Career Info

Have you been working at your job for a while and generally like what you do but are a bit unsatisfied with your pay rate?

For most, just the annual cost of living requires regular increases in pay just to support your family.

If this sounds like your situation, you may want to take the proverbial bull by the horns and ask your supervisor for a raise... and not just a cost of living one.

The first place to start when preparing your case for your raise is to ask yourself if you have taken on or been asked to take on any additional duties or responsibilities. If the answer is yes, have you or were you compensated for them?

Perhaps you've not directly been asked to take on any additional duties, but maybe your daily workload has increased and it's not just a seasonal increase or a spike; it is a genuine workload increase due to the company taking on more business.

Think about what you've read so far. Does it reinforce what you already know about career? Or was there something completely new? What about the remaining paragraphs?

Seniority and quality job performance of a steady period of time can also be a good reason to illuminate when you discuss the possibilities of getting a pay raise. Hiring and training new employees is an expensive undertaking for business, so retaining quality veterans is a valuable asset to any business.

Also, be sure to review your company handbook or employee manual. If you have been with the company for a while you may have a pay raise already scheduled by company policy.

If you are in a minimum wage job, then you pay will be dictated by federal and state law. Over the years the minimum wage has increased, and some states have even gone beyond the federal guidelines for minimum wages. Obviously, your employer is bound by federal and state statutes, but it doesn't hurt for you to know what the wage requirements are.

If you are an hourly employee, you may also want to see about requesting a pay increase that is commensurate with an increase in the minimum wage. Relatively speaking if you've worked hard to get your pay increased above that of minimum wage, you don't want your pay to lose ground relative to minimum wage if there is an increase in the required minimum wage.

You may also want to take a look at the average starting salary for new hires. If this is increasing all the while your wage is not, then you are actually losing ground to the hiring standard and it may be time to present a strong case for a pay raise.

Regardless of your personal strategy for going after a pay raise, the key is to present both a logical and historical argument as to why you deserve a raise in pay. Be positive and friendly with your presentation but be firm. And most of all, have a work history and work ethic that backs up your compelling reasons for your pay raise.