Asking For a Raise: The Unconventional Advice from a Workplace Communications Professional
Asking for a raise. The most daunting conversation to have in the workplace.
Here’s my advice when asking for a raise: don’t wait for the one big scary meeting to make the big ask.
Every Monday I ask my Career Civility community what situations and emails I can help with them. And every week I always have at least 2-3 submissions asking about how to best ask for a raise.
And it’s always an earnest ask. It’s not the ‘hey life is expensive I need a raise’ kind of ask. It’s the ‘hey, I do the work of 4 different people and I deserve to be compensated accordingly’ type of ask.
And here’s what I’ve realized… while there are countless formulas out there to help you ask for a raise – the typical do your research, document, and be confident approach – it still doesn’t typically land you a raise. At least not right then and there.
People put too much pressure on ONE conversation.
I don’t have a specific formula but I’m here to shatter the preconceived notion that asking for a raise needs to be accomplished in one big scary conversation.
How to ask for a raise, from a workplace communications professional’s perspective
First things first - you’ve gotta get comfortable talking about money and compensation and finances. Period.
As someone who grew up in the world of sales, I’m grateful that compensation was never a taboo topic. Sales people THRIVE off money conversations. On target earnings (OTE) are advertised, highlighted, and celebrated every single day in sales. In fact - every quarter our quotas and compensation changes. This means that we are having a conversation around money and earnings every 3 months (if not every month).
All this to say, just because sales people are driven by money - doesn’t mean other professions are not. The fact that this is not the norm outside of sales is bewildering. But talking about compensation and salary should be the norm no matter your role or job function.
That’s where asking for a raise starts. It starts when you get more comfortable talking about the uncomfortable.
Start having conversations about compensation (your salary, your benefits, your investments) with people you trust. Friends. Partners. Family.
Start talking earnings. Start understanding what other people are getting paid in relation to the roles and responsibilities you do in your job.
And no, you don’t need to be the person at the Thanksgiving dinner table asking “So, Aunt Beth, how much do you get paid?”
Start by using these prompts as conversation starters -
“I’m curious what projects you’re working on at work. Do you enjoy the work in relation to the hours you work?”
“How do you think about the work you do and the lifestyle you live?”
“Tell me about your career and financial goals. What does that look like for you?”
“I’m struggling to figure out what I should be asking for out of my career and the organization I currently work for. I trust your advice and am wondering if you’d be open to chatting more about this.”
“Do you have a mentor or an advisor you work with and trust to talk about work related stuff?”
In order to prepare to ask for a raise, start having more conversations around job related responsibilities, expectations, time, and compensation.
You should be having these conversations consistently.
Next - start communicating your worth in the workplace.
Practice communicating the projects you are working on in every conversation/meeting. While you know how busy you are, everyone else is too busy being busy in their own world to realize all the work you’re doing on a daily basis. How many times can I say busy in one sentence? But seriously, people are so busy it’s up to you to cut through the busyness and communicate the work you are accomplishing.
Below are some ideas to help make this communication more effective:
At the start of meetings, instead of the usual boring small talk about the weather or your weekends, start talking about what is on your agenda and to-do list that day/week.
“Thanks for joining the meeting today! I’m excited to connect on xyz. While we wait for others to join or before we get started, I’m curious what everyone is working on today. I’m working on getting through a,b,c. How about you?”
2. When writing emails, start including the goal of WHY you’re emailing them.
“Hey xx,
[insert personalization here] Always a pleasure to work with another Sun Devil. Sending a quick recap of what we talked about today.
[recap the WHY/goal] Overall, our north star is to - Advertise your brand, value prop and point of view to our audience so you can sell more products. In order to accomplish this, we will work to create content, align on a marketing strategy, and put together a calendar for distribution.
[recap what you are working on. Documents all the work being done] Next steps -
1. Schedule a content planning meeting
2. Write a blog piece 1x per month
3. Track product sales
[close however you feel fit] Questions? Comments? Feedback? I'm your gal!”
3. In 1:1 meetings with your manager or boss always ask for feedback
Do you have any feedback for me?
Is there anything I could be doing better or any areas of improvement you see for me?
I’m curious how you think about the contributions I’ve made to the business lately ”
4. Talk to your coworkers
Ask your coworkers what projects they are working on. Ask them about their bandwidth. Ask them if they are content in their job. Ask them what their goals are.
Better yet - ask your clients/coworkers/boss how you can help them be more successful in their own roles. Likely, you are already helping them. But by asking this direct (and very effective) question, it ties your work back to your worth.
I’m of the unconventional advice when it comes to asking for a raise - DON’T wait for the big scary make or break meeting to ask for more money in your paycheck. DO start having conversations about your day to day contributions/goals/expectations both inside and outside the workplace.
Career Civility is here to help you become a more effective communicator in the workplace. And if we can help you get that raise - then let’s get you the money you deserve!!
