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#YourCareer : How To Get Paid What Your Worth. 70% of Surveyed Workers Do Not Believe they are Paid Fairly. Are You Paid Fairly?

August 24, 2023/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Ever accepted a job offer and then immediately regretted doing so after realizing you were being underpaid? If so, join the club. According to a Gartner survey of roughly 3,500 workers, nearly 70% of surveyed workers do not believe they are paid fairly.

The key to getting paid fairly is to know your worth and be comfortable asking for what you deserve. Here are some tips that can help you advocate on your behalf.

Know your market value. Check out websites like salary.com and payscale.com to see what people in your field (and location) are being paid. Call a few headhunters and ask them what the going rate is for someone with your experience. And don’t forget to ask friends, who are in similar roles, what their compensation package consists of. Note: Women should be sure to ask their male colleagues what they’re making, as they may be making more than your female associates.

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Article continued …

Be confident. Know what your absolute bottom line is and stick to it. If you receive an offer for less, don’t feel pressured to say yes. See if you can negotiate a better deal. If you can’t, be prepared to move on. An employer paying you less than your worth will undervalue you in other ways.

Don’t share your current or past salary. Some companies will ask you what you’re currently making or ask for your salary history. You don’t have to answer this question. In fact, in some states, this question is illegal. If push comes to shove, turn the question around and ask what the company pays for the position you’re interviewing for. If pressed further, say, “I’m open to a reasonable offer.”

Get comfortable negotiating your pay. A company recruiter will try to pay you as little as possible while you’re going to try to get as much as possible. Be prepared to negotiate and, if need be, settle in the middle.

Be willing to walk away. It’s much easier to stand your ground when you’re willing to walk away from a deal that doesn’t work for you. Don’t be afraid to take yourself out of the running if it appears that a company doesn’t truly value the work that you do.

If you want to get paid what you’re worth, you will need to ask for what you want. Don’t be afraid to let a low ball offer slip through your hands. With more searching and networking, you are bound to find a job that meets or exceeds your salary goals.

Forbes.com Author: Roberta Matuson Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website.

Forbes.com | August 23, 2023

#YourCareer : How To Prepare For An Effective Meeting With Your Manager (Promotion or Raise). Great REad for All!

January 31, 2022/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Do you dread one-on-one meetings with your manager? One-on-one meetings should be something we look forward to, but all too often, we avoid them. Maybe you have a performance review coming up, or you want to discuss a promotion. Whatever the case, you want to ensure that you have a productive meeting. Because if done well, effective meetings are an opportunity for coaching and feedback. They’re also a chance for you and your boss to build rapport and strengthen your professional relationship.

But what constitutes an effective meeting? Let’s start by looking at why preparation is so important.

Why prepare for meetings with your manager?

I’m sure you will agree that our time is more valuable than ever. By preparing in advance, you increase the productivity of the meeting. This approach also lets your boss know that you are organized, professional and thoughtful. Also, if the topic of the discussion involves a sensitive subject like a promotion or raise, it will give you more time to organize your thoughts.

What is an effective meeting?

Effective meetings require structure and allow you to showcase your leadership skills. They also help you build a stronger relationship with your manager. By establishing alignment around key topics, you and your manager can make faster decisions. Effective meetings also improve engagement, facilitate innovation and promote collaboration.

How to prepare for an effective meeting with your manager

One-on-ones are meant to address important topics and maintain a productive working relationship. But preparation is essential. Here are five ways to ensure you have an effective meeting with your boss.

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Article continued …

Go beyond an agenda

While an agenda is valuable, it doesn’t do a good job of communicating your key points. Don’t just outline what items you want to discuss. Also, think about what ideas or challenges you want to bring up. Ask a lot of questions to get to the heart of your concerns.

Prepare an update on your projects

One-on-ones are an excellent time to provide your manager with a progress update. Since you are working remotely or in a hybrid situation, it’s best not to assume that they know the status of each project. Be transparent and ask for support or advice if needed.

Come with solutions

Coming to a meeting with a list of problems means you run the risk of appearing incompetent. Don’t use it as a complaining session. Running effective meetings with your manager means coming to the table with solutions to problems. Even if you don’t have all the answers, it indicates initiative and leadership potential.

