8 questions to ask yourself before asking for a salary raise

When was the last time you got a raise? And no, we don’t mean that slight increase of 2 or 3% every year because of inflation. Surveyed 160,000 employees and found that two-thirds of them have never asked for a raise.

That’s mainly because salary negotiations are exciting, and they weren’t sure if they deserved a raise at all. Do you also doubt whether you should contact your manager? Ask yourself these questions and you will have the answer.

Ask these questions before you ask for a pay raise

These eight questions will help you figure out if you deserve a raise and prepare for the conversation.

1. How much do others get paid with my position?

Do you know what you are worth? Via online tools such as Payscale and others can find out how much others are paid with your position. This ensures that you are in a stronger position during the negotiation, especially if you find out that you are being paid too little.

2. When was the last time I had a salary increase?

If you get a salary increase every year, you probably won’t be welcomed with open arms if you knock again now. Have you not received a raise in salary (except perhaps from a paltry 2 to 3 %), and did you perform well? Then you are right to contact your manager.

3. Do I deserve this salary increase?

We all want a hefty salary increase, but not everyone deserves it. Take an honest look at your performance and check whether you have committed 100% to the company. If not, you don’t deserve a raise either.

Do you work hard and deliver good performance? Then make a list of all the reasons why you deserved a raise. This will also help you to enter the conversation with more confidence.

4. Do I want more money or more happiness at work?

Of course, it’s essential to earn what we’re worth, but it’s good to ask yourself why if you want more and more money. Sometimes this is the only thing that makes us show up for work – not that we like our job so much.

If you’ve fallen into a work rut or even started to find your job boring, it’s not surprising that you feel you need to be compensated more. But if this is the case, you might want to start the conversation about more challenging tasks and/or a position. Then that salary increase will follow naturally.

5. How is my company doing?

Have there been many layoffs and reorganisations? Then this is not the right time to request a salary increase. Even if you don’t get paid enough, this will go down the wrong way.

Therefore, think carefully about how things have been going with the company lately. And yes, the coronavirus crisis may have been in full swing, but this crisis has not affected every company.

6. How much will I ask (and how much will I want to earn)?

Okay, you want a raise. But exactly how much more do you want to earn? Determine before the interview what salary you want to earn. Next, it is important to consider the amount that you are going to ask in the conversation.

These two numbers are not the same. The amount you ask for is higher than the amount you want to earn. So there is still room to negotiate.

7. Do I also accept fringe benefits instead of money?

It is possible that there is no salary increase now, but that your manager offers you something else. Extra vacation days, for example, being able to work from home more often or flexible working hours. That is why it is good to think about this in advance.

8. What is my plan if I don’t get the salary raise?

Even if you work hard and always do a good job, your boss may say no. Be prepared for that too, because you don’t want to get out of your mind or get emotional. Instead, you should thank your boss for his or her time and ask when a salary increase is possible.

Is this over a specific time (because you will have been in the role longer or the company will hopefully be doing better), or do you need to have achieved particular accomplishments to earn the salary increase? If you make a plan together, you can be sure that you will be able to get the raise in the future.