Should You Ask for a Raise?

SHOULD YOU ASK FOR A RAISE? Do you have an outside job offer? Are you ready and willing to leave your current job? NO YES My awesomeness alone must inspire a raise. I'm kind of a big deal. NO YES I would miss my desk by the window. They canceled Free Snack Did you get a raise in the last year? Fridays. RUN THE NUMBERS NO YES Get an online salary report on PayScale.com for the position you have and the one you seek. Come to the discussion prepared to neg- otiate and hit the road if you don't get what you want. Serious bummer. High fives for mel Has your company announced a wage freeze? NO YES Were you satisfied with your raise? WEIGH YOUR OPTIONS A wage freeze is not helping your chances at a raise. Find out if wages are frozen across your industry or just at your com- pany. Depending on the situation, you can stay put and wait for warmer weather, or move into a whole new field or industry. NO YES ----- Heck no. I'm rockin' my -: paycheck. CONGRATS! Feeling that you are paid a fair wage is an achievement worth celebrating. Use PayScale.com to watch the market as you gain new skills, responsibilities and experience and keep your pay where it belongs. Are you a top performer? NO YES I am a good worker but not a stand-out, yet. The wheels would come off if I left. Is your job in demand or growing? Have your job functions changed in the last year? NO YES Things look grim. It's sunny where -- I'm standing. NO YES ----- Nope, pretty much doing the same thing. I'm practically running the place. ASK FOR MORE! -.... If you have highly special- ized, in-demand skills that your company must have, you have reason to be re- warded. Get an updated IT'S TIME TO CATCH UP! If you are now managing more people, responsible for new areas of the business or simply producing more than you ever have, it's important to ask for a bump in pay. Run salary report from PayScale.com and ask for a raise. a fresh salary report on PayScale.com and talk to your boss. Have you acquired new skills? NO YES I am thinking about it, though. New and mad skillz. WAIT TO ASK GET IN THERE CHANGE DIRECTION If you are not a top performer, don't have new responsibilities and haven't gained new skills since your If you're more skilled right now than you were when you last received a raise, use PayScale.com to If you are the hard- working, high perform- ing type, but you're in last pay increase, con- sider improving your skill set or education research what sort of increase those new skills should earn you a job that's not valued, direct your energy into a new role, perhaps in a new industry, and seek higher pay there. before you ask for more dough. and ask for it. Sources: http://www.payscale.com For more information go to: http://www.payscale.com/ask-for-a-raise PayScale ..••