(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Everyone wants to make more money at work, but hiring experts say the conversation around a raise can be the most difficult one an employee will have with their boss.
Michelle Reisdorf, with the Robert Half Company, told the WBBM Noon Business Hour that even workers who close million-dollar deals have a hard time selling themselves.
“People always hate to talk about or fight for themselves,” Reisdorf said.
There are steps, though, that workers can take to prepare the best pitch. Among them: researching the current salary range for a given role and coming up with a list of accomplishments.
“When you have your market research and, specifically, the things that you have done over the past three to six months, or even a year, that conversation is so much easier to have with your boss,” Reisdorf said.
Employees should avoid making empty threats or pinning their argument on personal financial stress.
“With inflation, the cost of everything has gone up, so everybody needs more money,” she said. “Again, you want that justification to be all of the good things that you’ve done over the last year [and] not to start it with a negative conversation.”
Another key: practicing that conversation, Reisdorf said.
“This is a tricky conversation, so find a great mentor and practice this conversation so that you go into it as confident as you possibly can,” she said.
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