Most people never ask for a raise. Of the minority who do, most ask too tentatively, at the wrong moment, or without enough preparation to make the ask land. The result is either a "no" they accept without pushing back, or a smaller increase than they could have secured.
This guide covers the full process: what to prepare before you say anything, how to time the conversation, a word-for-word script you can adapt, and what to do when the answer isn't yes. It's based on how these conversations actually unfold in European companies — not generic advice that assumes a US corporate context.
Why most people don't ask — and why that's a mistake
The most common reasons people avoid asking for a raise are: fear of seeming ungrateful, worry about damaging the relationship with their manager, uncertainty about whether their request is reasonable, or simply never finding what feels like the right moment.
All of these are understandable. None of them are good reasons to stay underpaid. Here's the reality: your manager is not monitoring your market rate. Your HR team is not proactively advocating for you to be paid fairly. Organisations optimise their compensation spend — which means paying the minimum required to retain people. The only person reliably looking out for your pay is you.
The risk of asking is real but modest: an awkward conversation and, in rare cases, a slightly changed dynamic with your manager. The cost of not asking is concrete: potentially tens of thousands of euros in missed earnings per year, compounding every year it continues. The asymmetry strongly favours asking.
Before you say a word: three things you need
Preparation determines the outcome of a raise conversation more than anything that happens in the room. There are three inputs you need before you request the meeting.
1. Your market rate
This is the foundation of everything. If you don't know what the market pays for your role, location, and experience level, you're negotiating blind. You might be asking for less than you could get. You might be asking for more than is realistic and damaging your credibility. Either way, you're guessing — and the person across the table from you will know it.
Use our free salary checker to benchmark your current salary. It tells you your percentile relative to the market for your specific role and location, and gives you a clear view of the gap — if there is one. If you're at the 35th percentile, you have a clear, data-backed argument. If you're at the 65th percentile, you need a different rationale.
2. A concrete record of your contributions
Before the conversation, write down your three to five biggest contributions over the past 12 months. Be specific and quantify where possible. Not "I helped launch the new product" but "I led the product launch that generated €180,000 in new ARR in its first quarter." Not "I improved our process" but "I redesigned the onboarding workflow, reducing time-to-completion from 11 days to 4."
If your role doesn't produce easily quantifiable outputs, focus on scope: what responsibilities have you taken on that weren't in your original job description? How has the complexity or scale of your role changed since your last salary adjustment? A clear scope expansion narrative is compelling even without hard numbers.
3. A specific target number
Go into the conversation knowing exactly what you want to come out with. Not a range — a number. "I'm looking to move to £72,000" is a position. "I'm thinking somewhere in the £68,000–£76,000 range" tells your manager they can offer £68,000 and you'll probably accept it.
Set your target based on market data, not on how much you'd like or how much you need. The relevant benchmark is what the market pays — and if you're below it, that's a factual basis for your ask. If you're at market, your ask needs to be justified by scope growth or exceptional performance rather than market lag.
When to ask: timing your conversation well
Timing matters more than most people give it credit for. A well-prepared ask at the wrong moment can still fail — not because you were wrong, but because the circumstances weren't right for a yes.
Good timing
- After a clear, visible win. You've just shipped something significant, closed a major deal, or solved a problem that had material impact. The evidence of your value is fresh and immediate.
- At the start of a performance or budget cycle. Salary reviews are easier when budget decisions haven't yet been made. Ask before the envelope is sealed, not after. Find out when your company's planning cycle runs and aim for 4–6 weeks before it closes.
- When you've recently taken on significantly more responsibility. If your role has grown and your pay hasn't kept pace, the gap is hard for a manager to deny — especially if you can document the scope change.
- When you have external validation. A competing offer, an inbound approach from a recruiter at a higher salary, or market data showing you're materially below median all give you factual grounding rather than subjective opinion.
Timing to avoid
- Immediately after a difficult quarter or a company restructure. Budgets are tight and decision-makers are under pressure. Even a justified ask will be harder to approve.
- Mid-performance cycle with no particular trigger. You're asking for an exception to the normal process without a clear reason why now. It's not impossible, but it's harder.