Ask for feedback

Based on research, leaders who rank at the top 10% in asking for feedback were rated, on average, at the 86^th percentile in overall leadership effectiveness. One of the most powerful ways for you to grow personally and professionally is to ask for feedback from your manager. It will give you more control over the conversation and likely result in valuable insights.

Share the positive

Managers get tired of having difficult conversations and putting out fires all day. Use this valuable time to share the details of your favorite project and why you enjoy it. Also, highlight what you are grateful for and, if appropriate, thank your boss for their support.

The more effort you put into the planning process, the more productive the meeting. Look at it as an opportunity to create a better relationship with your boss and improve the work environment around you. By committing to effective meetings, you will accelerate your career growth and increase overall engagement in the process.

Forbes.com Author: Caroline Castrillon

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Forbes.com – January 30, 2022

#BestofFSCBlog : Is Now a Good Time To Ask for a Raise? Answer? BEst Opportunity in Decades! Over 4K REAds!

January 7, 2022/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

With the new year here, many people may start searching for a new job. But money expert Clark Howard says this is also an opportune time to ask for a pay raise.

“2022 is the year of the pay raise from your employer,” Clark says. “And pay raises are likely to be the highest they’ve been in a long, long time.”

Why This Is a Good Time To Ask for a Pay Raise

Companies are setting aside nearly 4% of their payroll budgets for raises in 2022, according to a recent survey of 240 companies from The Conference Board, a New York-based business research nonprofit.

Here’s more positive data for workers: 97% of large U.S. companies are planning to boost salaries with the average raise being about 3%. The data come from a survey by human resources consulting company Willis Towers Watson.

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Article continued …

How To Ask for a Pay Raise

Asking for a pay raise is one of those things that you should put a lot of thought into before you proceed.

Here are some things to consider:

Make Sure Your Timing Is Appropriate

There are good — and not so good — times to ask for a pay raise. If your company or department has operational meetings, see if you can glean how the financial picture is looking for the business. Does the company expect record profits this year? Did the business lose money last quarter? Answers to those questions should dictate whether to ask now or wait a bit.

Another good time to ask? When you’ve aced a performance review, says jobs site Monster.com.

Monster.com career expert Vicki Salemi says you should also find out if there’s a formal period at the company when raises are given. A Human Resources representative should be able to tell you that window. If you’ve missed it, Salemi tells CNBC, “You still need to have that conversation, because it plants a seed with your boss and they may say, ‘You know, they are worth more. Let me see if I can do a mid-year raise.’”

Do Your Homework

Prepare yourself by looking up salary information for your position on job sites like PayScale.com and GlassDoor.

“You need to know what your value is in the marketplace. And you need to state the reasons to your employer — if they offer you a raise that you feel is too tiny — why you deserve more money for the work you’re doing,” Clark says.

Measure Your Words

How you ask for a raise can be as important as what you ask. “You can’t just go to your boss and be all demanding,” Clark says.

If the conversation doesn’t go the way you want it to go, keeping calm can be beneficial.

“Don’t ever get in a huff about it; you want to be polite,” Clark says. “Just be very clear why you feel you deserve more money than what you’re receiving from your current employer.”

To help you find the right words to say, jobs site Indeed.com has some scripts you can follow.

Final Thoughts

“If they just don’t want to listen,” Clark says, referring to your employer, “there’s a lot of opportunity out there.”

He’s right. Driven by a high demand for goods and services, the job market this year is poised to be very hospitable for job seekers.

If job flexibility is a key concern of yours, no worries. Many employers are offering jobs with flexible work schedules, including fully or partially remote positions.

Autraig Johnson

Clark.com | January 5, 2022

#YourCareer : How To Land A Promotion While Working Remotely. Is this a Good Time to Ask? Great REad!

January 10, 2021/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

If you’re like a lot of other professionals, you had high hopes for 2020. You started the year on the right foot, outlined incremental goals to achieve each quarter, and had your eyes on a promotion just in time for the holidays.

