How to Get a Raise at Your Present Job

If asked, “why do you work?” – what would your answer be?

It feels like a simple question to answer, right?

Yet people often take that question as a taboo. Often when we get called for an interview, we get excited – excited to show people how eager we are to work in that industry and interact with others who share the same passion. However, when asked such a question of why people work, they’ll often dance around the answer, or usually provide a vague one.

People act as though working 8 hours a day is the reward, but we’d be lying to ourselves if we say that. Except for the few whose job revolves around their passion and perhaps, they love every second of it; then you can say that. However, for various people, they work because they need the money.

Now that you’ve managed to get that job, it doesn’t hurt to ask for an increase, right? However, we’d suggest you wait for a while before asking for a raise and also to know your worth to that company. Many tools are available online that could help you calculate your worth by taking into account your skills, experience, education, location, etc. 

Storming the boss’s or administration office isn’t always the most significant thing to do. There are other methods that you can do to get a raise. Here’s how:

1. Be Vigilant For Openings

Have you ever thought about working towards getting a promotion? One harsh truth in the corporate world is employee turnover. Companies are spending time and resources to fill those gaps left behind by the ex-employees. A company can spend figures of six times that of an employee’s salary for their replacement.

An open position can present an excellent opportunity for you to earn more. Familiarize yourself with the skills and responsibilities associated with the job you want, and when an opening pops up, inform your boss that you are willing to step up and that you already have the necessary skills to do so. Your company will save resources – and you’ll have yourself an increase because of the additional responsibilities.

2. Get to Know The Bonus System

 Most companies offer and provide bonuses – but surprisingly, many employees have no idea how bonuses work. Beyond a simple view of the better you and what the company assesses, you may get some reward. If you don’t have any idea on how bonuses are determined, talk to your boss or manager to get a clear picture.

The more knowledgeable you are about the system, the more you can work towards hitting every checkmark. It would help if you also got your achievements recognized, so don’t be afraid of letting your boss know during reviews. When the management sees that you’ve been an excellent employee, and then it’ll only be about time that you receive compensation for your hard work, and who knows, you might get a salary increase.

3. Improve Your Skill Set

Other times, the reason why your company isn’t giving you a raise is often not because they don’t want to, but it’s because you don’t deserve it yet. For that reason, further education or more training is needed. However, that’s not all. The most challenging part of it is determining what education and skills are necessary for you to improve and make a difference. 

Although, that shouldn’t be the case in a healthy work environment. All you have to do is ask your boss, supervisor, manager, etc. on what you need to improve to get a raise. 

Sit down with your boss and have a formal conversation. Find out what skill sets they are looking for in employees that would set you apart from others, as well as prospective hires. It shouldn’t be job requirement skills; instead, skills that go way beyond that. If you’re aiming for a promotion that often comes with a salary increase, you should look at the job descriptions of positions you’re seeking to acquire.

You could take management courses, learn new skills, or a second language if you work with an international company. Figure out what skills increase your value and learn or improve it.

4. Take The Initiative

Companies love an employee that takes the initiative. Do what is expected of you and more! Get involved in projects that are beyond your responsibilities in the company. Provide innovative solutions and suggestions that would further improve company operations. Assuming duties without being told is what companies are looking for in their ideal employee. They are looking for people who have the drive to help the company succeed with whatever means necessary. 

Taking on new responsibilities isn’t just for the benefit of the company. Taking new tasks also helps you develop as a person and as an employee by learning new skills, which significantly boosts your chances of getting that sweet promotion. 

Nonetheless, getting a raise might be very important; however, you must understand that to get that raise, you will have to work for it. If you put any of these tips into action, we believe that you’d get an increase in no time. So, good luck!

How to Transition into a New Career Effectively

You may have been pondering about transitioning into a new career for a long time now, whether you should do it or not. Should you take that leap into something new, or should you stay with what you know?

If you’ve decided that it’s time to mix-up things, then good for you; however, if you’ve decided to stick with your current career, we totally understand – it’s a whole different world out there. It’s not just a new job, but it’s a different career entirely.

Now that you’ve finally decided and may have found the role right for you, you may begin to wonder- how do you make the switch without starting from scratch? How do you market or position yourself for prospective employers to understand that you have what it takes to function effectively in your new role and that you are capable of succeeding in your new field when you have no experience at all?

Today, we’ll be providing some vital information on what you can do to make your transition as effective as possible.

1. Start with the Why

So many people have grown to hate their jobs but are not aware of things beyond that. However, before you even begin to take the leap, ask yourself first; why? When you fail to answer that question, you might end up in a similar scenario. You may end up in a different career, but it may be a career that you will still hate. All the effort would become meaningless.

So, it is essential to ask yourself: Why do I want to switch careers? Does this path make my life better? What kind of risks am I taking here?

Who knows, perhaps, when you get through this exercise, you might discover that it isn’t as great as you imagined it to be. Sometimes, you might even find more of a reason to make the switch.

2. Have a Clear Answer on the What

What does your new career involve? What are its downsides?

It doesn’t hurt to continually evaluate and question yourself because you’re making a huge leap. Are you able to use your skills and experience as leverage in your new field? Your contacts? As well as your brand to ensure that the transition is successful? These are questions to consider.

So many take the saying of “follow your passion, and everything will fall into place” seriously. Yet studies have shown that most people who statistically do that have a lower chance of finding a fulfilling career compared to those who continue to leverage what they already have. Experts have advised that if you decide to pivot your career, choose a path where you can leverage what you already have to new heights.

