Salary Talk: How to Ask for a Raise

Let’s talk about something that you’ve been meaning to talk to your boss about for a very VERY long time — Salary Raise.

Hearing the words “We are giving you a raise” from their employers is music to the ears of Filipino employees, but sometimes, salary raise rarely happens. Not getting paid enough is one of the reasons why most Filipinos are dissatisfied in their current career.  You may be wondering: why won’t they just ask for an increase? Well, most employees are either too shy to ask or are afraid to approach their bosses to ask for a salary raise while others simply choose to accept their situation and endure it.

Filipino or not, a salary increase is something that every professional desires. If you believe that you are worth more than what you are being paid, why not ask for a salary increase, right? It seems easy but it’s probably one of the most nerve-wracking conversations you need to be prepared for. 

Here are some tips on how you can prevent an uncomfortable or harmful raise request situation: 

1. 
   

   Be prepared

   
   

   

   
   

   Even though you have a good relationship with your manager, you still need to have good and valid reasons why you should be given a raise. Start by preparing a presentation to sell yourself – look at your recent performance versus benchmarks, check your metrics, and most importantly, be prepared to negotiate.

   
   

   If you have recent projects where you went beyond what was expected and provided real value for your company, try to bring that up. If possible, always use specific performance data for better proof and analysis. 

   
   

    

   
   

2. Choose the right time to ask

   

   Yes, you want a raise, but you can’t just ask for it out of the blue! You need to consider your timing. Is your company having financial difficulties? Is your manager under a lot of stress or focused on too many things right now? If you answered yes to those questions then this is not the right time to ask for an increase.

   So when’s the right time? Here are a few great opportunities to ask for a raise:

   • Annual Performance Reviews
     During the performance review, talking about your salary is not only timely but often expected. Be sure to bring this up and don’t let the opportunity slip.
   • After the Completion of an Important Project
     You did an excellent job completing a big and important project, this is a great time to ask for a raise. Plus your stellar performance will still be fresh on your manager’s mind!
   • When your Manager is Happy
     If you can see that your manager is happy, why can’t you be happy too, right? Try to ask for a raise when stressful or hectic periods are over. Wait until the dust has settled and you have proven your worth.
3. 
   

   Be clear and specific

   
   

   

   
   

   Now that you have prepared good reasons on why you should be given a raise and you already picked the right time for it, the question is how should you bring it up? 

   
   

   You don’t need to follow a strict script but you do have to be clear and specific about it. You can start the discussion with opening lines such as:  

   
   

   “I’m excited to share some of my recent accomplishments with you and discuss my salary.” or “I’m hoping to discuss my salary. Is now a good time for that?”

   
   

    

   
   
4. 
   

   Know your worth

   
   

   

   
   

   Every job post and workload should have proper and equivalent salary compensation. Try to determine how much of a raise you should request.  To do so, consider the industry you are in, your employer’s company headcount, and your benefits. LinkedIn is a great source to compare your current salary to similar positions elsewhere. Do some research and be informed to provide you with a realistic salary goal for your position and experience. There are also free online tools that you can use to set realistic salary benchmarks for the role and industry you’re in.

   
   

   According to a study, there’s only about 37% of workers have asked for a raise from their current employer. Now that you have an idea of how you can talk about this with your boss, maybe the numbers will increase and who knows, your employer might give you a wage bump too! Keep these guides in mind and negotiate your salary all the way to the top.

   
   

    

   
   

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