Negotiating a Pay Raise Here are the Best Tips
                     N E G  O  T I A T I N G A P A 
Y  R A I S E : H E R E A 
R E
T H E B E S T T I P S
B Y L E V E L F I N A N C  I N 
G

One way people can improve their financial situation is by  
asking their employers to give them a raise. However, salary  
negotiation is not the easiest task in the world. First,  
managers are naturally reluctant to increase the company’s  
costs, as maximizing its profitability is their job. Second, you  
may feel that asking your employer for a higher salary may  
cause the company to lose trust in you and damage your 
work  relations.
However, by following these tips on negotiating a pay raise, 
 you can maximize the chances of your request being  
successful and minimize the negative impact on boss-
worker  relations.
Information is power. Knowing how many people working in  
your same position at other companies are making can give  
you an advantage during negotiations, especially when your  
current salary is below the industry standard. Job listing sites 
 like Indeed can be a good source to find out how much 
people  working in your position typically earn.
Employers typically want to avoid developing a reputation for 
 underpaying their workers. They also don’t want to lose 
them  to competing companies that may offer them their 
desired  salary. Showing them that you are aware of what 
the average  salary in the industry is can be very helpful.
When companies are going through difficult times due to 
issues  like low revenues or high debt, managers are 
particularly  cautious regarding increasing costs. Asking for a 
raise during  one of these periods may not be the best way to 
proceed.
In contrast, if the company is doing very well because it had a 
 good year or found a new major client, your boss may be 
more  receptive to the idea of giving you a raise. It’s ok to 
mention  that you waited for the company to recover from a 
previous  difficult moment before asking for a raise. This will 
show your  employers that you can about the company’s 
future and that  you’re not simply motivated by self-interest.
Preparing a list of all the ways in which you have contributed  
while working for your current company can help your  
employer better evaluate if you deserve a raise. Bosses have 
to  look after a large number of workers. Keeping track of all 
the  achievements and contributions of each employee is not  
always easy.
This list should be realistic and based on proven results 
that  you obtain while working in your current position. 
When  negotiating salary increases, you shouldn’t come 
across as  bragging or appropriating yourself of results 
achieved by  others.
As mentioned earlier, employers have a natural reluctance  
towards cost increases, as they fear that these could negatively 
 impact the profitability of the company or that particular  
department. Part of the negotiation process should be 
explaining  to your boss that a pay raise would have a 
noticeable impact on  your productivity and, ultimately, on the 
company’s bottom line.
Explain to your employer that you would see a pay increase as 
a  vote of confidence from the company, making you feel more 
 motivated and willing to put in extra work, as well as take  
additional responsibility. Help them see that a salary increase is 
 not a cost but rather an investment.
There is a high likelihood that your boss will need some 
 time to evaluate your request or consult other people 
in  human resources before making the final decision. 
While  you should discuss a pay raise in person, it’s also 
wise to  bring with you a copy of your request.
The written copy shouldn’t be too long but should  
highlight all the key elements of your request. It 
should  be easy to read and well-documented, 
allowing your  boss to.
Like everything else in life, training for something will  
significantly impact your final results. Negotiation skills are no 
 different. That’s why you should ask a person you trust to 
help  you rehearse the salary negotiation. While a friend or 
relative  can definitely be of help, colleagues will probably be 
even  more effective because they already know the 
environment  you work in and have probably already 
interacted with your  boss in the past.
Tell them not to go easy on you during the rehearsal and to  
treat you like they would treat one of their employees if 
they  owned a business.
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