Talking about a salary raise to your boss is not always an easy experience. You might feel that you deserve a raise for all the work you had done, but you might be confused about how to put it forward to your boss.

If you are confident about your skills and know that you are a deserving employee, it is better that you discuss it with your boss rather than feeling a sense of regret.

It is also advisable to talk to a boss before he starts to review so that when he does that he has in mind about your needs and requirements.

It’s better to negotiate before a review rather than after an employer had already thought about your abilities and had given you a raise according to his/her own opinion.

Below are a few tips which will help you to approach your boss:

• Determine how valuable and worthy you are for a raise

Write down how much you are worth to the company and how you have added to the quality of work, and your achievements. If you have valid reasons and work to show, you have better chance of receiving a good raise.

• Be realistic

It is always necessary that you have done a proper research of the market and also how much you truly deserve. If you quote an amount which is not realistic at all, your boss will also not take you seriously.

You can find out how much other people of the same field and position are earning by comparing your salary to them. You can take the help of various salary calculator tools available over the internet.

• Keep it professional

Also keep in mind that while asking for a raise, focus more on your contribution to the company rather than on your own person.

For instance, rather than saying…”I’m worth so and so…you can show your boss how much revenue the company has earned due to your hard work and initiatives. How your job has contributed to the success of the company.

• Review beforehand what you will do if you are turned down

If your boss do not agree with your arguments and doesn’t want to consider a salary hike, ask him/her why he/she thinks so. If the answer is not reasonable and your efforts are not appreciated, you can start looking for another job.

If the reason is something else, such as the financial situation of the company or the overall contribution of your team, you can sit and discuss with him/her how these situations can be handled. You can try to improve in those fronts and ask for a salary raise again.

Hope the above points help you in preparing for your appointment and give you an idea about how to ask for a raise. Good luck!!