Recently my client Jessica and I were discussing salaries and raises.  Her primary question wasn’t IF she should ask for a raise, but if under her current circumstances  was Now a good time? Although Jessica’s situation may be somewhat unique – everyone’s situation is a bit different – I thought there was some good information to share, and she is ok with my sharing our exchange.
Here’s the back story:  Jessica has been working for a couple of years as a writer/editor for a specialized publication in the Midwest.  Her job enabled her to frequently work from home and telecommute.  Recently, she moved east to be closer to family, and she has been fortunate to be able to continue telecommuting for her job.
But because of her move, Jessica is a bit concerned about job security.  Her employers have conveyed that they are happy with her and the quality of her work, but she wonders if being so far away from the main office and unable to personally attend meetings or interact with staff may negatively impact the longevity of her job.  Concerned, Jessica started a job search for local (East Coast) employment.  Obviously she doesn’t want to quit her current telecommuting job before procuring another position, but wants to keep her options open.  She feels that a raise from her current employer would go a long way to confirm their need for her contributions and respect for her work.
I asked Jessica if her current employer was aware that she was looking for another job, and she seemed confident that they did not know she was pursuing other opportunities.  I proposed that even if her boss knows she is looking for another position, as long as she is maintaining her workload, or if her workload had increased, that would provide legitimate justification for her seeking an increase.  I reminded her that if she is doing more work, along with the higher cost of living in her new location, combined with the higher costs of her network connection, higher cell phone bills, etc., the overall costs of doing her job are higher, and worthy of a salary bump.
Despite Jessica’s physical distance from the home office, her staying with the same employer saves them the costs of identifying and training a new staff person.  Those cost savings of her continued employment and the costs of maintaining her loyalty and helping the employer avoid the inconvenience of replacing her have a lot of value to the employer, and I suggested she may need to provide a subtle reminder of that to them.
Realizing that a convenient opportunity to talk about a raise might not come on its own, Jessica waited, then got up the nerve to casually broach the subject with her manager.
She told him she recognized it was probably a bad time to talk seriously about a raise, but that it was something she wanted to discuss.  Her manager agreed that they would talk about it in the next few weeks and that she could continue to bug him about it.
Luckily, her manager was appreciative that Jessica came to him first, instead of telling him she was looking for a new job and announcing an unexpected resignation.  Of course not all employers and managers would be as understanding!  But her employer’s willingness to discuss a possible raise, and expressing their appreciation that she wasn’t jumping ship was a good sign.  From what Jessica conveyed, it does sound like she is respected for her work and contributions.
The only remaining question I had was, if her boss looks at resumes that are posted online, might he stumble upon hers by accident?  Of course this is not within her control.  But IF her boss is looking at possible future candidates, hopefully he’ll be filtering his selections to local applicants – a strong possibility – and therefore unlikely to see her resume online.  And if still concerned about this slim possibility, she could post her resume anonymously on the employment websites she is using.
Regardless of your circumstances, if you’re seeking a raise be sure to justify the value to your employer in giving you more money.  Keep track of completed projects, work done ahead of schedule, demonstrations of personal initiative, and real cost savings for which you are responsible.  There’s no guarantee that your employer will honor your request for a raise, but if you can substantiate your contributions and value, when you have the discussion you’ll stand a much stronger chance of getting that pay bump.
Jessica promised to let us know the outcome of her negotiations.
Please drop me a note with your own story of successful negotiations for a raise so others can benefit from your experience.
For more tips and help for job seekers and those on the job please search this blog and also visit:  hanklondon.com