Unfortunately, you’ve been wearing your pajamas to work since March, a few major clients paused their accounts, and the company is struggling to get back to pre-pandemic production levels—not exactly an ideal time to ask for a higher salary.

Or is it?

Almost no one escaped the disruption caused by the pandemic, and many workers experienced the chaos as a massive increase in demand. Whether sales were up or way, way down, you’ve had to pivot, learning to do your job with fewer resources and more stress—you might even have received an entirely new set of duties. These situations don’t always bring out the best in people, but if you’ve shown patience, adaptability, and grit, you might be poised to leap up the career ladder.

Vaccines are being distributed as you read this sentence, but the pandemic is far from over. We can expect at least several more months of “business as unusual” before things go back to nearly normal, but that doesn’t mean putting your ambitions on hold. To prevent the pandemic from sabotaging your career goals, focus on these four steps:

1. Build relationships with clients

Forging relationships is an important part of your career, but you shouldn’t limit your focus to establishing connections with your colleagues and managers. Nurturing strong relationships with clients takes trust, communication, and the ability to cater to specific needs that vary from client to client. As Jeff Winters, CEO of Sapper Consulting, explains, “Engaging with prospects’ social posts, writing handwritten letters, and giving strategic, genuine gifts within your company’s ethical guidelines are all smart tactics for staying top of mind—but they’re just the tip of the iceberg.”

There are lots of ways to go the extra mile for clients, from making a delivery when someone mentions a badly needed home-office supply to remembering their favorite restaurant and giving them a gift card on their birthday. Knowing how to build these relationships shows your employer that you’re capable and that you see the bigger picture—characteristics that reap dividends when you’re hoping for a promotion.

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Article continued …

2. Look out for your co-workers

In your quest for a promotion, be sure not to trample your co-workers on your way to the top. Managers often look to promote the individuals who make the whole team better with their efforts. These people finish their own work and then reach out to peers to see where they can assist. Build your personal brand attribute of being collaborative, while diminishing actions that seem competitive or self-centered. Not surprisingly, these gestures of camaraderie go a long way.

D.G., a manager at Oracle Cloud, points out that “collaboration with teams across the organization always stand out. I always look at an employee’s internal branding to see how they are viewed by others.” The approach makes sense. If an employee is resented by his or her peers, there’s probably a reason for that. Maybe they frequently show up late or fail to pull their weight, or maybe they’re far more interested in ingratiating themselves with the manager than actually doing the work. When you come up for a promotion, you want your co-workers to have nothing but great things to say about you.

3. Talk with your manager about growth opportunities

For whatever reason, plenty of employees keep their desire for promotion to themselves and then resent being passed over in a favor of a more vocal candidate. If you want advancement, you’d better make sure the person with the power to grant that wish knows that you want to be in the running. Expressing interest doesn’t make you a shoo-in, but it can give you deeper insight into what the position requires or what specific skills the hiring manager is looking for. Approach the situation from the decision maker’s point of view. Mentioning your interest in moving ahead—always with the greatest humility—can help them see you in a whole new light.

4. Focus on professional development outside of work

Whether you get a promotion has a lot to do with your manager and employer, but don’t let that overshadow the control you have over the growth trajectory of your career. The more you know, the more promotable (and hirable) you are, and there’s never been a better time to teach yourself valuable skills. According to 2019 data from the Statista Research Department, employees most wanted to improve their influencing and negotiating (46%), having difficult conversations (24%), design thinking (24%), and leading and managing change (21%).

According to David Parnell, author, communication coach, and legal recruiter, “When you are trying to get promoted, it is impossible to go ‘above and beyond’ without knowing exactly, to a T, where the ceiling is. So be crystal clear about what is expected of you, when it is expected, and how it is expected. This way, you can meet and exceed your manager’s expectations.” If your desired promotion involves a set of tasks that you don’t normally perform, train yourself on whatever programs, equipment, or skills will be most relevant in order for you to excel. People with strong personal brands are life-longer learners, remaining relevant and ready for what’s next. Even if your self-directed development doesn’t get you a promotion, a portfolio of these self-taught skills will look great on your résumé and will demonstrate initiative that employers find extremely valuable.

