Six tips to increase your pay without leaving your job

Let’s face it wages have been stagnant for a long time – on average. Since the recession in 2008, the average Brit has only seen a small increase in their pay packet. And when measured in real terms, pay have hardly increased since the 1970s. Though the price of manufactured goods has come down, thanks to China, other costs, like child care and housing have gone up. All said, the picture painted by sites like rt.com isn’t pretty.

So what can we do about it? For one, it’s important not to be fatalistic. Just because average wages haven’t risen all that much, if at all, doesn’t mean our individual wage can’t. We can still progress in our careers and get higher salaries. But like most people, we want to see those wage increases sooner rather than later. We don’t want to have to work until we are 70. And we don’t want to rent a flat and drive a second-hand car all our lives. In other words, we want more out of our work lives than we’re getting right now.

Many of us though are pigeonholed by our corporate overlords. Why? It’s quite simple really: management don’t want the competition. Often they’d rather you stayed in your job doing. Fewer people at the top increases their wages.

You could change jobs and look for better prospects elsewhere. But the problem, of course, is that changing job is a hassle. Wouldn’t it be good if you could just stay doing what you’re doing right now but get paid more? That’s why I’ve written this post. It’s about all of the tips and tricks to get you that higher pay that you’ve been working so hard for. What’s so interesting about some of these tips is that it doesn’t just come down to how hard you work. There are other, more social factors in play. Here are just a few ideas to get you started.

Believe In Yourself

Believing in yourself is an example of something that has nothing necessarily to do with your actual productivity. It’s about how you come across to others. If you’re full of self-doubt, then it is unlikely that you will inspire confidence in your abilities. Management will take all the subtle cues coming from you as a sign that you’re not up to the job.

But this can all change. Higher earners tend to believe in themselves a lot more than the average worker. They know that they can do the job, and so they see no reason why they can’t be paid more. This confidence rubs off on management. Even if it is total propaganda, they start to believe it.

Find Out What Your Job Is

Companies usually employ people to perform a particular task. But in larger organisations, the actual nuts and bolts of that work can be lost in a haze of corporate jargon.

Here’s an idea. Find out from your boss exactly what your work involves. Ask what you are required to achieve and then come up with a way to measure this. Once you’ve got a measurement of what you’re doing, you’re in a much better position to ask for a pay rise. You can go to your boss and show them your actual productivity compared to your pay. It makes your case for higher pay a lot more convincing.

Get Training

One reason an employer might be unwilling to increase your pay is a lack of training on your CV. If you work in an office, you probably have to use Microsoft Excel. The software package is deep and challenging, and it’s unlikely that right now you’re using it in the most productive way possible.

Getting Excel training from sites like www.simplilearn.com/business-productivity-tools/microsoft-excel-2013-advanced-certification-training can inspire confidence in your employer. They’ll start believing that, with the training under your belt, you’re worth more, even if you were already great with the program.

Most companies will offer some form of free training to their employees. Take them up on the offer and see lifelong learning as part and parcel of your career path.

Make Your Boss’s Life Easier

Many people go to work, go through the motions and come home. They don’t stop to think about how their work impacts on their boss. They should be, though. Why? Because it’s their boss, that is the one who is going to decide their future pay and job prospects.

If you can make life easy for your boss, you’re helping them, and you’re helping yourself. You’re helping them because they can get on with the business of pursuing their own career goals. And you’re helping yourself because you’re building up their trust. More trust equals a stronger case for promotion. In other words, if you make your boss’s life easy, they’ll love you.

Do The Stuff That Nobody Else Wants To Do

This is related to the last point. Doing the stuff that nobody else wants to do helps your promotion prospects enormously. It shows that you’re willing to take on the most challenging tasks. It indicates that you’re committed to the company and the success of your team. And it shows that you can be relied upon to motivate yourself.

Again, this all creates a good impression in management. Don’t be a dogsbody, though. Try to show how you motivate others in your team to be the best they can be too.

Give Up On The Vocational Side Of Work

It’s often the case that the most money is to be made in the least vocational work. Few people would call sales or product delivery a vocation. But these tend to be the areas that pay the most.

If you want higher pay, you may have to give up some of the aspects of work that you find enjoyable and take on more responsibility. After all, there is a reason why some jobs pay a lot more than others. They have to make up for all the stress and anxiety associated with them. Not to mention the fact that you could spend your time more happily doing something more fun and exciting.

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Are you thinking about asking for a pay increase? Maybe you have already asked? Let us know below.