Question:

My mentor, who was two rungs above me in the corporate ladder, switched departments. I have taken over most of his responsibilities. I feel that I should get a promotion and a raise. How do I talk to my boss about this?

First Answer:

It is easy to take on a new assignment without considering that increased responsibilities may justify increased compensation. In assuming these new tasks you may be performing at a more advanced level than your job description dictates. Assuming this is the case the first thing to do is to evaluate your job description.

Next list your accomplishments. Look for accomplishments that have saved your employer money, such as finding a lower-cost vendor. Put a dollar value on your accomplishments. Documenting your accomplishments and presenting them in financial terms clearly highlights your value in language a manager will understand.

Find out what others in comparable jobs are paid. Do your homework. Check professional associations, career magazines, classifieds, Internet sources such as U.S. Government Bureau of Labor Statistics, your own company HR office may be a resource. Get facts and figures. Use them appropriately when justifying your request for classification/pay change.

Decide on a realistic amount. Before you meet with your supervisor, develop a realistic objective. Be clear on the amount of the raise you are seeking.

After you establish your financial goal, make an appointment with your supervisor to discuss salary objective. Minimize any surprises by giving your supervisor a written agenda before your meeting. This will give your supervisor time to prepare for the meeting and allows you to focus on the business at hand.

Be sensitive to your supervisor's perspective. She/he has budget constraints to deal with and may have to take your request to a higher authority or you may have to wait for a new budget to take effect.

Give your supervisor ammunition Make it easy for your supervisor to argue your case with the appropriate authorities. Prepare well-written, concise documentation. Even if you may not be able to get a raise, perhaps an award or bonus may be available based on your accomplishments and cost saving activities.

Good preparation will go a long way in reinforcing your self-confidence to move forward in what may be an intimating experience.

-- Robert C. Resch, Career Center, Triton College.

Second Answer:

Often a mistake made by people wanting a salary increase is that they will ask for one without having the facts to document why. My first suggestion to you is to begin to list (document) the additions to your job that have occured since the transfer. Be specific and be very factual. In addition, review your job discription. If there duties are not listed, write a revised job description. If you can, find out what others in your company and outside your company are making salarywise. When you have gathered all the information, write a brief proposal and submit it to your supervisor.

You might also want to ask the advice of your mentor. Even though he is no longer working in that department he may have some valuable insight for you.

-- Linda Wyatt, Career Center, Kansas City Kansas Community College.

Third Answer:

Something's wrong here. Why wouldn't your mentor see to it that your change in responsibilities wasn't formally recognized with an appropriate change in title and compensation? If your relationship with your mentor or former mentor is good, he should be able to advise you about how best to proceed given the culture of the organization. If you have to proceed without your mentor's support, do it quickly. Here's how:

Make a list of the additional responsibilities you have taken on, and if possible after such a short time in the job, demonstrate how you have contributed to the organization through these new responsibilities. Show new accounts sold, new business generated, work flow improvements, anything you can quantify or otherwise measure. Also show that you have maintained your previous workload, so that your contribution is greater both in work volume and in higher level work. Then propose a raise and a title that reflect that greater contribution. Try to research what your "new" position might be worth, based upon any source you can tap: www.salary.com, www.careerjournal.com, or other sites providing professional salary information; job ads and postings calling for similar skills and experience in comparable roles. It's reasonable to be paid what the work is worth, so your tone should be reasonable, neither defensive nor demanding.

If you don't persuade your boss to support a raise, start looking for a new job. If you stay in a job that is materially higher level than what you are being paid, you're telling your boss you agree you're not worth the going rate. Your current employer assigned you additional, higher-level tasks ostensibly because it recognized your ability to perform them. Sell that ability to an organization that will pay what you're worth.

-- Carol Anderson, Career Development and Placement Office, Robert J. Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy at New School University in New York City.

Fourth Answer:

If you want to advance within the company, you should have already laid the groundwork. Your relationship with your boss and your coworkers is critical to your success. This would mean displaying a great attitude, lending a helping hand, optimistic about changes within the company and exceptional work habits.

Write out the responsibilities of the position -- be specific. Ask you boss what the expectation are for the job. Then talk about what you have been doing to succeed in each area the boss identifies, and exactly what you have accomplished. Your accomplishments are going to sell your boss on the fact that you can do the job. Have them wrote on a peice of paper, preparation and organization is another selling point.

Add in plans you have for improvement. Be prepared to enrol in night or weekend courses.

Be honest, but detail what you've done and don't be modest.

-- Candace Davies, Director and Founder of Cando Career Coaching and Resume Writing and All Trades Resume Writing.

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