Yesterday we talked about how to negotiate a higher salary. While many people are thinking that now is not the time to ask for a raise, experts say that the opposite is true. The trick is to get your boss while he’s looking at his budget–and lots of people are doing that at this point. While you think your chances might be slim to none, the truth is that perhaps by giving you a raise and asking you to take over a few duties, your boss can cut another position thus saving money over all.
However, even if you are the most valued employee ever, it might be that your boss simply cannot or is not willing to give you a raise. If your boss says no to your newly proposed salary you still have a few options.
Ask Why
You are perfectly within your rights to ask why you cannot get a raise at this time. The trick is not to be cocky. If you’ve done a good job, it’s likely that you are a very valuable employee and that your boss simply can’t afford it. While you’re discussing options with your boss, ask when you can reopen the discussion. A willingness on his part to reevaluate finances at a later date let’s you know that your boss is at least somewhat sincere.
Don’t Threaten to Quit–Negotiate Wisely
Don’t threaten to quit your job unless you mean it. If you threaten to quit if you don’t get a raise–you may well find yourself unemployed. On the other hand, there are ways you can still mention the ‘q’ word and not find yourself jobless.
Go on an interview or two before you attempt to negotiate your salary. When this new employer offers to hire you and pay you more, ask your boss if he’d match the salary. This isn’t sneaky but rather is somewhat common business practice. Your company makes money off of your performance. Therefore, negotiating a salary based on what others are willing to offer you is fair. Plus, if you have another potential job waiting in the wings, you can threaten to quit and mean it.
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Valorie Delp shares recipes and kitchen tips in the food blog, solves breastfeeding problems, shares parenting tips, and current research in the baby blog, and insight, resources and ideas as a regular guest blogger in the homeschooling blog. To read more articles by Valorie Delp, click here.