Get a pay rise tomorrow

With the job market starting to show signs of brightening up, now's the time to enquire about getting a pay rise. Emma Roberts reveals a master plan for boosting your salary.

Us Brits have trudged along the gloomy job market path for the last couple of years now, with employment uncertain and pay-cuts prominent.

So, surely we all deserve a bit of a break?

Well, it finally seems that the job market is improving slightly, so if you’ve been considering asking your boss for a pay rise, now might be the time to strike.

Preparation is key

There’s no point just spontaneously catching your boss off-guard and demanding a pay rise, as this will definitely reflect badly on you and your chances of being successful will be near to none.

Instead, like all good plans, preparation is key.

You should first plan a date in your head for when you want to have a meeting with your boss about your pay rise.

It’s a good idea to plan it for at least two months ahead, as this will give you time to put your impending master plan into action.

If you’re serious about boosting your salary, then you’re going have to work seriously hard. You should actively seek out and accept new responsibilities and aim to complete a work load expected of someone two pay grades higher than you.

Bosses are busy. So busy, that they may not notice your miraculous hard work, so it’s up to you to tell them.

Obviously, nobody likes a boaster, so make sure your boss is aware of your efforts by dropping subtle hints.

For example, if you got a letter from a happy client or some positive customer feedback, mention it to your boss in passing but don’t make too much of a big deal of it.

If your particular sector of a company is doing well, you should send around a congratulatory email to the rest of the employees, including your boss.

This will show that you’re a team player and enthusiastic about the company’s success as a whole.

Building on this, make a conscious effort to socialise with your work colleagues outside of your working environment. Arrange after work drinks or a sociable lunch, for example.

Make sure you don’t forget to invite your boss and take time to chat with him/her in an informal environment.

When you’re satisfied that your boss is aware of all your hard work, you should arrange a meeting with him/her to discuss your pay and ensure that your boss is fully aware of the purpose of your meeting beforehand.

Before the meeting

Now you’ve got that important meeting booked, you should take time to prepare fully.

I personally think you should treat your meeting as a second interview for a higher paid job, so it would be a complete disaster if you waltzed in under-prepared.

The first thing you should do is set a realistic amount that you would like your pay to increase to.

Yes, we’d all love to earn £125,000 per week but sadly we can’t all be footballers.

Research what amount other people who work in similar roles to you get paid and set a realistic amount based on this.

Unfortunately, it won’t be as easy as announcing how much you want your shiny new pay packet to say and your boss happily agreeing; you’re going to have to justify why you should get a pay rise.

Avoid X-Factor worthy sob-stories at all costs and instead focus on what you’ve done for the company.

Write down bullet points of all your personal achievements that have helped the company and try and quantify them if you can. (‘I’ve increased sales by 23%.’)

You should then consider how increasing your pay would help the company. Again, write down your points in clear bullet points, so you can easily refer to them in the meeting.

As with an interview, you should make sure you dress for the new position that you’re aspiring to fill.

Dress smartly and simply, in a professional yet comfortable manner. Plan your outfit in advance and have it washed, ironed and ready for the day of your meeting.

During the meeting

The most important thing to remember about your meeting is to remain calm.

If you’ve done all the necessary preparation, then you should have a clear idea of what you’re going to say.

You should also bear in mind that the conversation should be two-way, so don’t talk for more than you need to and assess your boss' reaction to what you're saying.                     

Keep your body language positive and make sure you come across as friendly and approachable.

After you’ve discussed everything, ask for a definite answer as to whether you can get a pay rise.

If the answer is no, there's no harm in trying one more time to convince your boss otherwise, but if the answer is yes, ask to have it all down in writing so it’s official.

If the answer’s no

Don’t feel disheartened if you’re unsuccessful in getting a pay rise this time.

Ask your boss what you need to do in your job role to be considered for a pay increase.

You should then book another meeting to discuss your pay for a later date and hopefully you’ll be successful next time.

But sometimes, there’s no other option than to jump ship, so have a look at other jobs around and make sure you update and make improvements to your CV.

If you wish to boost your career prospects, you could take on some additional training or gain some further qualifications and there are loads of grants and loans available to do this.

So the bottom line is, convincing your boss for a pay rise isn’t easy but with the job market improving, now is the time to move in with your master plan!

More: Top tips if you're made redundant | Six top tips to pick up a pay rise|