How to Ask for a Salary Rise While at Job?

Salary is the important part of a job and the most valuable target in an interview. Companies negotiate salaries only with candidates who have cleared the tSalary is one of the main reasons for an employee to join or leave an organization. Salary negotiations are not just a part of a new recruitment. Employees with good performance are also eligible for a salary raise. For a new job salary negotiation, the opportunity to negotiate is created by the company. In case of a salary raise negotiation, the employee should find the right opportunity to discuss about it.

Identical to a job salary negotiation, a salary raise negotiation consists of three stages, preparation, presentation and result.

Preparing for a salary raise
Preparation is important while asking for a salary raise. Salary raise negotiations are a part of a manager's job. So managers are experts in dodging such negotiations. Preparation in terms of understanding the need, situation, increase amount and justifications is necessary.

The need: Clear understanding of the need for a salary increase is important before entering a discussion. Organizations do not raise salaries of employees at will. A specific performance appraisal process followed by a review cycle is a commonly adopted format. The time limit between salary review cycles is also a valid point to consider.
The situation: The situation of a salary increase should be handled with care. Salary raise needs can be conveyed to the company through a formal communication through proper channel. In some cases people tender resignation letters and wait for the company to discuss the issue. Such situations are not always successful.
The amount: The quintessential part of a salary raise negotiation is the amount or percentage increase. The increase should be reasonable and should comply with the company standards and policies. Reading the company's policies before tendering a salary raise request is mandatory.
Justifications : The candidate should have proper justifications for a salary raise. Justifications can be in forms of proven performance, team managing achievements, successes in meeting targets and deadlines, maximum throughput, which is a ratio more productivity with less resources and projects completed and resulting in profit for company and/or getting better projects.
The candidate should make sure that the justifications are good enough to earn a salary raise. The time to ask for a salary raise should be a proper one. A time when the team is hectic with targets, deadlines and schedules is not the right moment to introduce such a request.
Communicating about the salary raise need should be done through the proper channel. A team member should discuss the issue with the immediate superior before presenting the idea to the management. An in-person talk or a letter stating the need are the best forms of communication.

Presenting the need for the increase
The need for a salary raise should be presented to the management with proper justifications. The employee should be confident in talking but not arrogant. Even the best performer's salary raise idea will be turned down if approached with arrogance. Salary raise needs should be justified politely, not demanded.

Post negotiation
If the negotiation was successful, the employee should get it in a written form from the management. In case of an unsuccessful negotiation, the employee should not let it reflect it in his/her work performance. Positive attitude will help in future salary raise talks.