Loud Thinking May 29, 2015 at 01:26PM
THE MANAGEMENT TIP OF THE DAY: Harvard Business Review
May 29, 2015
The Right Time to Ask for a Raise
Most people make their pitch for a raise at review time, when their bosses are often overwhelmed with the pressure of completing evaluations. Instead, time your request to coincide with changes in your own tasks. You should ask for a raise just before you take on new responsibilities or right after you successfully complete a project. If you’ve just created more value for your company, it’s a great time to say, “Can we share that value?” If you’ve collected evidence about your contributions and have a reasonable target figure in mind, you’re more likely to get what you want. Just make sure to look forward, not backward. You want to highlight your contributions, but then you should pivot to what you hope to tackle next. If your boss doesn’t seem receptive, suggest revisiting the issue in a few months and then get that on his calendar.
Adapted from “How to Ask for a Raise,” by Carolyn O’Hara.