You’ve worked hard to get where you are. You know your job inside and out, and most of the time, you love it. But sometimes, you feel like there’s more to be done, which might mean a promotion. So the good news is that there are plenty of ways to get ahead at work without waiting for someone else to give it to you. Here are some strategies to negotiate a raise:
Be Proactive about Getting Feedback
Asking for feedback is a great way to get yourself noticed, but you need to be specific about what you want feedback on. For example, if your boss or manager hasn’t been giving you regular reviews, ask them directly what they want to see from you to move up. If something specific needs improvement, they may have already figured out how best to help you improve it.
It would help if you also asked for feedback from multiple people: your boss and peers at work are one thing; friends, family members and co-workers outside of work are another.
Professionals at Intuit say, “research shows fewer companies are giving out yearly raises. Even when they do, the increase typically hovers around three percent or less, which just about covers the cost of inflation for the year.”
Improve Your Weaknesses with Help from Your Boss
The best way to improve your weaknesses is by getting feedback from your boss. They can help you learn from mistakes and show that you are working on improving them.
If you have trouble meeting deadlines, ask for their help in creating a schedule that works better for you. If it’s hard for you to stay organized, ask if it would be OK for them to assign someone else who is more organized than you with some of the tasks that require organizing.
But don’t stop at asking for help—show how much improvement there has been since the last appraisal! Have an extra set of eyes to review what needs work before submitting anything as evidence.
Be Consistent and Up-to-Date on Your Work
Being consistent with your work is a great way to show that you’re doing an excellent job because it shows that you can get things done on time and that you can be relied upon for the long run. In other words, consistency will show that you are reliable and trustworthy. You should also be up-to-date with your work by keeping track of deadlines and schedules so that your manager knows where they can find an accurate picture of what needs to be done for the project or team to succeed.
Talk about the Value You Add to the Company
- Discuss how you are helping the company achieve its goals.
- Talk about how you are helping the company grow.
- Explain how your work is saving money for the organization.
- Highlight ways your performance improves the company’s reputation, either on a local or global level.
Develop a Growth Plan for Yourself and Share It
A growth plan is a written document that outlines your professional goals and how you plan to achieve them. It should include the following:
- What skills would you like to develop?
- How would you go about developing these skills?
- When would you like to do this?
Keeping a growth plan will help show that you’re committed to improving yourself professionally, which may lead to your promotion.
It might be time to re-evaluate if you’re not making any progress on your career growth. Instead, try one of these five tips or seek help from professional experts.