Whats the best way to ask my boss for a raise?
A. There’s a finite amount of money to go around at any company, and the latest surveys show that employers aren’t parting with it easily. According to a survey by Robert Half International Inc., 64 percent of employers said they are unlikely to offer higher raises than they did in 2005, and 67 percent don’t anticipate an increase in bonuses, either. So if you want a bigger piece of your company’s payroll budget, you need to make a case for yourself, a process that actually starts with your last raise or performance review. Most employers will set goals for their workers at every review, and whether or not you got a raise last time, you need to make sure that you have well-defined, achievable and measurable goals that you can work toward, according to Bill Coleman, senior vice president of compensation at Salary.com. “The idea is to have those goals, and then throughout the year, talk about them regularly with your boss,” Coleman said.As you work through the year, keep records of your
