7 questions to ask yourself before gunning for a raise

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icu125 41yo Stuart, Florida, United States

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Asking for a raise is notoriously nerve-racking. So it helps to be as prepared as possible.
Below is a series of questions you'll want to ask yourself before petitioning your boss for more money.
Those questions focus on timing, job performance history, and other potential perks to negotiate.

Asking for a raise isn't something you want to botch. It's one thing to prepare thoroughly and still not get the salary you want — it's another to wing it and wind up convincing your boss that you're delusional, or nervy.

Before you head for the hot seat, it helps to ask yourself a few questions, about things like your job performance and your boss' constraints. Your answers to these questions will help guide the conversation, so you have a better shot at impressing your boss — and hopefully getting what you want and deserve.

Have I talked to my boss about money before?

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Your request for a raise shouldn't come as a total shock to your manager.

Ideally, you should be having regular, open conversations with your boss about your future at the company.

"Talk about what you want with your boss," Toni Thompson, vice president of people and talent at The Muse, previously told Business Insider. "Make sure that they know what salary you want eventually and the title you want or more opportunities that you want."

That way, your boss can help prepare you to score that title bump and/or raise.

Is this the right time to ask for a raise?

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Think carefully before you schedule an appointment to talk to your boss about your salary.

Jacqueline Whitmore, an international etiquette expert and author of "Poised for Success: Mastering the Four Qualities That Distinguish Outstanding Professionals," previously told Business Insider that the best time to ask for a raise is three to four months before your annual review. That's typically when budgets are being decided.

"Try to approach your boss when business is flourishing if at all possible," Whitmore told Business Insider, "not following a company layoff or right after a few clients end their relationship with the company."

How long have I been in this job?

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According to Alison Green, the woman behind the "Ask a Manager" column, you should generally be in your job for one year before asking for a raise.

"Exceptions to this are if the job changed dramatically or if your responsibilities have increased far beyond what was envisioned when you were hired," Green writes on US News & World Report.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider