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Day Two: Collect, Consider, and Compile

Yesterday we talked a bit about figuring out how much you’re worth to your company, with the goal of figuring out how much we can ask for during a discussion with our manager about salary.  Today, we need to talk about building your case for that new, shiny salary we all want.

The goal here isn’t what you might think though – we’re not hear to talk about how good you are at the job you have.  Rather, we want to collect two pieces of information:

  1. Things you do better than anyone else they would hire to do the job
  2. Proof that if they were to go out and find someone else, they’d have to pay them what you’re asking

Hopefully, your boss already likes you and knows that you are valuable to the team.  If not, instead of asking for a raise you might consider just going out and finding a new job.  Now, the idea isn’t to threaten your boss (actually, you want to get them invested in your success, but that’s a topic for another day), but rather to let them know that you are informed about the prospects for someone in your position, and to share that information with them in case they were not aware.  If the conversation goes well, you may not even need this info you are preparing, but it’s good to have because much like yesterday’s salary research, it will give you some additional confidence that you are worth it.

For part one, you need to be able to demonstrate a proficiency that lacks elsewhere on your team.  Maybe you’re not the highest producing developer on your team, but you’re the person the oil that greases the process for everyone else.  Or perhaps you’re the team member who sticks their neck out to deal with troublesome customers so issues don’t get escalated to management.  Or maybe you are the go-to guy when all hell breaks loose.  Your boss probably already knows what it is they hired you to do, so highlight those things that you do without even being asked.  And then write them down to bring with you to the meeting, because during stressful discussions like one regarding salary, it’s hard to remember some of these things.  For each of the things you do like this, write down a specific example that answers the who, what, and why.  Who did it impact?  What was the end result?  Why should your boss care?  Cover those three things and you’ll find it much easier to talk about with your boss.

The second part is a bit harder – you need to demonstrate to your manager that the salary you’re asking for is the going rate for someone with your skills and experience.  Print out some of those graphs and numbers on glassdoor.com and salary.com if you need.  Check out freelancer websites (if the work you do is also done by freelancers) and quote some of the rates they are asking for similar work.  This info you shouldn’t need at all during your meeting, unless the discussion starts to go in the direction of ‘other people would be willing to do it cheaper,’ but you should have it on hand none the less.  Comparisons (like what they do at stores when they have a sale – leaving the original price on the tag to make the product look like a good deal) can be very valuable as a selling tool, particularly if you decide to ask for a bit less than the going rate.

Now that you’ve done these two things, prepare the info in a way that you would feel comfortable handing it over to your boss.  Yes, for the most part they are you personal notes – but if your manager asks to see them, or wants you to forward them a copy after the meeting, you should be prepared to do so.  This will show that you’re serious, which can be to your advantage.

Tomorrow we’ll talk about how to start the discussion, and cover some tactics you can use to get them working for you rather than the company.

July 16, 2009 | Filed Under Career

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