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Asking for a raise is probably one of the most useful corporate communication skills any good worker should master. How else will you be able to further communicate the true value of your labor and turn your work into a paycheck that better reflects your true worth? No matter how good you are as a worker, some bosses will still be too busy, distracted or otherwise incapacitated (so to speak) to give you a pay raise. There will be times and situations where no matter how hard you work and how well the company benefits from you, it will still take much more than patience to get you that raise. Here are some bits and pieces to remember when you feel you truly deserve that salary increase:

Don't assume that just because you're doing extremely well at your job, your raise will automatically come to you. Especially in really busy workplaces, you'll find that even your boss works just as hard as you do - to the point that he or she could totally forget that you actually deserve a special reward for working so hard. When you feel that your raise is suddenly a few months overdue, be prepared to walk up to your super and talk it out. after all, managing your own career is your job.

You're not going to get a raise on a request alone; you're going to get one because there's a handful of reasons why you should get more than you do now. Be sure that when you ask for a raise, you have a list of pretty sensible answers to why you should get one. Research important industry facts about compensation for your skills in companies typically similar to yours; this may mean calling up friends and connections in other companies and asking around about going rates. Also, don't forget to create a list of your achievements in the company that have contributed to raising the bottom line.

Frustrated that its been too long since you last deserved a raise? Don't vent by threatening to leave. If you do succeed, you'll be reaping short-term rewards in exchange, but you'll be paying up long-term pains from a damaged professional relationship with your boss. Remember, the main reason you're asking for a raise is because you feel that although working for your company has no problem in itself, you've got to be compensated better because you deserve to be.