When to Ask for a Raise?

Upside to Business

People often want to know how to get a raise. My first response is find a good time. A potentially good time is:

o You’ve just received great public kudos for your work.

o Headhunters are pursuing you with job offers.

o The company is doing well financially and getting a lot of positive press.

o The labor market in your specialty is tight, and your department is understaffed.

o Your boss is in a good mood because of recent success.

o Another division of the company has asked you about your availability.

o The budget for next year is about to be set.

Don’t bother asking for a raise if your work is mediocre, even if your peers are making more than you. Don’t do it if the company is experiencing tough times (that is, cutting jobs, trimming budgets, suffering declines in the stock price).

Picture of Debra Benton

Debra Benton

D.A. (Debra) Benton has been helping great individuals and organizations get even better for over 20 years. Just as exceptional athletes rely on excellent coaching to hone their skills, Debra's clients rely on her advice to advance their careers. She focuses on what is truly important to convert what you and your organization want to be from a vision into a reality. TopCEOCoaches.com ranks her in the World's Top 10 CEO Coaches noting she is the top female. And as conference keynote speaker she is routinely rated in the top 2%. Her client list reads like a “Who's Who” of executives in companies ranging from Microsoft, McDonald's, Kraft, American Express, Merrill Lynch, United Airlines, and PricewaterhouseCoopers to the Washington Beltway and U.S.Border Patrol. *She is the author of ten award-winning and best-selling business books including The Virtual Executive and CEO Material. She has written for the Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Businessweek, and Fast Company. She has been featured in USA Today, Fortune, The New York Times, and Time; she has appeared on Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, and CBS with Diane Sawyer. To learn more Debra advising leaders, coaching, facilitating a workshop, or speaking: www.debrabenton.com

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