Sure Fire Tips on Getting that Promotion, Raise or Increase in Benefits

All of us like to believe that we are an invaluable resource to our company and that our achievements are so outstanding that not only our peers and coworkers but also management should easily recognize them as well. However, this is not always the case. Often it is more reliable to say that upper management is busy enough handling their own responsibilities that they rarely think about whose responsibility it is to complete tasks, until something doesn't get done.

So, with that in mind before you approach your manager to ask for a pay increase, take home some better benefits, or even sit down to discuss your current role with the company do some homework and don't be afraid to toot your own horn.

The first thing you should look at before you meet with your manager is industry statistics. How does your pay and benefits compare to others in similar positions throughout the industry? How do your educational and career backgrounds compare to the people's who hold those positions?

By going in armed with this knowledge, you will maintain the upper hand in the negotiations by proving that you really do have a "feel" for not only your position within the company, but within the industry as a whole. This knowledge will allow you to set the stage to have your company compete with the other companies within your industry that could have a position just waiting for you.

Maintain an up to date resume. Now, that being said, I am not advising that you walk in and tell your boss that 200 of them will be mailed to their competitors in the morning if you do not get the raise you are looking for. However, a resume offers them a meaningful concise method of reviewing exactly what it is you bring to their team, and it also lets them know that you do have one on file.

You won't have to tell them that you plan to send them out to other businesses, the idea that you have a current resume will infer to them that you have at least thought about seeking out greener pastures. Once again, this gives you the upper hand. If they have never considered losing you as an employee, this may be just the incentive that they need to show you how valuable you truly are to them.

Keep a scrapbook of career training, achievements and classes or seminars that you attend. If you have had outstanding performance reviews in the past be sure to include those as well. This gives you an easily presentable format for showing them just what you have done as an employee and emphasizing your value to the company.

Remember, while those in the next cubicle may know that you have been taking night classes for all of the computer programs you use at work to become more proficient at your job, the boss may not. So, when he sees that you have completed some of those classes on your own time and own dime it may make him think about the type of employee that you really are.

Remember, if you don't promote yourself then no one is going to promote you. Don't be afraid to approach your boss for that promotion, raise or increase in benefits. Just be prepared to show him that you truly deserve what you are asking for, with just a little preparation you will be ready for that meeting in no time, and you will leave with both of you smiling about what you just gained.