5 ways to get the raise you deserve in 2015

By Leslie E. Royal, ESSENCE

Many women are working hard on the job daily and seeing little to show for it in monetary compensation. If you are like scores of others and ready to get justly compensated, our experts can help you. You will have to roll up your sleeves and get to work. But implementing these tips can help raise your profile, get the appreciation you deserve and accelerate your path to the next raise you’ve earned.

1. Create a “Go-to-Girl” Handbook.
Establish yourself as the “go-to” person within your organization. Become proficient in not only your job, but if possible, everyone else’s around you. Be known for meeting all deadlines. “Take the initiative to create a handbook for your position/job, complete with mission statement and personal/professional philosophy,” says Sharon Frame, president and CEO of Sharon Frame Speaks, a company specializing in self-development and leadership workshops and presentations. Ensure that your mission, philosophy and outlook align with that of the company. Your personalized handbook should contain your job description with highlighted areas of success on specific projects, all skill sets you have acquired, the professional organizations of which you are a member and the initiative you took to become cross-trained in everyone else’s job. At an opportune time, share the “Go-to-Girl” Handbook with your boss.

2. Engage in Kind Conversation Perpetually.
Develop a very cordial and respectful relationship with your boss. Be complimentary of his or her expertise and remember to be congratulatory when appropriate. Check in often and ask about the family and how he or she is doing personally. Ask how you can serve the company, if they need assistance with any projects this week and if there are new challenges you can take on. Express your willingness to take on more responsibility. “Open direct communication with your boss,” says Hallie Crawford, certified career coach and founder of HallieCrawford.com. “Ideally, you should have an open line of communication with your boss. So asking for a raise will not come as a surprise.”

3. Craft the Next Great Venture.
Go all in. Don’t be afraid to make a suggestion that can potentially revolutionize your company. Have an idea on how your company can save time, money and resources as well as do business more efficiently? Whether your idea is big or small, tell your boss about it. “Companies like employees that take an entrepreneurial approach to managing their careers and being collaborative with their talents and skills to make a positive impact on their work environment,’ says Vaneese Johnson, a certified career management coach and certified brand strategist with On the Move Careers, Inc.

4. Volunteer to be an Office Mentor.
There may be many people in your workplace needing a little help. Frame encourages you to show your boss that you are a team player by volunteering to mentor newer, younger or struggling co-workers. Offer to develop mentoring initiatives that will make your team operate an exceptional level. “For example, how about starting a skills improvement club where workers can come together and learn to fast-track their internet technology skills,” says Frame, author of Wired to Win! The Ultimate Guide for Women who want to Plug in, Power up, Push Through to Personal Greatness and LeadHERship. Own it! Love it! Learn it! Give It!

5. Keep the Company out of the Red.
Think of specific and creative ways to help your company save money. Volunteer to create a strategy to get clients on board with paperless billing to save on printing and postage. Come up with recycling ideas to save on office supplies purchases. Show your organization how to become automated in various areas or hire independent contractors to save on labor. “If you can save the company money, this will impress your boss and help improve your worth to the company. This also comes up to money saved to go to your raise,” says Crawford.

5 Steps to Asking for The Raise
By Hallie Crawford, Certified Career Coach and Founder of HallieCrawford.com

1. Set up a meeting or discuss in the performance review.
2. Create the case for the promotion – recent accomplishments, measurable results.
3. Share new skills learned and education completed.
4. Lay out the case in a short Powerpoint deck or Word document
5. Ask directly for the raise. Say it. Be quiet and wait for them to respond.

5 Steps to Showing Your Value to Your Department
By Vaneese Johnson, Certified Career Management Coach for On the Move Careers, Inc.

1. Research your industry to understand current trends and opportunities for company.
2. Identify how your role or profession can make a positive impact.
3. Draw up a project outline and meet with your boss to get “buy-in”.
4. Move forward with appropriate implementation.
5. Do success milestones and check-ins to consistently show value.

5 Ways to Get Noticed at the Staff Meetings
By Sharon Frame, president/CEO of Sharon Frame Speaks and author of Wired to Win and LeadHERship

1. Increase your stock and value by being proactive. Find out the meeting agenda beforehand.
2. Research topics and come prepared to speak up and offer solutions.
3. Show your boss you are a thoughtful, committed team leader who can be trusted to contribute.
4. Be consistent in bringing “out of the box” forward thinking ideas to your bosses’ attention.
5. Find the company’s weak spots, deficits, source of hemorrhaging – and offer a fix.

5 Books/Resources to Help You Get That Raise
1. How to Get a Raise: The EXACT Steps Necessary to Ask Your Boss for a Raise by Mike Hollinsworth
2. Get the Raise You Deserve: 5 Simple Steps on How to Ask for a Raise by N B
3. The Ultimate Guide to Get a Promotion: How to Get a Promotion or a Pay Rise Step by Step by Paul-Mehdy M’Rabet
4. How to Get a Raise: The Correct Way to Ask for an Increase in Salary and Wages by Russ Hovendick
5. How to Get the Raise You Want in 90 Days or Less: A Step-by-Step for Making it Happen by Kathy M. Barnes and Robyn Feldberg

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