Re-negotiate The Salary Of Your Current Job
May 3rd, 2010 Posted in education | no comment »A newsletter subscriber inquired whether or not it was possible to negotiate salary at a job your are already working at. After some investigating the local job market, they realized that they were quite underpaid and wanted to level set with their coworkers. Someone had advised them to quit their job and try to negotiate a higher salary elsewhere.
Absolutely! You can definitely negotiate a pay raise in your career. I recommend people start considering a number of things in order to approach their bosses for a raise.
It may seem obvious, but if you have just recently taken on the job offer, or just recently received a raise then you should wait until some time has passed and you’ve proven yourself. It is very important to know your value before taking on any job.
Not only is a salary an important factor of the compensation package, one can also look at factors like improved benefits, more time off, stock options or stock purchase plan. You may look to other creative compensation strategies to entice your employer to bolster your income.
Prior to asking for a pay increase you should do make sure to take a number of steps.
1) Research and have confidence in your value in the job market. Make sure you have multiple sources for this information. Many salary sites are based on anonymous reports by unqualified individuals. Surveys conducted by market research firms are far more reliable when they go to the HR sources in the region.
2) Your value-add is a very powerful salary negotiation tool. You should be aware of all the ways you add value to the business and prepare to communicate it effectively to the boss.
3) You will need to discuss with the boss that you know the salary range for the current market. Be prepared with facts, and also prepared to approach this conversation with tactfulness.
4) Each person ultimately falls within a certain percentage on the salary scale. Are you a peak performer with lots of years in the industry? You’ll need to agree with your employer where you fit within the performance range. Can you command the top salary within your range?
Salary negotiation is a complex art that requires both skills, knowledge and good timing. One thing is for sure, you won’t get ahead as fast as you can unless you be proactive about negotiating your salary!
I highly recommend negotiating salary in your current job before considering leaving your job and trying to earn more money. This is particularly relevant if you are happy with your job aside from the salary.
Having a job offer from another employer is a great tactic to give yourself an upper hand when asking for a pay raise. It is a trump card that you should only play if you feel you need to.
Trevor Davide Grant is a IT manager in the IT field and has extensive experience in salary negotiation. Trevor has worked for large telecom, power utililties, software development consulting, and a prominent social network. He has learned how to negotiate a salary in the most effective way. Learn great tips on the topic of salary negotiating at www.HowToNegotiateASalary.com.