It’s tough to ask for a promotion when you don’t know what kind of situation your company is in, so do your research just as you normally would. It obviously won’t do you any good to try to advance on a sinking ship. But if your organization has weathered the storm and is on an upward fiscal trajectory, show them exactly how you made unique, valuable contributions to that success. There’s no reason to put off asking for what you’ve earned, along with the new responsibilities and initiatives you know you’re ready for. By establishing your worth, you also indirectly demonstrate what your employer stands to lose if they don’t entice you to stay aboard.

Author: William Arruda is a founder of CareerBlast and co-creator of BrandBoost – a video-based personal branding talent development experience.

Forbes.com – January 10, 2021

#CareerAdvice : #WomenPayGap -The Best Advice for Women Seeking a Better #Salary …Great Two(2) Min REad!

March 4, 2019/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Are you receiving compensation that fully reflects your skills, education, experience and ability? If your earnings and your worth aren’t matching up, there are avenues for addressing the situation without damaging your career.

Here’s how to ensure you get the raise you deserve.

Crunching the Numbers

Although the Equal Pay Act was passed more than a half-century ago, women are still struggling to earn as much as men in the workplace. According to Glassdoor research, a U.S. woman is paid an average of 75.9 cents for every dollar a man receives. On top of potentially starting at a lower pay rate, taking time off to start a family, for a career sabbatical, to tend to an aging loved one or for other concerns is a more substantial setback to women than men, with the hiccup resulting in reduced wages for women and a lengthier career gap.

Moving Up or Moving On?

Sometimes, improving your situation hinges on changing employers. Whether you maxed out your growth in the current company, stumble onto a better opportunity or are simply ready for a change of scenery, moving on is sometimes the best course of action. In that case, you should review your career-oriented paperwork, especially your cover letter. Give it a refresher, bearing in mind it’s the ideal avenue for drawing attention to your accomplishments and abilities. You can use a cover letter template to create a stellar document. Think of it as a chance to tell potential employers all the things you wish they knew so you can land your dream job.

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Continue of article:

Positive Image, Positive Impact

If your intention is to remain with your current employer, seek opportunities to impress people of influence. For instance, you can go out of your way to master more bells and whistles of the software your company uses. Another idea is to learn to use a free, online logo-making tool and use it to design a top-notch logo. As Entrepreneur explains, oftentimes companies spend big bucks on a well-designed logo, but by designing it yourself, you can help your company be a standout and boost your career at the same time. Along those same lines, look for ways to up the company’s social media engagement. Raising company image is key to staying strong, and your superiors are sure to be impressed. It’s a great way to put yourself and your employer in the limelight.

Enhance Your Education

When it comes to catching the eye of the powers that be, going above and beyond your employer’s expectations can make a big impact. With that in mind, adding to your education is sometimes just the shot in the arm your career needs. You might elect to take distance learning classes if you never completed your degree, or are ready to add a new level to your education. Another idea is to add a fresh certification to show you’re serious about climbing the ladder, or learn a more advanced skill that benefits your company directly.

Power of Persuasion

Perhaps you reached the conclusion that you’re underpaid in your work and are considering discussing the situation with the appropriate party. Whether you’re in the interview process or revisiting terms with your current employer, Forbespoints out that negotiating can be a challenge for women. Preparing can bolster your confidence as well as provide you with more bargaining power. Review your skillset, education and abilities, and be ready to talk not only about what you’re doing and your current pay rate, but also other responsibilities you are ready to embrace. Maybe there are duties someone less qualified could take over so you can reach your full potential to do more advanced work. Think outside the box, and be ready to point out where you are underutilized as well as underpaid or underrated.

Knowing your income doesn’t reflect your value is a tough challenge, but with a handful of smart strategies, you can get the raise you deserve. Evaluate whether it’s time for a change, and if so, make it happen. Draw attention to your assets in a sharp manner and the right doors will open.

GlassDoor.com | March 4, 2019 | Posted by Gloria Martinez

Your #Career : #SalaryNegotiations – 5 Ways to Ask for a Raise When Your #CoWorker Makes More Than You…Talking about Money is Hard Enough, but What If your Co-Worker Makes More than You?

