How to Negotiate a Raise

[isabel]

I was hired immediately out of college for a management position at the restaurant I had been serving in (my degree is in hospitality, so this is what I was aiming for). I believe I was offered a decent salary given that I had no prior experience, so I did not try to negotiate for more. It's been two years and I am constantly relied upon to take on more and more than my coworker who is in the exact same position as me. If I had to guess, I would say he is likely paid more given that he had experience when he was hired. My boss is doing my annual review this month and I've already let him know that I'll be expecting a review of my salary in addition to performance. How would you negotiate a raise and would you bring up my coworker's lack of dependability/additional responsibility or just try to focus the conversation on what I've become responsible for in the last couple of years?

[LoveTrains]

Focus the conversation on the additional responsibility you have taken on.

[Deleted]

Also, know the number you want / deserve. You can do this by doing some salary research, posting on message boards, etc.

As a manager, I respond to someone who shares that they deserve a $15,000 / year raise (after they have shared their business case)....versus someone who simply asks "for a raise."

Give me something to negotiate with you off of...and also, expect that it WILL be a negotiation. Anchor on a number that is higher than you'd expect, but still fair.

One line I've used successfully with my current boss is the fact that $x/month extra for me is clearly worth the extra revenue that I've brought in / costs that I've cut / contributions I've prepared. Used that when lobbying for a big pay increase that I received a few years ago.

Kudos to you for knowing your worth and going after it. It's so important to manage your salary aggressively in the early part of your career, as it can mean hundreds of thousands in your salary over your professional career. Good luck!

[isabel]

Thanks to both of you. I really appreciate the help.

[Deleted]

I would not mention the coworker's pay or anything about his work ethic and experience. That generally will not be received well and "it's not fair" doesn't work in the workplace (even if it's true!). It's not about why someone else has more than you - it's about why you have earned the right to have more than what you current have.

I think it would be fine to say "based on my current experience level vs the experience level I had when I started, I believe I am now worth X amount."

I am planning to use a similar tactic in a few months when asking for a raise for myself. Similar to you, I started at a pay rate right out of school and I now have vastly different experience and much better skills than I did when I was hired, but I'm not being paid much differently at all. I think if I was hired in now to my current job with my current experience/skills, I'd start at a higher pay than what I currently make. That's not right!

I hope it works for us both! Good luck.