We've put together some tips to help you negotiate a higher salary, without finding a new job.
Although daunting, during a salary negotiation stay professional and calm. The more confident you appear, the more likely employers are to consider your request.
It’s important to establish your reasoning for a pay rise. Have you gained relevant qualifications and/or skills? Do you have unique strengths? Has your workload increased? Have you made a large contribution to recent success in the company? Whatever it may be, ensure you can confidently state your participation and evidence it where you can.
Questions to ask yourself before you request a raise:
How long have you been in your job? Has it been a year?
Have you taken on any new responsibilities since you joined?
Have you been exceeding targets and expectations?
If you can evidence each of these points, with genuine examples, it’s likely you have a strong case for a pay rise.
Remind your manager of the success you have been involved with, especially if they have brought new business into the company. Create a profile of everything you’ve achieved to truly demonstrate your value. Think about the accomplishments, successful projects, outstanding testimonials and any awards you may have received. This ensures you don’t forget any of your achievements; they are printed out in black and white for your employee to see.
Do you know the ‘going rate’ for your specific role, industry and location? This information is essential when putting together your case for a pay rise. Ensure you present evidence of the current market rate for your role. Use Hewett Recruitment & Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce’s Salary & Benefits Report as a benchmarking tool, which specifically highlights factors such as company size and job titles to establish typical salaries in the local area. If your current salary is the bottom end of the salary range, it’s likely you have a good case for a pay rise.
Don’t be nervous- start high! State the top of the salary range you’ve discovered from your research that represents your market value. Your employer will likely negotiate down, so ensure there is some room to end up with a salary you’re pleased with.
Top tip – use specific numbers. If you request £25,750 rather than £26,000, it’s likely the employer will assume you’ve conducted more in-depth and accurate research into your market value to come to such a specific number, naturally increasing trust and willingness to consider.