June 12, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Talking about money is hard enough. But what if you find out you make more than your co-worker? Or, worse, what if your co-worker makes more than you?

Even if it’s frowned upon, talking about salary is legal and allowed. Sharing your salary information can ensure you and your peers are being compensated fairly.

The younger you are, the more likely you’re to share earnings details. According to a Cashlorette survey, 30 percent of millennials have spoken to co-workers about how much money they make.

Regardless of age, asking for money can be uncomfortable if you don’t know how to go about it the right way. Here’s how to ask for a raise in five steps.

1. Compare Apples to Apples

It’s one thing to find out a manager makes more money than you, but it’s a different situation when it’s a peer with the same title and experience. It’s time you build your case on why you should make more money.

“Do you have similar responsibilities and workloads?” asked Jessica Dalka, creator of Chicago Planner Magazine. “For example, if you’re both account managers, do you have similarly sized clients? If you both have midsized clients and your co-worker has eight but you only have four, perhaps that might be why they make more.”

If your co-worker handles more work, has been there longer or has more years’ experience, you’ll have to build your case with other information.

2. Stay Calm and Collect Data

Don’t barge into your supervisor’s office and demand a raise simply because someone you know earns more than you. Find out if you deserve it by gathering data.

“You should come prepared with salary data by checking Salary.com or Glassdoor,” said Marielle Smith, a vice president at GoodHire, an employment screening company. “You shouldn’t use your co-worker’s bigger salary as a reason why you deserve a raise. This tactic will do little to convince a manager that you offer the same or more value to the company.”

Talk to other people in your industry that aren’t at your company. If you find that you’ve been lowballed compared to your networking peers, don’t fret. It’ll give you a ballpark estimate on how much to ask for when discussing your raise.

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Continue of article:

3. Wait for the Right Moment

It’s important to know what your company’s track record is when it comes to raises.

If you’re due for an annual review, you might have a raise coming your way. You’re already going over your performance and job expectations, so if your supervisor believes you’re a valuable asset to the company, a raise could be coming without you asking for it.

For some jobs, though, you do need to ask for a raise. If you aren’t set for an annual review anytime soon, a stand-alone meeting might be necessary. But you should still consider planning to have the salary talk at the right time.

Jesse Harrison, founder and CEO of Employee Justice Legal Team, has experience asking for a raise, even as a lawyer. And the timing was everything.

“I waited until after I had made a big break and won a case and the environment was at low stress levels — I even waited for a sunny day,” Harrison said. “It can be helpful to let the initial anger of earning less than a colleague fade away so you can recognize when the timing is right. A clear head will do wonders for your request.”

4. Prepare Your Case

Before your meeting, use your accomplishments to illustrate your point. Showcase the work you’ve done, the extra responsibilities you’ve taken on, and how the company has benefited from your employment.

If you’re having trouble coming up with valid points, you might need to wait a bit to ask for a raise. This way you can start to document a stellar track record.

5. Be Ready to Negotiate

It’s good to keep in mind a number. This could be a percentage increase, a dollar figure you’d like to hit or a mix of a pay bump and more perks, such as extra vacation days.

You might need to negotiate your salary with your supervisor. If that’s the case, start with a higher number than you initially wanted. Your boss will either approve, and you’ll get more money than you expected, or you’ll haggle until you’re both happy.

What to Do if You Don’t Get a Raise

Even if you’ve prepared for your meeting like it’s the SATs, you’re not guaranteed a raise. This could be for many reasons that you might not have a say over. So it’s important to stay focused on the goal, even if you didn’t meet it this time.

If your supervisor tells you that a raise isn’t in the cards, find out why.

If it’s your performance and workload, you can assure your manager you’re ready for the challenge of meeting new goals. This will give you the opportunity to have something to work toward and help set you up for a raise at another time.

If your boss says you can’t get a raise right now because it’s not in the budget or your position compensation is maxed out, you’re in a different kind of pickle.

At this point, if you’re doing your best work and still unable to get more money for it, you might want to consider looking for a job where you can earn more money.

If you’ve networked with industry peers and checked out salaries for your position, you’ve got a lot more negotiating power when you head into new job interviews. Use your research to your advantage, even if the job you’re in right now isn’t working out.

