Job Search Tips

Have you ever seen a coworker resign his position only to suddenly change their mind? You know that the company counter offered and bumped his salary in order to keep him. This happens and it is infuriating to loyal employees that don’t make waves. When is the company going to reward loyalty?

The answer is never. If you are waiting around for someone to tap you on the shoulder to reward your hard work and loyalty you will be waiting a very long time. It just doesn’t work that way in what I like to call reality.  In reality you must create a little tension to get your just rewards. You must cause a little friction. You must be willing to lay your cards on the table and clearly communicate what additional composition you are looking for.

Now before we continue let me point out the obvious fact that in order to be successful at requesting more money, you must be a valuable employee. If you have the feeling that no one would miss you if you left, then don’t bother. Just continue to sit back collecting paychecks until that inevitable day when your boss calls you into his office for a chat.

For those of you that remain congratulations! You are a valuable employee and your employer would not want to lose you. But how do you leverage this into an increased salary? This is a very tricky question with many different possibilities. Here is what I recommend.

First off you should quietly begin a job search looking for other career opportunities. You don’t want to start salary negotiations without having other options lined up. You also want to know with confidence what the current market salary for you skill set would be.

This kind of job search should be private. Don’t reveal your name, email address, phone number, address, or current employer. Contact a quality job search company to make this easy. Once you have a feel for the market place its time to formulate the message that you’ll be bringing to your current employer.

The first thing you want to do is get clear about what you want. Are you looking for a salary increase? If you are looking for a salary bump then how much do you want? You must never be vague when requesting a salary increase. Vague requests get vague responses.  Think in terms of percentage increases. For example your goal could be a 10% pay increase.

Don’t forget that you could also negotiate other items including time off.  I once used up all my time off due to the birth of my son and negotiated an extra paid week off.  Employers will often give you extra time off a lot easier then they will give you a pay increase because time off is a soft cost.

Once you have a goal in mind you must set a formal meeting with your supervisor and lay your cards on the table. I recommend that you prepare an update to date resume and list what you bring to the table. This is not the time to be modest. Lay out your accomplishments out and remind your employer why you are so valuable. Then make your request and provide back up information.  “I’m looking for a 10% salary increase which would put my salary in line with the current market for my skill set and productivity level.”  Put it out there and shut your mouth. Let you boss digest your request and come back with a response. You might be surprised his response.

One thing that you should never do is to use a job offer to club your current employer. This is bad protocol and has a high likelihood of getting you escorted out the door next to Johnny the security guard with a box full of cubical crap including a squeeze toy and red stapler.

This whole exercise involves leaving your comfort zone, but if you are willing to put yourself out there you might be pleasantly surprised at the results.

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Written by Kenneth Lowrey - Get Help With Your Job Search Join Our Free Newsletter!