5. Timing Is Everything

You will want to ask for a raise at a time when your company has posted record profits, or your department has just met a goal as a result of your efforts, or you just beat an important deadline and your boss is relaxed and on a personal high. Avoid those times when mass layoffs are underway, you have been advised of an error in your judgment, or your boss is having a bad day. Consider the following timing recommendations:

• If the standard practice is merit increases during annual review time, how far in the future is that date? If it is several months away, you might want to consider asking just after a stunning success.

• If your job responsibilities have increased, but your salary has not, the timing might be just right. (You would think that the money would follow the increase in responsibility, but this often does not happen.)

• Know your boss’s high-energy time—is it morning or afternoon? Pay attention, and time your request accordingly.

• Know your company’s financial situation. Use the resources in Chapter 15 to research the company’s financial history and status before you ask for that increase.