But don’t give up on your current job just yet. If you like your company and your co-workers, keep trying to get the pay you deserve. Chances are they can eventually find a way to compensate you fairly and still fit it in the budget.

GlassDoor.com | June 12, 2018 | Posted by Dori Zinn, Student Loan Hero

Your #Career : This Is The Right And Wrong Time To Ask For A #Raise …The Timing of the Ask Matters as Much as your Arguments.

April 9, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

You work hard, but do you get paid enough for it? Knowing you’re underpaid is decidedly different from knowing when to ask for a raise. After all, timing is everything. You’ve probably heard someone say, “I’m going to ask for a raise, but I’m going to wait until I’ve been there for [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][X] months.”

Everyone’s different, but the best time to ask often corresponds with a set period of time (annual review, anyone?). Still, if you’re feeling the burden of work without the money to match, waiting a full year may not be the right move. Fortunately, we’ve got some common time frames for you, complete with ways to determine the right window for you.

BEFORE THE JOB

Salary negotiation is a necessary element of the job search, and we hear over and over again that women never ask for enough when answering the dreaded “salary requirements” question. There are various rules you can apply here (the easiest I’ve heard recently: ask for 20% more than the first number that comes into your head), but what happens when you don’t get the salary you’re seeking during the offer phase?

This puts you in a unique position, where you can actually try asking for a “raise” before you’ve started. In your negotiations, you can counter by asking that after a three- or six-month probation period, you get a salary bump. Let’s say you were hoping for $60,000 a year and your potential employer offers $55,000. If you firmly believe that $60,000 is your bottom line, but love the job, ask if they’d be willing to raise the salary after three months. Ideally, aim to have this raise actually written into your salary letter so there are no shocking disappointments a few months from now.

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THREE MONTHS IN

Not the right time. Period. We say this for several reasons, the most obvious one being that it’s just too soon.

But something else you might not have considered: Even if your position’s done a complete 180 since you started, you still don’t know your company that well after three months on the job. Studies show that it can take anywhere from eight weeks to six months to really settle into a new position, so play wait and see for now. If your company and position really has changed that much in the last 90 days, who knows what will happen in the next few weeks?

If you ask for the raise now and do somehow manage to land it, you definitely won’t be able to ask for another one in three months. Given that your job has evolved this much already, chances are that you’ll find yourself with even more responsibility later on–and no way to ask for more money. Save your ask until you really know what you’re dealing with and can ensure that your salary bump is consistent with your increased workload.

SIX MONTHS IN

This is tricky but not impossible. On two separate occasions, I’ve asked for and received a raise at six months with no resistance. But here’s the thing: In both cases, I had a sense that I could ask and would likely win out. Why?

I started in junior positions knowing (or I guess, hoping) that I could make up for my lack of experience with my dogged dedication. I knew myself well enough to know that I’m quick on my feet and a fast learner. By month six in both jobs, I’d assumed twice as much responsibility, established strong relationships with my coworkers and bosses, and started taking the lead on projects with clients. My job description (and therefore, salary) no longer remotely matched my actual work–and so those raises came naturally with a title change. I’d proven myself, and honestly, they were afraid to lose me.

None of this changed how I behaved when I actually asked, though. I still outlined clear evidence to prove my worth, regardless of how clear it was to the parties involved. If your position has evolved well beyond what you were hired to do, and you know that you’re an essential and appreciated member of the team, it doesn’t hurt to try. Keep in mind that they may still say no. If so, ask if you can revisit the conversation at the year mark.

THE YEAR MARK

Ah, the classic. Since many companies have a formal annual review process, it often makes the most sense to ask for a raise during that meeting. Come prepared to present your case, but hold off until you’ve actually heard your boss’s feedback.

But be honest with yourself before asking. How well have you actually been doing? Just because you want more money doesn’t mean you’ve earned it, and the year mark is by no means a guaranteed salary hike.

A raise isn’t a reward for not getting fired. So if you’ve been treading water in your position for the last 365 days, know that you haven’t demonstrated that you’re ripe for a raise. And if you get hit with some mediocre or even negative feedback in the review, don’t ask. Focus on your own responsibilities and ask when you believe you’ve made some serious improvements to your work.

