How To Get A Raise

Bella Breakdown

Asking for a raise can be one of the hardest things for people, and especially women, to do. Many of us expect that if we are doing a good job, people will offer us more money. Then, when we don’t get offered more money, we think to ourselves, “Well, maybe I just need to work harder.” Or, “There’s always next year.”

The truth is that if you think you are underpaid and you deserve more money, then you probably do. However, no one is going to just hand out their company money. You need to ask for what you want. Women are stereotypically horrible at this. It is time for us to take matters into our own hands.

Lydia Fenet, author of The Most Powerful Woman in the Room Is You has some great advice for women who want to negotiate a raise.

1. Tell your boss why you deserve a raise
Advocating for yourself is an important part of having a job. You need to know off of the top of your head why you deserve more money, like what you did to improve the company, help the company make money, or grow as a business. Be able to sell yourself.

2. Try not to get emotional
This one can be very challenging. When your future is on the line and you feel under-appreciated and unsupported, it can be really hard to not get emotional and to not cry. Unfortunately, there are many people in this world who do not take emotions seriously. Until that changes, it is important to treat this as it is: a negotiation. Therefore, it is better to remain serious.

3. Stay quiet
Once you have stated your demands, you don’t need to ramble and continue to try and prove yourself. Being quiet and waiting for your boss to make their move is a huge power play. They will feel uncomfortable and understand that the ball is in their court. If you are valuable to the company (which, girl, you know you are!) then they will do anything they can to keep you around. Silence can give you the upper hand really quickly.

Now you know what to do to go get some more money rolling in. What are you waiting for? Go get ’em!