Dear Dr. Lisa:

My Friend, You Already Know, told me about your blog and your response to her question regarding my situation. She was right. I am not being treated fairly. So how do I ask for the raise I know I deserve?

 

Dear AFM (Advocating for Myself):

Welcome aboard and thanks for reaching out. Your friend thinks a lot of your work and so does your management as they have leveraged your talent in a big way. The essence of what you do is ask for exactly what you want in a positive way. It could sound something like this:

“Manager, you and I have not had a chance to talk about what’s next for me. I would like to do that now. I want to thank you for the confidence you have shown in giving me the opportunity to stretch into the role. I feel very good about the results of xyz. I have been doing the dual assignment for xyz amout of time and we have not talked about fair compensation for the extra work and meaningful contribution. I am sure that is on your radar, but we have not talked about it. What I would like is promotion to xyz that reflects the role I am performing and the outcomes I am achieving. Do you think that is in line with the others who are doing that job? When can I expect the promotion or raise?”

The key here is to go in with the attitude that they are inclined to be positive about you. It has just been an oversight that they have not made the changes before now. Assume that they will believe this is fair and want to do the right thing. Expect it. See what they say. If they respond negatively, we may have to take a different approach or consider a different place.

Good luck and be firm!

Dr. Lisa

P.S. Your theme song is, “Money, That’s What I Want” by Barrett Strong.