Not a job change, but a raise? When you have to represent your own worth

Many people think that a higher salary can only be achieved by changing jobs. Yet in many cases there is room to move forward at the current workplace too, if one prepares properly for the annual performance review or the salary negotiation. At that point we talk not only about how large a raise is worth asking for, but also about how to base it credibly on professional results, responsibility and added value.

A client of ours in a leadership position came to us because they felt that their responsibility had grown significantly over the past years, but that this had not been reflected in their compensation. Together we thought through how to build the conversation, which results to highlight, and how to argue confidently without giving an ultimatum or threatening to look for another job. A few weeks later they called us with good news: the discussion with management had been successful, and they received a higher raise than expected. Yet their most important feedback was not this, but that they had finally been able to represent their own worth calmly and professionally.