Want a Raise? Don't Commit Salary Suicide Robin Ryan "There's no way I could ask my boss for a raise--I'd blow it for sure, and then where would I be?" Sound familiar? Maybe you feel you deserve a raise, so you race right in and demand it. Either way, you'll most likely end up without adding any extra dollars to your paycheck. Getting a raise is not as simple as it may appear. A recent USA Today survey reported that 59% of the women who asked for a raise got a "no" and 41% of men failed, too. Learning the success formula before you talk to your boss can greatly improve your chances of achieving your goal. What are the fatal mistakes you must avoid when talking to employers about a raise? Here are the major ones:
Not one of these approaches shows the boss or company management HOW you have benefited the organization, which is THE way to landing a salary increase. Some steps to improve your success include:
FACT: The biggest raises come from salary negotiations when choosing to move on to a NEW employer. Internal raises rarely exceed 5-8% but major increases--20%, 40%, even 50%--come from selling yourself more effectively to a new company. New employers are offering top dollar just to insure you'll join their team, but ONLY if you know the secrets of salary negotiations. So if your employer isn't paying the true value of what you provide working for them, now is a good time to explore landing a new job with a much higher salary. But avoid committing salary negotiations suicide--do not break this rule: Never reveal your previous salary. Do learn how to effectively sell yourself and know your worth. (Click here to use a salary survey on www.robinryan.com). The effort to learn how to negotiate is worth it--in the last year I've seen employers offer higher salaries and more lucrative benefits packages, simply because the prospective employee knew how to ask for them. © Copyright 2009 Robin Ryan. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.
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