What would a cool $5-$10K raise do for you?

Is fear, uncertainty or doubt keeping you from having a better life?  Do you know or think about how much you may be leaving on the table?  Your company keeps the money that you leave on the table because you fear asking or don’t know how to pick up the extra cash. Do you realize […]

What to do when your boss won’t initiate a pay raise talk?

“God gives every bird its food, but He does not throw it into its nest.” – Josiah Gilbert Holland Janet is a successful Civil Engineering Manager who loves her job, her company and her boss.  She is somewhat introverted and avoids confrontation and discord whenever possible.  This is her tenth year at the firm.  Her […]

Do you feel your boss should remember your big successes?

“Nothing is so firmly believed as that which is least known.” – Montaigne Mary is a hard working accountant with 8 years at her current firm.  She earned, on average, 2-3% pay increases each year.  Mary did not get serious financial recognition for all the hours of extra work and special projects that she delivered.  This […]

Are you asking for a raise in the right way?

“If a thousand people do a foolish thing, it’s still a foolish thing.”   Jack Ciesielski Carol is an Operations Manager for a $50 million dollar manufacturing division of a Fortune 500 company. She received above cost of living raises of between 8 and 9 percent the last 3 years. But, Carol felt that she deserved […]

Are you leaving money on the table during pay raise discussions?

“I don’t know if it will work in theory but it’s been working in practice for four years.”  Robert McTeer Dave is a Six Sigma/Lean Black Belt Engineer.  His savings are almost legendary at his firm.  His firm does $95 million in sales and last year Dave generated $7 million in total savings. Dave was […]

Have you convinced yourself of a negative outcome when seeking a raise?

Mark was a Process Engineer at a large Pharmaceutical manufacturer.  He is excellent at what he does and often comes up with better processes that save time, money and human capital.  With 12 years at his firm, Mark figured he was at least $60,000 underpaid altogether. Mark worried that if he approached his boss, Dan, […]

Great responses to 5 potential salary questions asked during interviews

“What’s your real bottom line?” “How much do you think you’re worth?” “What other offers do you have?” “What were you making in your previous job?” “If I were to offer $xxx right now, are you prepared to say yes?” I read an article this week on salary negotiation.  http://www.glassdoor.com/blog/negotiating-job-salary-deserve/    It listed 5 excellent questions […]

Pay Raise Case Study (Gary)

Gary is a Quality Engineer and feels that his boss will use the standby argument that the poor economy is why a larger raise is not in order.  Gary figures that after 15 years of being underpaid that he lost at least $25,000 over the years. Many people think, as Gary did, that if he […]