The economy might be slow, but you should never be afraid to negotiate a better salary. When it’s time for the annual appraisal and you’re looking for a raise, don’t talk about percentages. Instead, stick to the actual amount of money you are looking for.
Photo by Samuel Mann
You can get away with trying to start a salary negotiation with a blank slate, but that’s not possible with a raise. Your employer is “anchored” by your current pay and will look to offer a raise based on percentages, says The Daily Muse. Instead, you need to draw them away from the percentage game and talk about what your market value is — what you would get if you were to work somewhere else. Here’s an example of how the conversation could go:
Your Boss: That’s a 12% raise. We never give raises that high.
You: I understand the problem with percentages, but what we’re talking about is my dollar value, not the difference between my value today compared to my value last year. The market for me is (say) $150,000. That’s what I’d get if I were looking for another position. But I don’t want to look for another position. I love working here, and I’d love to be given the chance to improve our performance by duplicating my engagement in our disengaged employees.
It’s not going to be easy to do that because most corporations resist change and deviations from “how things are done”. But if you are an employee worth retaining, this strategy can get you the raise you want and deserve, while keeping your job. In fact, you might want to couple it with the idea of using exact numbers while negotiating.
The Secret to Negotiating a Raise During Tough Times [The Daily Muse]
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