The Time When I Received a $15,000 Raise- 3 Tips That Helped!

However, the opportunity for me to earn more money came at a complete surprise to me. During a quite frustrating period of feeling very overwhelmed at work. I felt overworked and underpaid and I was over it!

I decided to start looking for another job. I revamped my resume and applied for only the jobs that I truly desired and that I thought would pay me the salary that I wanted. About a week later, I began getting phone interviews and receiving emails about job opportunities. The power of a good resume! Those opportunities eventually did not end up working out but things began to get better for me at work. My job finally gave me an assistant and I could work on things that added personal fulfillment to my role. Life was good!

One day, a manager called me about a position that I applied for 3 months prior. Content with my current work life, I was reluctant to participate in the phone interview but I went ahead and agreed to schedule one because it was with a very reputable company that I had applied to a few years back. Due to some scheduling conflicts, it became difficult to schedule a phone interview. Instead, the hiring manager asked me to come in for an in-person interview. After 3 rounds of interviews, I was offered the position a couple of weeks later. The salary that was offered was quite underwhelming, to be honest. It was the amount that I was earning at my current position. I declined the offer but the manager asked me what salary amount would make me reconsider. After emphasizing my experience and skills to him, I gave him a number that would increase my income by $10K, and surprisingly, he agreed. I accepted the offer and submitted my two weeks resignation to my manager. About 30 minutes later, my manager came into my office and asked me to calculate the salary amount that would make me stay. After evaluating the benefits, my expenses, and the pros and cons of both jobs, I gave him an amount that would increase my income by $15K. He found the money in the budget, got it approved by the Executive Team, and Voila! I had a $15K raise sitting on the table.

While I know that this was an unexpected blessing, I also know that it wasn’t just a coincidence. I laid down the groundwork for this opportunity to even come available for me. I did a few things that I know helped me and could potentially help someone else. Here are 3 tips that could land you a new job or a new raise:

Evaluate and Update Your Resume

Take a look at your current resume and ask yourself if it really highlights all of your skills, accomplishments, projects completed, and metrics that are related to the desired position that you want. Make the hiring manager feel like they need you, not the other way around.

If you have a hard time bragging about yourself or just finding the right words to say, hire a Professional Resume Writer. They are extremely talented with emphasizing your strengths and using the precise wording and format that will attract recruiters and hiring managers. Don’t know where to find one? Well, you’re in luck! I’m a resume writer and I would be happy to help you. To learn more, click the ad below:

Be an Asset To Your Job

Don’t just do the bare minimum, always go beyond. Become valuable! Within your role, make it your own. Become innovative, find ways to make processes easier, start-up new projects. Take your suggestions to your leadership team. Make your mark. I know it’s easier said than done but hear me out! Doing so can work to your advantage in so many ways. For starters, the company that you work for will feel like they need you to take their business to the next level. It’s always great to suggest new projects that will benefit them. And let’s be real, managers don’t want to have to go through the process of finding a new hire, training them, and waiting for them to get up to speed on their duties. They’d rather keep you onboard if you’re getting the job done and well. Showing that you’re invested in making a positive change for the company can also put you in a good spot for an upcoming promotion. You never know who is taking notice of your hard work. Another way your work ethic could work to your advantage is that you can add these projects, leadership initiatives, and newly developed skills to your resume and cover letter! Whether you want to get a promotion or land a new job, you become more marketable and a company is going to feel like they need you to grow their business and make it more efficient!

Knowing that you are an asset gives you a greater sense of confidence at work and in interviews. You can sell yourself better because you know can provide examples of how well you invested your time at work. Employers love that!

Know Your Worth

Do your research on how much you should be earning based upon your experience, education, training, etc. You can use that research to negotiate your salary when you are offered a position, offered a promotion or making a decision to retract your resignation notice. When making an argument for a salary increase, be sure to also evaluate the benefits that are offered. Is health insurance expensive? Would more money help to offset that cost? There are a number of factors to think about before deciding on a number. Just make sure that it’s reasonable but benefits your financial circumstances.

YOUR INCOME MAY NOT CHANGE OVERNIGHT BUT IF YOU PUT IN THE WORK TO MAKE IT HAPPEN OVER TIME, IT WILL. BE PATIENT AND FOCUS ON GROWING YOUR SKILL-SET, LEADERSHIP SKILLS AND AWARENESS OF WHAT YOU CAN DO TO BECOME EVEN MORE MARKETABLE. THE OPPORTUNITIES WILL COME!