How to Negotiate a Higher Salary

How to Negotiate a Higher Salary
Who doesn't want a better salary? We all could use a pay
raise, but the problem is—how to get it? How should
you approach the boss? What should you say?
And—equally importantly—what should you avoid
saying in order to plead your case in the most effective
way possible?

The first step to making sure you make a good case for
yourself is to have all the knowledge you can gather up.
How much are other employees in your position making? Try
to obtain this information discreetly—don't just ask
your coworkers what their salary is. Be sensitive to the
fact that others may not want to tell you how much money
they make, and be respectful. Above all, try to make sure
that any knowledge you have on the matter is as accurate as
possible, so you can use it as leverage in your
negotiations.

But don't be too quick to use your coworkers higher
salaries as justification for your own pay raise. You need
to think about why you may be getting paid less. Is your
performance weak in any way? Are you substantially newer at
the company? Do you work fewer hours than others in your
same position? Do you contribute less overall? These are
all factors that may affect how much compensation you get
for your work.

If you think your lower-than-desired salary may be
attributable to a weak performance, the obvious answer is
to step it up in terms of your workplace accomplishments.
Make it obvious to all those around you that you deserve
more money. Always arrive on time, stay late if possible,
and don't goof off during work hours. Don't just do the
bare minimum, but rather go above and beyond the call of
duty at every opportunity you are presented with. It's the
overachievers who generally are given the greatest rewards.

When you go into your negotiation, arrive armed with a list
of your accomplishments to prove your work ethic to your
employer. This is especially important if the employer is
not someone you work with closely on a daily basis. You
need to show him/her that your contributions are
significant and valuable, as that is the key to making
him/her want to reward you with a higher salary. It's
especially beneficial to show how your work has increased
revenue, decreased expenses, made the company more
productive, created greater overall accuracy and minimized
error, and so on.

And what if your employer still won't budge on the question
of salary? There are other ways you can be compensated, so
don't give up yet. Asking for additional benefits is one
great way to make sure you are getting what you deserve.
For example, an employer may be much more willing to give
you an extra week of vacation or free night courses to
enrich your skill set.

----------------------------------------------------
Ken Anczerewicz is an author and publisher devoted to
providing time & money saving resources designed to help
career & job seekers of all ages achieve their financial
goals. You can check out his best recommendations for
creating your own income stream by clicking here now:
http://www.resourceriver.com