A Good Time To Ask For a Raise

SFinally, it’s a good time to ask for a raise!  The job market has the lowest unemployment in 18 years  and wages at last are picking up.  Don’t wait for your annual performance review to see if you are allocated an increase.  Schedule a time NOW to meet with your boss to request a pay raise.  
Take these steps to ask for a raise:
1. Research what an appropriate pay increase would be, using sources like Glassdoor's salary calculator, the LinkedIn Jobs page, www.salaryexpert.com or the Bureau of Labor Statistics as a guide. Also, have conversations with people in your network with similar backgrounds.  This will be helpful to establish the amount you’ll ask for and also can be used to back up your request,  such as “according to my market research, the pay range (or you can use midpoint) for Business Analysts in Seattle with 7 years’ experience is $x-xx.”
2. Make a note of your quantifiable accomplishments from the last 6-12 months.   Also list skills and qualities you have to contribute to future company projects and goals.  The idea here is to be able to give examples to show how you are an asset to the company and build a compelling case for a raise.  You will want the person hearing or reading these to think, “They’re adding so much value to the company. This seems like a totally reasonable request given all the money they have saved us (or made us).”
3. Send an email to your manager to request a meeting.  This will give her/him time to consider the possibility for a raise and check with HR or management if necessary.  Below is an example email message, parts of which are borrowed from www.thebalancecareers.com:
 Subject: Meeting Request
Dear Mr. Matthews,

I am grateful for the opportunity to work for you as Development Coordinator for XYZ Nonprofit. Over the past two years, my responsibilities at XYZ have grown significantly, and I not only consistently complete all of these responsibilities, but I do so with an exceptional quality of work. I would, therefore, like to respectfully request a meeting to review my salary.

As you know, my salary has remained the same since I was hired in 20XX. Since then, I have happily added some duties to my workload that have allowed me to contribute even more to the company. For example, I volunteered to develop a quarterly newsletter, which resulted in a 15% increase in donor response to online messaging. I also recently completed a graduate certificate program in grant writing.

I believe that my increasing contributions to the company and my new qualifications justify a pay raise. I would love the opportunity to meet with you to discuss a raise in my salary. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
5. In the face-to-face meeting, restate the points made in your email, adding more examples and details about both your accomplishments and the specific skills you have that they will need for future projects.  Be brave and say the words “I would like to request a pay increase.”  Then leave a pause, or silence, that delivers the message.  Consider the conversation opener below from fearlesssalarynegotiation.com:
Thanks for taking the time to talk with me about my compensation. As I mentioned in my email, I would like to ask for a raise. Based on the work I’ve been doing and some market research I’ve done, I would like to ask for a raise to [your target salary].
Since my last salary adjustment, I’ve done things like [one of your accomplishments] and have gotten some great recognition like [one of your accolades], so I think I’m ready for this raise.
Can you help me with this?
6. It’s a good idea to expect a “no,” so that you are prepared to respond appropriately to that.  If you sense too much defensiveness, it may be best to take control and tell her/him that saying “no” is ok with you.  Being at ease with “no” can open up the conversation to a real give-and-take. It tells your manager you are capable of talking rationally, are flexible and open to hearing from them, and prevents you from making bad decisions because of a need to feel safe and liked.  And remember that you are planting a seed for future possibilities.   
7. End the meeting well.  Sometimes your manager will say “It’s just not a good time right now” or “I don’t think you’re quite ready yet. Let’s revisit this later.”  In this case, establish a clear plan so you know exactly what you need to do to improve your case and establish a time frame for when you can revisit the topic.    
8. Follow up.  If you your manager says they will check into it, be sure to continue to ask. You can forward the original email and change the subject line to Salary Adjustment Discussion—follow-up.”