4 Strategies to Help You Get More Money This Year

Are you going to get a raise this year? If not, are you going to ask for one?

You can quit laughing now. I'm serious.

I realize times are tough, but I got to wondering as we watch the stock market recover, if some of those profits will translate into better pay for all that hard work we've done in the last year. It's an issue I explored for my latest Gannett column:

In an effort to help employers remain financially afloat, many employees have accepted furloughs, reduced hours and pay cuts in the last year. But as time goes on, the question remains how many employees will leave their current job in an effort to regain their lost wages – and how many of them will never get back to previous pay levels.

“There’s no question that as things get better in the economy you’re going to have people who are going to get nervous about their pay and jump ship to make more money,” says Warren Cinnick, a director with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Chicago. “But the reality is that it’s still an employer’s market. The average person has the lowest leverage in the job market right now than in the past 25 years.”

The Conference Board reported in its recent annual survey of salaries that the median salary increase for 2010 for all employee groups is expected to be 3 percent – the lowest since the group began forecasting salaries 25 years ago and down half a percent from the previous year. Even top brass will take a hit – their median salaries are expected to drop two full percentage points, from 3.5 percent to 2.50 percent, the report said.

For employees like Amy Lee, 27, the denial of a pay raise for the last two years, coupled with the increased work load because half her co-workers have been laid off, is partly what prompted her to begin looking for other opportunities.

As a university academic counselor in California, Lee says that even though she received a “stellar” performance evaluation, she was told by her boss there was no money for raises this year when she made the request for more compensation.

“That made me start looking around,” she says.

Another employer soon offered Lee a job, along with a 33 percent pay boost. When Lee told her boss, she was immediately offered an 11 percent raise if she’d stay. “To be honest, I wasn’t happy when they made that offer. When I had asked for a raise after getting that great performance evaluation, they immediately said, ‘no.’ They weren’t even going to try.”

The issue of pay is cropping up at all levels in organizations. Recently, General Motors Co. had to rescind white-collar pay cuts made last spring because it said its pay scales were no longer competitive and employees were leaving to work for other automakers and manufacturing companies. While the pay cuts initially saved the company money, unhappy and demoralized employees were leaving at a time when the company needed to retain key talent.

Cinnick says it will be the “pivotal” employees who will have some leverage in negotiating increased pay, although it will also depend on the industry. Those companies that are strong globally, for example, will be in a better position to reward workers and offer pay raises, he says.

“For employers who want to remain competitive, they may do extraordinary things to keep some workers,” Cinnick says. “I’m talking about the super sales people. The employees who give the ‘ah-ha!’ answers. They’re going to be the ones who can ask for more money from companies.”

Still, Cinnick cautions employees that the pay cuts in some industries may never recover to the levels they were before the recession hit. He says that asking for more money – from a current employer or a new one – will take some planning. He advises when negotiating for pay, you should:

• Time it right. “Ask for more money when you’ve completed a successful project, or you’ve gotten some verbal recognition for your work,” he says. “Wait a couple of days, then go see the boss.”
• Show your worth. “When you’ve had your job duties expanded, or gotten new ones, then you can talk about how you’d like to be compensated for them,” he says.
• Keep records. “If you take a pay cut for the company, they usually send out an e-mail or some kind of notice. Keep a copy. Then, when you go to interview at another company, you can show that you took a pay cut and what your previous salary was,” he says. “You want to negotiate from your original salary.”
• Stick with the facts. “Whenever you ask for money, always base it on some data. There’s tremendous information about salaries online. Make your estimate of salary based on what you’ll bring to the company. Make it a fact-based story. Compensation should not be an entitlement statement or a make-them-feel-guilty-statement.”

What other ways can you suggest to help someone get a pay raise?

Don't Forget That Even in This Job Market, You Can Still Negotiate a Job Offer

If you've ever been out of work, you know the feeling when the job offer finally comes. You want to scream, cry, kiss the feet of the hiring manager and dance in the streets. You're a wild mix of emotions and yet it's never been more important that you think clearly and put your brain in charge.



It's time to negotiate.

Now, some people may think that there's no room for negotiation in this job market. But that's what employers want you to think. The truth is, many of them are going to low ball you because they think they can. But if they have gone to the trouble to wade through the resumes they're being bombarded with, if you've risen to the top with all that tough competition out there, then they want you. Really want you.

That gives you some leverage. But the trick in this job market is knowing how to use that to your advantage so that you don't look like an arrogant jerk and start off your new job on the wrong foot. The other point to consider is that you may get a fair offer right off the bat. If you've done your research, you know what you're worth. In that case, you may be very comfortable accepting their initial offer, and everyone shakes on it.

But if you get an offer you believe could use some improvement, it's time to move onto negotiation. If that's the case, here are some things to consider:

* Do your homework. Have your facts and figures in place about what you want. Make a list (in order of importance) of the things that really matter to you -- debating anything else is a waste of time and energy. When the employer tosses out the initial offer, don't be afraid to say: "Is there a chance that you could offer a higher number?" if you know from your research that the salary is not competitive.

* Practice. Just as you would with any presentation, it's important that you make eye contact, have a well-modulated, calm voice and display confident body language. Even if you're negotiating over the phone, your confidence and calm will be evident.

* Be realistic. Things you may have deemed important a year ago may be off your list now. Be realistic about this job market, about the things you really require in order to be happy in the job. If you accept an offer that makes you feel like a martyr then you're going to be miserable in a matter of months -- and be looking for another job. Sure, the employers have more of the power in this market -- but when haven't they? It's a rare case when an employer is willing to give into all of a job candidate's demands.

* Stay strong. If there comes a point in the negotiation that you feel strongly about and the employer appears to have dug in as well, don't rush to concede. Be content to stay silent and see if the employer is willing to speak first -- that usually bodes well for you. Silence can be a very effective tool for getting what you want.

* Take a breath. After concluding your negotiation and agreeing on final points, ask if you can have a day to look it over so that you make sure you review the offer carefully.

What are some other things to consider when negotiating a job offer?


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