After going through the whole process of asking for a raise, I decided to compile some thoughts that might be useful for other people who may end up in a similar position as I have.

Feel free to message me with questions about your situation and I'll do my best to help you out and guide in the right.

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Here are some lessons learned from my own experience. Take what you can and think about it before you too, decided to have a meeting with your employer about a raise.

Think about your goal and intent

If you are asking for a raise because you think you deserve more money to deal with the bullshit at your job, then you should consider switching jobs. Asking for more money will be great in the beginning, but it doesnt change the fact that you are stressed out about your job over things you have no control over. Instead of asking for money, it might be wiser to tell them you are cutting your OT. You have the same net effect in terms of your time, which is ultimately what is more valuable here.

If you employer spends the time to talk to you about your problems at work they care enough to keep you around

All things in life are worth 2 things. Time or money. If you are consuming one, you are always earning the other. In that sense, if your boss is spending his time to deal with your work issues, consider it as a compliment to how they value you as an employee. Money won't always be on the table, but someone's time is worth money in some manner. Now, whether or not they are good leaders/managers and will actually go out of their way and risk their neck for you is a different story. Many people will be kind, but few will go above and beyond to lend a helping hand.

Do you get yearly raises?

If you are on a regular raise schedule, then you will only be able to negotiate the amount of the raise. This should be done as early in the year as possible and as soon as you can establish why you deserve a larger than normal raise.

In my time working in a large corporation, I've seen more people NOT ask for a raise and simply take what is given to them. In ALL instances, they always received less than what I think they could have potentially gotten, simply because they did not speak up for themselves.

In my situation, I receive a yearly raise in June, and I had my raise discussion in January. I felt this established my position and point early on and this allows my employer to really grasp the gravity of my performance and how it is valued in the company. If you still don't get what you want when raises are given out, then you should exercise our option to leave the company and pursue something else.

Don't make them guess the number

Put the number that you want out there on the table. Don't let them guess. We are negotiating money and numbers do matter. Having a solid number puts the ball in their court and forces them to make the next move.

To further this point, make sure you understand how you got your number. You cannot ask for a raise without understanding what the market rate is and the only way to do that is to interview and collect offers. If you ask for more than market rate, you will be laughed at because you don't understand where your number comes from.

Have a plan and be dynamic, but try to stick to the plan.

Having a plan of attack is extremely important. You want to walk into the meeting with a firm voice and confidence in your request. They will try to steer the conversation away from your focus point, not as a tactic, but because humans make it a point to talk about things they are familiar with. Your plan will guide you to the right talking points and establish your firmness and leadership. Even if the number doesn't suit their needs, your professionalism will show and you may earn a promotion just based on how you carry yourself.

Practice what you are going to say

Inernalizing words through thoughts is one way of going about it, but for most, this won't work when it comes time to put your mental thoughts to action. Our mouth literally needs to internalize what we want to say and doing so requires practice.

Physically own the meeting

This might not apply, but bring your best clothing. I normally wear non collar shirts and jeans to work, so I decided to wear a suit. It makes a difference in my own psychology.

CONCLUSION

I hope this helped you out, and thank you for all the steemians who commented and gave me some great advice. I used it and I gave you a live exercise of how it went. Feel free to ask me any questions and I will find out how I can best help you guys out!

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Photo of the day!

My daily driver is a 1990 325i BMW, but I'm also working on a 1966 Mercedes 230. This photo was taken when it wasn't freezing outside and will become the focus of this years project. The motor runs great, but there are clutch and ignition switch issues that need to be address before this thing can hit the road!