As you probably guessed by now, however, we don’t live in a perfect world.  Far from it.  Most of us are paid far, far less and want to earn more.

That’s why we ask for raises. 

Asking for a raise – an increase in salary – makes many employees nervous.  There’s really no need to be nervous, though.  Asking for a raise is nearly equal parts art and science.

Brazen Careerist Penelope Trunk had a great column on April 4, 2007 on Yahoo! Finance which describes how to get a raise pretty well.  She offers five suggestions: 1) Understand your boss’s perspective; 2) Expand your job duties; 3) Consistently over-deliver; 4) Get a mentor; and 5) Think in non-financial terms.

The over-riding theme of her column, though, is that this important on-the-job interview is actually a negotiation – which is spot-on.  Negotiating a pay raise is just exercise in sales – which is part science and part art.  Here are a few suggestions on how to use Trunk’s ideas to “Brazenly” sell your boss on giving you a raise:

Understand your boss’s perspective.  In sales, you listen to your clients to understand their pain (the problem they need solved).  Once you understand their pain, you can highlight the parts of your products or services that can alleviate their pain.  Much in the same way, understanding where your boss is coming from will reveal his/her pain.  You can then sell to that pain.

Expand your job duties.  Asking for more money for the same quantities of good and services?  That’s what you do when you ask for a raise.  As such, some get nervous asking for a pay increase.  After all, who wants to pay $20 more for having their car’s oil changed?  But let’s say, for instance, that you would also get a full tank of gas, a car wash and a bag of candy?  That extra $20 would be a bargain.

Consistently over-deliver.  In sales, the trick to repeat business is to under-promise and over-deliver.  You definitely need to promise enough to get the sale in the first place, but by providing more than what stated, clients will keep coming back – and they won’t mind paying a little more.  The same goes with getting a raise.  You have your job description – which you need to fulfill – but by going above and beyond, your boss (or “client,” in this case) will see you as a value to the organization.  As such s/he will be more inclined to give you a salary increase.

Get a mentor.  Sales (and job hunting) is all about getting help (or networking).  Asking someone to take you under his/her wing to help guide you will make your job easier – no matter what you’re trying to accomplish.  Having an internal mentor – a high-ranking member of your organization – pulling for you can help. S/he can lobby for you to get a raise – or even institute it.

Think in non-financial terms.  Nobody wants to work for free.  But money is not the end-all, be-all to happiness.  Sure, getting a raise is great, but so is getting perks.  If a salary increase isn’t going to happen, then negotiate to receive other goodies.  In her column, Trunk suggests pitching telecommuting, nabbing a job for your spouse, more vacation or even longer lunches.  There’s always another way to skin a cat, after all.

IN THE CARAVAN: To get a raise, put on your sales hat, give more than what is expected and negotiate. 

Check out last Thursday's post on cliché questions.

Want more Interviewing advice?  Check out these posts and The Lion's Pride section of WildJobSafari.com!

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