3. Create a Plan

Now that you’ve answered the why’s and what’s, your next course of action is to create a plan on how to get that job. You need to consider your real-world obligations such as monthly bills, kid’s school, etc., You’ll also need to evaluate your skill set, what you can carry over to your new career, and what skills you need to add.

• Identify Your Current Skills – Make a list of all your abilities and skills, and what carries over to your new field. If you’re a seasoned worker already, most of your skills probably are carried over as supposed to entry-level employees where you’re starting from scratch.
• Identify Skills That You Need – Examine the job description that you are aiming for. What are its requirements? You probably know this already, but it’s not required that you check all the conditions; however, some may be deal-breakers.

It is important to note that it is advisable that you get an experienced career coach, who can help you come up with an effective plan that makes the transition less stressful. For example, at Global Career Advisors, we help various individuals effectively transition into new jobs with the help of well-laid out plans.

Transition Tactics

Once you’ve done some serious evaluation and still want to push through, here are more tactics that would make your search for that illustrious new career a success.

• Update Your Resume – Focus on the summary statement, state that your skills can be transferred. Write an excellent cover letter to fit the job that you’re applying to in any organization.
• Utilize Your Existing Network – Starting a new career doesn’t mean shunning your existing network and building it from scratch. In fact, you can utilize your existing network, which could be very helpful. Inform your closest friends, family, and colleagues that you are planning to switch. Who knows, they might have something to offer you.
• Search Within Your Current Employer – There’s no one who knows your capabilities better than your current company. Even if you’re planning on switching careers, your current company may be willing to help make your transition as seamless as possible. Since the company knows you well, there might be a chance that they’ll be ready to try you out in a different position.
• Look out for Informational Interviews – An informational interview can be a great way to expand your network further, as well as learn the ropes of the new career you’ve chosen.

Final Tip – Take everything slowly. Most times, nothing good comes out from rushing. Especially when you’re dealing with something as drastic as a career change, continue working on it daily until you have a clear understanding of whether the move makes sense or not.

Making the most out of our time is imperative, as we only have so many in a day. If you want to get
many things done, you may need to put more hours into working, which could lessen your time to do other
equally important things, or you could improve your time-management skills.

No one is inherently born with exceptional time-management skills, but it can be improved over time. Time-
management, if done right, can significantly increase your productivity. Time-management isn’t as
complicated as rocket science, but it requires diligence.

In this article, we’ll share with you some tips on how to increase your productivity starting with:

1. Track Your Progress on a Task and Set a Limit

Never rely on your ability to gauge how much time you’re spending on a project, no matter how much
you think you’re good at it. Research suggests that only a handful of people, precisely 17% can
accurately gauge and measure the passage of time. There are various apps and software available for
free that can track and let you know how much time you’ve been spending on your tasks, emails, social
media, etc.

2. Take Regular Breaks

Taking a break may sound counter intuitive, but studies have shown that taking periodic breaks of 5-10
minutes can significantly improve concentration. It helps you maintain performance at a continuous level,
which is essential for long tasks. As opposed to working non-stop on a long task will cause a considerable decline
in performance.

3. Set Deadlines

We often think of stress as a bad thing, but a manageable self-imposed type of anxiety might be the
help you need to push you through the tasks of meeting your deadline. Having a self-imposed deadline
can help you focus on the task at hand. This type of strategy still applies to you even if you have an open-ended project; you need to stick to it. You’ll be surprised at how much a deadline can help you
focus on the task at hand and improve productivity.

4. Obey the Two Minute Rule

Experts and successful people in all advice in following the two-minute rule to get the most out of your
limited time to work. The concept of this rule is: if you come across a task that can quickly be done in
under 2 minutes, you immediately focus and get the task done. Experts have said that completing the task right away cuts down the time you spend on a project by not having to back to that specific task.

5. Say No to Meetings That Aren’t Important or Necessary

Meetings are considered to be the biggest time-sucks, yet people still regularly attend them, book
them, and in the end, complain about the said meeting. When you go to a meeting, make sure that there’s
something to learn from it, or it’s essential if you’re in an office environment.

According to a statistic by Atlassian, an average worker spends a staggering 31 hours on unproductive
meetings each month. Before going to another meeting, try and figure out whether what’s discussed in
the meeting can be compiled and emailed to you, or if you can do your tasks remotely.

6. Avoid Multi-Tasking

Many of us tend to think that multi-tasking as an important factor in improving efficiency, but it’s the
opposite that’s found to be true. Research has shown that trying to take on several tasks at once results
in lost time and inefficiency. Instead of multi-tasking, why not focus on a single task and get it done as
soon as possible, then you move on to the next.

7. Make The Most Out of Your Commute

If you’re taking public transportation to work, or stuck in traffic, instead of playing or watching videos –
try to answer some of your emails, come up with a to-do list, and do some brainstorming while on your
way.

8. Avoid Trying To Be Perfect

It’s common for people to want to do things correctly, but the reality of things is, nothing can be done
perfectly. There’s bound to be flaws and instead of taking too much time in trying to achieve
said “perfection,” try to do your task as best as you could and move on to the next. Complete a task and
on to the next. If you have the time, you can go back to your previous completed task and improve it if
possible.

9. Exercise Breaks

There’s a study from the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine that shows – a quick
exercise during work improves productivity. Set a schedule during the week and take a walk, or get a quick gym session to boost your energy. Who knows? It may be just the thing you need to clear your head.