Do you want to make more money at work? Throughout my career, I have been on both sides of the equation — i.e., I was an employee looking to earn more and I was the manager who determined where to spend our budget for salary increases and bonuses.
Photo by Tim van der Kuip on Unsplash
1. Be A Good Employee
First, let’s address the elephant in the room. If you are not a good employee, you need to work on improving that first. To get ahead, you cannot be just another cog in the wheel. You have to be valued by your coworkers, manager, and subordinates.
Start with the basics: come to work on time (or come in early), don’t leave early, don’t miss work unnecessarily, do your job (and go above and beyond), be helpful to everyone (coworkers, manager, subordinates, customers, vendors, etc.)
2. Go Above and Beyond
To be on the radar to make more, you cannot be just good enough. You have to be in the to 5-10% among your peers. So you need to go above and beyond.
- Perform all your duties exceptionally well
- Volunteer for extra projects and duties
- Learn the duties of those above you
3. Ask to Work Overtime
If your job offers overtime, take every opportunity you can to do it. This is probably the easiest way to make money right away in your current job.
4. Continuing Education
What do you need to learn to get the next promotion? Work with your manager to figure out a pathway for you to grow to the next step and ask for their support to help you learn the skills you need to get a promotion.
5. Ask for a Promotion
So you have been a good employee, you are being helpful and friendly, you are hustling, and you’ve been learning new skills. Your manager will recognize this and it will be that much easier when you ask for a promotion. Make it know to your manager that you’re aiming for a promotion within the next 12-18 months, and put yourself in a position to get it. Apply for every promotion opportunity that comes up.
6. Ask for a Raise
If promotion is not in the immediate horizon, don’t hesitate to ask for a raise. Since you have been going the extra mile for your employer, there is nothing wrong with asking for something back in return.
7. Look Beyond Your Current Employer
Gone are the day of life-long loyalty between employer and employee. Believe it or not, one of the fastest way to grow your career early on is to look for the next better opportunity outside your current workplace.
Spend your free time look for and apply for a more advanced position with other companies.
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Pinyo Bhulipongsanon is the owner of Moolanomy Personal Finance and a Realtor® licensed in Virginia and Maryland. Over the past 20 years, Pinyo has enjoyed a diverse career as an investor, entrepreneur, business executive, educator, financial literacy author, and Realtor®.
