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Hi, this is Sarah from the Squiggly Careers podcast and this is one of our shortcut episodes. These are designed to be short, as you'd hope, really specific with actions that you can put into practice straight away. And today we're going to be talking about that slightly knotty topic of how to ask for a pay rise. So before we dive in, asking for a pay rise for most people does feel hard and uncomfortable. And I think almost if you expect to feel uncomfortable, then you know you're getting it right. I think very few people go into these conversations and are cool, calm and collected all of the time. So it will probably feel a bit anxiety inducing. It will feel difficult, but that doesn't mean that you're getting it wrong. Firstly, don't wait. Don't sit there doing a brilliant job and just thinking it's okay because someone else will just automatically realize that I'm as amazing as I am and sort my pay out for me. That, in my experience, very rarely happens. You have to advocate for yourself and kind of talk about the impact that you're having. So create, not wait when it comes to your pay. So three tips for you. Firstly, before the conversation, before you have a conversation, typically with your manager, understand the pay rise process in your company. Most companies now have quite a specific process that they rarely go outside of to make sure that it is fair and consistent for everyone. It is quite unusual to be able to just have a conversation with your manager and for your manager to go, yeah, you are as amazing as you're telling me you are brilliant. I'll just put a pay rise into the system. Those days, I think, are long gone. Perhaps at the very start of my career, over 20 years ago, that was slightly more common. But even then, there does tend to be a kind of way of pay being increased in an organization. The best organizations, I think, are really transparent about that. So maybe you know that already. If not, find a friendly face in HR or just a friend who you trust, someone in the company who's just been through the process, or it might be something you want to ask your manager or you might want to ask a peer. So I think just before you get into the conversations, One, understand the process. Two, during the conversation, how do you approach the conversation? Well, first thing to let go of is that it's going to be one conversation, it's going to be conversations. So maybe that makes you a bit more relaxed. It takes the pressure away from this kind of one moment. Usually you probably won't let your manager know beforehand that you're going to talk about pay, maybe you will. But if you're telling them in that moment today, I'd like to talk a bit about pay and the potential of a pay rise. Your manager's not going to expect it. They probably need to go away and have time to talk to people and respond. So it usually takes at least a couple of conversations, and it usually takes maybe even a couple of months, which is why you don't want to wait too long to kind of start the process. So know it will be conversations. And I think the critical thing in those conversations is to talk about the impact that you have, how you make a difference through what you do, and if you can talk in outcomes so you know things that you've delivered, what have you made better that really helps people. You might think people might already know that, that your manager should already know that, but everyone's busy, everyone's got loads going on in their head. And I think three, stick to the rule of three, three ways where what you're doing kind of makes a really big difference to not only the job you do, but the team you're in and the company that you're in. So you might start the conversation just by saying to your manager, today I'd like to talk about a possibility of a pay rise and what that might look like to prepare for that. I've really tried to think about over the past six months or over the last year, the difference I've delivered in the job that I do. And I think there are three things that have really stood out for me. One, two and three. Also, when you are having these conversations with your manager, one top tip, if you're anything like me, start the conversation with the pay rise. If you wait until it's the last thing, you'll be thinking about it the whole time. And then when you get to it, it'll be rushed. And actually, as a manager, because I've had this happen to me quite a few times, it's then actually really frustrating because, you know, it's really important to that person. But then you've all got other meetings to go to, so steel yourself to start the conversation open by saying, it'd be really good today if we could talk about that, to talk about pay rise and the pay rise process, because that is something that I'm motivated by and I want to make happen. But you want to focus on more than the money, which is why you really want to think about kind of the difference and the impact, because that's where you kind of really show your value, kind of what makes you you, what makes you really critical in the job that you do. Then the third thing after the conversation, it is always helpful to summarize what has been said. You don't need to kind of go into like extensive detail, but I think just a couple of bullet points of saying thank you to your like, thanks for the conversation today. Thought it'd be helpful just to summarise the key points. You're going to go away and talk to somebody. I'm going to go away and look at whatever I need to look at. This is what we'll talk about next time. Just to hold yourself and maybe your manager to account. Also, if things do get agreed along the way, really helpful to have it in writing. You might feel like you don't need it. I've seen some examples of where people haven't written things down and they really wish that they had. So this is probably one of those times where it is just worth that that email. So you've got it. You don't need to be really formal. You can still kind of do it in your own way. But it is good to have things kind of somewhere shared that you can refer back to if you need them. And finally you might do this brilliantly and it might not pay off. A company might just not have the money, they might just not be in a position to do it. But I always think it is better to know than to not know. And if they can't give you a pay rise and you really feel like actually I'm doing a job here where I want to earn more money and that's an option, that's when you can start looking at maybe other opportunities or thinking about where else you might squiggle to or you might set yourself a deadline. Well, I feel like I'm okay in this role. Maybe there's other things I'm enjoying. But after this point, if something hasn't changed, then I will think about going or doing something different. And it's always worth thinking about your pay rise. Trade offs. So if they say no to a pay rise often they would like to say yes to something else? Not always, but sometimes. And in my experience this has happened quite a few times where I have asked for more money and basically been told no. So I've kind of gone, oh, okay, well if it can't be more money, could it be time? Could you work less? Could it be projects or opportunities that you really want to get be part of? Could could you get a yes to kind of something you know, something you want to get involved in, could it be training or learning? Could it be to do with communities or networks? So I always think keep your conversations very focused and specific on pay initially. But if you are getting the feedback that it's like it's a no. But they are very supportive of you, they clearly want you to stay. It's probably not your first choice because your first choice would have been a pay rise. But I would be asking myself kind of what else? What else might be useful for me and my squiggly career. So I hope that helps. Good luck. I know a paywise conversation, often more than one. They are always quite, they are always tricky. But remember, you know, your manager has to have them too and it is okay. It's good to be kind of confident and have clarity when it comes to those kind of conversations. And the more you practice, the better you will get. So beforehand, understand the process. During the conversation, demonstrate your difference. Make sure you're really communicating the impact that you have, the outcomes that you deliver. After those conversations, make sure you write stuff down, but also be ready for those pay rise trade offs if you do get to that point. I hope it goes well. And we're back with another squiggly shortcut very soon.