SoFi Blog

Working for years without a pay increase can become a struggle and cause stress, especially as the cost of living continues to rise. Whether you’ve been making the same salary for 12 months or for more than a decade, having the money conversation with your boss can be awkward. But when increases don’t come when needed, your only recourse is to ask for them.

Before you have the conversation, though, it’s not only important to arm yourself with all of the right things to say, but also to learn what not to say. Here are a few tips on language to avoid when asking for a raise.

Asking for a raise can be an intimidating prospect, but the truth is that it’s more dangerous not to ask. The longer you stay in one job without a significant pay increase, the more likely you are to make below market rate when compared to your peers. 

Got big plans for your career in 2015? The good news is there should be plenty of opportunity – if you know where to look and how to position yourself accordingly. That’s what the latest SoFi Quarterly Employment Trends report revealed when we released it at the end of last year (the full report is available to SoFi members – contact me for details).

Whether you’re looking for a new job, angling for a promotion or just seeking more responsibility in your current role, most people would agree that summer is not the best time to accomplish big career moves.   People are out on vacation, attitudes are relaxed and things move slowly, making it difficult to schedule interviews and get exposure at work.

To get ahead in your career, technical expertise is a must-have.  But many experts agree that it’s a mastery of the less tangible qualities – things like leadership, communication and interpersonal skills – that differentiates the great from the good.  You can have advanced degrees, experience and IQ in spades, but if you don’t develop your EQ and other non-technical competencies, your career prospects will likely be limited.