The Tough Questions

If your boss does not feel he/she can give you a raise, it will probably be for one of the following reasons;

You haven’t proved growth

Boss: Your position in the company has not grown or you haven’t taken on additional responsibility.

You could respond two ways;
If they have overlooked ways in which your position has grown;
a. Actually, Kim left on maternity leave and I have taken over the majority of her projects.

If your position has not changed at all and you haven’t taken on additional responsibilities
a. I have streamlined my role and I am ready to take on additional work. What can I do?

You have a weak spot

Boss: You have not proven yourself in (insert specific area). How can I feel comfortable that you will be able to handle these situations in the future. (Be prepared for them to bring up your weak spots).

You: I know that you are referring to the Birchman project. And you are right, I did not manage that conference well. We ran behind schedule because I took on too much and didn’t delegate effectively. That was my first week at the company and I hadn’t learned how to ask others to do work for me. However, I have effectively mastered this valuable skill and successfully managed several other teams of people since then.

You already make the highest salary allowed for your position

Boss: I would like to give you a raise but you are currently being paid the highest amount allocated to your position.

You: Is there any room for growth in my position?

Boss: While, we value your work, there are salary constraints on what someone in your position can make at our company.

You: I think you feel that I am an exceptional employee. Isn’t it possible that above-standard salaries exist for above-standard work?

Or

You: If I have maxed out my earning capacity, is the company willing to train me to move into another position? Or offer educational assistance?

You haven’t worked at the company for long enough

Boss: You have been at our company for under six months.

You: (Under normal circumstances you should not ask for a raise during your first six months in a position. The exceptions are; the position has morphed into something different than what you started with or you feel that for some reason or other you really deserve the raise.)

Your company has a budget freeze:

Boss: I think you deserve a raise too but we currently have a budget freeze.

You: I was not aware of that. When do you expect the freeze to end?

Boss: End of next quarter.

You: Would it be possible to continue this conversation at that time?

Your immediate supervisor is not the decision maker:

Boss: That’s not up to me.

There will come a time in your life where it is someone else’s responsibility to champion you, if you are going to get a raise. Getting this person on your side is key. Part of this persons job is to draw attention to those below them that deserve promotions but you may run across someone who lacks the spine to bring you up to the boss. Your goal is to encourage them and get them on your side without annoying them. The fine line can be sugar coated if you really let them feel as if they are being a great, helpful boss, championing you for all the right reasons. Which they are.

You: I didn’t realize that. If it were in your hands, would you feel that my contributions merit a raise or promotion?

Boss: Yes, of course. But, unfortunately, it’s not in my hands.

You: I really appreciate that you value my efforts. Who is the decision maker?

Boss: Patt Garrett, the CFO. He makes the final decision on every promotion in the office.

You: Is there a chance that you could reach out to him on my behalf? Making him aware of my achievements in this office (you can highlight a few here) and letting him know that you feel I deserve a raise. I don’t think that he has a very good understanding of everything that I do for the company. I doubt that I have any chance of getting noticed unless you champion on my behalf. I’d be happy to email a breakdown with a list of my achievements so that you can have them as an easy reference.

It’s unlikely that you’re immediate supervisor has been relaying all of your achievements up the step ladder. That’s because what you don’t get credit for, he does! This is normal. Managers automatically receive credit for what they get out of the people below them. You don’t need to be angered or bitter about this. Use it to your advantage; if your advisor sees the list of things that you’ve done and that you want credit for, he’s not going to want to lose your help and will probably take your case upward, mentioning that you are a really great employee. You offer him a digital list of all of your achievements so that he can then relate them to his supervisor.

There are many other performance related questions that you may be asked and differing reasons offered for why the company can’t give you a raise at this time. But if you practice your responses to these questions, you should feel comfortable and confidant asking for the raise you deserve.