job seekers available in the market, it'll be trickier to make your case right from the get-go.