AT RANDOM

There are certain jobs where timing doesn’t matter as much as other elements, so you’ll need to ask when it feels right. If your job doesn’t have a formal review process, you may need to time your request more carefully, specifically after your boss gives you some positive, albeit informal, feedback. The same goes if your job is project-based. Let’s say you work at an ad agency and you blow it out of the water on a bigwig campaign, receiving recognition from your coworkers, your boss, and maybe even your boss’s boss. That’s prime time to consider pitching a raise (especially if this is the second or third successful campaign you’ve run this year). In these situational-based asks, let evidence be your guide. Walk in with a results-driven argument on why you deserve a reward.

In all cases, the key is to prepare your evidence before booking a meeting to discuss salary. Regardless of timing, you need to have your argument on lockdown.

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Your #Career : 3 Signs It’s Time To Ask Your #Boss For That #Promotion …The Timing of your Ask is as Important as How you Ask. Here’s a Checklist to Know if the Moment is Ripe.

March 16, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

You already know why you want a promotion: It will confirm what you’ve already accomplished in your role, validate your work and work ethic, and open paths for bigger and better projects. Ideally, it’ll also mean more pay.

But there’s a difference between wanting a promotion and being ready for it. In order to put your best foot forward with your manager, you need to be confident that the time is right. How can you ensure you’re not jumping the gun?

This three-part checklist can help you identify when you’re ready to make the most compelling pitch you possibly can.

1. YOU’VE BEEN DOING THE JOB YOU WANT TO BE PROMOTED TO FOR SIX MONTHS

This means you’ve been taking on more than what’s expected of your current role or level and performing well in that new scope. If you’re not sure where you stand, it’s a good time to have a check-in with your manager about her expectations for the level you’re hoping to reach, and the types of projects and impact you eventually want to make in a more senior role.

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2. YOUR WORK HAS HAD A VISIBLE IMPACT ON THE BUSINESS

It goes without saying that you should be making an impact at the team level, that’s part and parcel of your job. But the strongest cases for moving up a level at work rest on the contributions you make to projects that have a measurable impact on the business.

Looking at the work you’ve done in the past six months, identify the impact you’ve made for your team as well as for the business. That impact can be measurable (think revenue impact) or fuzzier (strategic impact)–so long as it’s visible and provable. For example, what part did you play to make sure that your team (and the company) met their sales target for the year? Did you propose a new idea to the higher-ups that they turned into company policy? To make your case, outline not just the business impact your work has driven, but also the alternate paths the team or company might have gone down without your work.

If you’re struggling to identify how your work fits into big-picture company goals, you might need to postpone your promotion request and instead work with your manager on a strategy to make your work more impactful.

3. YOU’VE MADE PROGRESS ON PREVIOUSLY IDENTIFIED DEVELOPMENT AREAS

If you’ve been in your role for at least six months, you should have gotten feedback by now on what you can to do improve. (If you haven’t, you should drop everything and ask for feedback now.) Have you made progress in the development areas your manager raised to you? Are some of these areas prerequisites for getting to the next level? If you’re excelling in them, it’s a great sign that now’s the time to make your case for a promotion.

Nodded your head to all these scenarios? You’re almost ready. Before approaching your manager, make sure you’ve gathered comprehensive documentation of your progress and performance. This should include specifics. Come armed with plenty of examples of how you’ve exceeded expectations, the measurable impact you’ve had on the business, and the progress you’ve made in the last six months.

At the same time, you’ll want to keep an open mind: Your manager will inevitably have a different perspective on your performance, impact, and progress. So take the time to compare notes in good faith and respectfully advocate for yourself. If you disagree, don’t be afraid to push back politely with concrete examples of your progress. By the end of the conversation, you and your boss should be able to arrive at a game plan you both feel comfortable with.

And yes, that may mean accepting a “not yet” to your promotion request. But you’ve at least laid out a reasonable timetable for getting to the next level.

FastCompany.com | March 16, 2018 | BY XIMENA VENGOECHEA 3 MINUTE READ