- Right after a visible underperformance or a mistake. Your leverage is at its lowest. Wait until you've re-established your track record.
- In a casual setting, without a scheduled conversation. Ambushing your manager in a corridor or tacking it onto the end of a 1:1 signals that you haven't taken it seriously enough to request proper time for it. Book a meeting.
How to request the meeting
Keep the request simple and direct. Don't be vague — your manager should know what the conversation is about so they can come prepared. But equally, don't lay out your full case in a Slack message or email before the meeting.
A straightforward message: "I'd like to set aside some time to talk about my compensation. Would [day] work for you, or is there a better time this week?" That's it. No apology, no lengthy preamble, no pre-negotiation before the meeting has even started.
If your company has formal review processes, align the conversation with those cycles where possible. But don't wait for the process if you have a clear case — request time when the moment is right.
The conversation itself: a word-for-word script
Open the meeting by getting quickly to the point. Your manager knows why you're there — don't spend five minutes on small talk that delays the real conversation. Something like:
"Thanks for making time. I want to talk about my salary. Over the past [period], I've [two or three specific contributions]. I've also been looking at market data for my role in [city], and I'm currently below the median for my experience level. I'd like to discuss moving my base to [specific number]."
Then stop talking. You've stated your case — your contributions, your market position, and your specific ask. Now give the other person space to respond.
What you're doing here is giving your manager three things: evidence of your value, external validation that the ask is market-grounded, and a clear number. They don't have to guess what you want, they don't have to argue against your subjective feelings, and they can't dismiss it as wishful thinking without dismissing publicly available data.
Handling the responses
If they say yes immediately
Confirm the specifics before you leave the room: the number, when it takes effect, and whether it will be reflected in your next payslip or requires a formal process to action. Ask what the next steps are and follow up with a confirming email. Verbal agreements get forgotten — write it down.
If they say "let me check with HR / finance"
This is normal. Set a clear timeline: "Of course — when do you think you'll have an answer?" Then follow up at that date if you haven't heard. Don't let it sit indefinitely. An unanswered raise request that you never chase will usually not be resolved in your favour.
If they say "not now" or "we'll talk about it at your review"
Push for specifics. "When exactly is the review?" and "What would you need to see between now and then to support an increase to [your target number]?" are the right questions. If the answer is concrete — a performance milestone, a specific date, a metric — ask for it in writing. If the answer is vague, that's useful information: the constraint probably isn't budget or timing.
If they say no
Ask two questions: "Can you help me understand why?" and "What would need to change for the answer to be yes?" Don't accept a general "the budget isn't there" without specifics. Budget constraints are usually real but rarely absolute — they mean this line item isn't prioritised, not that money doesn't exist.
If you get a clear, honest no with a real explanation, set a timeline for re-visiting: "Can we put a date in the diary for three months' time to revisit this?" If there's still no movement after two properly-timed conversations, you have real information about whether this employer is prepared to pay you market rate. Use it.
After the conversation: what to do next
Whether the answer was yes, not yet, or no, send a summary email within 24 hours. It should cover: what was discussed, what was agreed (or not), and any next steps or review dates committed to. This isn't bureaucratic — it creates a shared record and prevents later confusion about what was promised.
If you got what you wanted: great. Make a note of your new market position, and set a reminder to revisit in 12 months. Compensation is a recurring conversation, not a settled matter.
If you didn't: don't let it disappear. Maintain the roadmap, deliver on whatever criteria were named, and come back at the agreed time. If the goalposts move again, take that signal seriously.
The one thing most people get wrong
They ask before knowing what they're worth. Without market data, the conversation becomes a negotiation about opinion — your opinion of your value vs. your employer's. That's a negotiation you'll usually lose, because your employer has more information, more practice, and less to lose from the conversation going nowhere.
With market data, the conversation changes. You're not asking for more because you want it — you're pointing to a gap between your pay and what the market pays for someone with your experience. That's a much stronger position, and it's much harder to dismiss.
Check your salary in 30 seconds — see your percentile and find out whether there's a gap worth acting on.