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Before you ask for raise, be sure to
do your homework

By Joan Cirillo, Globe Correspondent, 10/27/02

Need advice about managing your career or your workplace? The Job Doc can help. Our specialists can answer your questions on topics ranging from career transitions to management issues. E-mail queries to jobdoc@globe.com, or send letters to Job Doc, c/o the Boston Globe, P.O. Box 2378, Boston, MA 02107-2378. Letters may be edited for clarity and length.

What is the best way in which to ask for a raise? Should you ask for a specific dollar amount?

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This question reminds me of the old joke about how porcupines make love. The answer: very carefully.

That statement is also true when it comes to asking for a raise in this economic environment. You must understand that the first thing a supervisor will think about if asked about a raise is your performance. It certainly helps if you have met or even exceeded your mutually established goals from the previous year.

The most natural time to discuss a raise is when your supervisor is reviewing performance from the past year with you. Some supervisors discuss a salary raise and performance at the same meeting. Others handle the performance discussion in one meeting and salary discussions at another.

Do your homework before you bring up a raise. Here are some things to consider:

Have you met, or better yet, exceeded your goals for last year? It would be very difficult to ask for a raise if your performance does not warrant it.

Brainstorm with yourself a list of accomplishments you have achieved in the past year. Bring it to the performance discussion meeting. If you are invited to do so before the meeting, submit the status of goals/accomplishments that you have achieved. If your boss is managing multiple workers, a good reminder of all that you have accomplished would be helpful and position you well for a raise.

Try to find out how raises occur in your company. Are raises fairly automatic at employee anniversary dates or at a particular time of year?

Understand that the average merit increase in the Northeast this year has been 3 to 4 percent. Find out if your company pays for performance or if everyone gets the same raise. This will help you manage expectations.

Do some market research both internally and externally. Speak with human resources in your company to determine what the salary range is for your job. Scope out some Web sites such as www.salary.com or www.wageweb.com for salary information about your job. Also check out www.rileyguide.com. It's an excellent source of occupational information updated regularly. Review professional and association publications to see how your salary compares regionally with similar types of jobs.

Is the company going through or recently experienced a significant downsizing of employees? Has it just announced publicly that it will not meet financial goals for the quarter or that its rating has been lowered? These would not be good times to ask for a raise.

Of course, the best scenario is when the supervisor brings up a salary raise. However, if you are long overdue for a performance discussion and/or raise, you might approach your supervisor when he or she is alone and ask if it is possible for you to meet and discuss your performance some time soon. Bring your calendar or organizer with you so you can schedule something right there.

At this performance meeting, wait to see if the boss brings up a salary raise. If he or she doesn't, you might say: ''Jack, this meeting was very helpful. I appreciate all of your feedback. It was good to hear that you are pleased with my performance, although there are some things that I need to work on. I am wondering if I qualify for a raise at this point.'' This will signal to the boss that he/she needs to address this issue.

I would not ask for a certain amount since there are so many issues that are involved in determining the exact amount of your raise. However, if after you have done extensive research, you find that your salary is significantly below the norm, you may bring this up at your meeting. Another scenario is that you have taken over additional responsibilities and wonder if you could get your job reevaluated.

In job hunt, be proactive

I am hoping you can settle a discussion we are having in our household. Both my college-educated sons are looking for professional positions in their fields (political science and theater). I say that they could send a cover letter and resume to any place they would like to obtain a position, asking them to hold the resume until an appropriate opening becomes available. They say they have to wait until a position is advertised and then send their resume. While their method could work, it is difficult to conduct a national search even with the Internet. Have times changed that much since I was a grad?

Well, neither strategy is wrong. However, it is always risky to assume that a company will store your resume in a safe place and revisit it each time there is an opening in the company to check for a skill match.

Larger companies do a better job with this because they usually invest in expensive machines that scan in your resume and then keep it in the database for up to a year. Often, human resources personnel will key in critical skills, degrees, and experience that they are looking for and, hopefully, come up with a match in the database.

I must say, however, that my little organization does store resumes indefinitely. As opportunities become available, we revisit resumes of candidates we have interviewed and like to see if they have the skill set we need.

An approach that will net more results is to constantly scan certain Web sites, newspapers, and periodicals for jobs that are a match for your skills. Target companies that you would particularly like to work at and review their job postings weekly. When you see a position that interests you, call anyone you know at the company who might be able to provide more information about the opportunity. Fire off a cover letter and resume. Refer to the requisition number if there is one. Help the reader see there is an excellent match between your skills and the requirements of the job.

Let's turn our attention specifically to your sons who majored in political science and theatre. Do they want to teach? They should be looking at the Chronicle of Higher Education for teaching positions. Colleges and universities post job opportunities from all over the country in this publication. Have them zero in on some of the colleges in Massachusetts and look at the job postings. These are usually posted in newsletters and Web sites.

Does the political science major want to work at the State House on legislative/policy issues? An internship, even unpaid, for a legislator or lobbyist might be just the ticket to earn some credibility for a paid position as an aide. Does he want to work for a grass-roots organization to help citizens have better lives? The pay may not be great, but a year or two at a nonprofit organization that does a lot of organizing might be just the experience he needs.

Does the theatre major want to act in live theatre? Then he should be scanning community papers for opportunities. He should be networking with colleagues in the theatre for information about new productions that might be looking for a new face.

In other words, a proactive approach is the way to go. Doing a resume blitz without having definite jobs to refer to is a real long shot.

Look to nonprofit to use skills

I am retired from the Massachusetts Public Schools and searching for positions in the field related to education. I am wondering if you can give me advice about where to search so that I can continue to use my skills as an educator.

There are some excellent opportunities available for you to use your teaching skills in a nonprofit setting.

Nonprofit training agencies are looking for computer instructors, English for speakers of other languages, English for employment, job readiness coaches and learning disabilities teachers to name a few. You just need to know where to look.

One of the best publications for nonprofit jobs in Massachusetts is called Opportunity Nocs (www.opnocsne.org). It is published by the Executive Service Corps and has become the clearinghouse for nonprofit jobs at all levels because it is reasonable for nonprofits to post opportunities and so, many nonprofits do.

Joan Cirillo is the executive director of Operation ABLE, a nonprofit that provides employment and training opportunities to adults, particularly workers 40 and older. Prior to joining Operation ABLE, she worked for over 20 years in education and human resources.

Clarification: The Job Doc offered an incomplete response to a question asking whether a Massachusetts employer who has terminated an employee must pay for the first 31 days of health insurance coverage (BostonWorks, ''Cobra Facts for Fired Employee,'' Aug. 25).

I spoke to the Office of the General Counsel at the Division of Insurance, who explained that M.G.L. c. 175, section 110D states that group health policies issued after 1968 by commercial insurance companies shall contain a provision that, in the event the insured leaves the group, the person shall remain insured under the policy for 31 days afterward, unless the person is otherwise entitled to similar benefits. Section 110D does NOT apply to HMO contracts, subscriber certificates issued by Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Massachusetts, or self-funded/self-insured employee health benefit plans.

The federal COBRA law (for groups with more than 20 employees) and state Mini-COBRA law (for groups with between 2-19 employees) are separate laws from each other and also from Chapter 175, Section 110D. Employees eligible for the 31-day continuation of health insurance benefits under 110D may also be eligible for benefits under the federal COBRA or state Mini-COBRA statutes, if they meet the other eligibility requirements of those laws.

For more information, call the DOI Office of the General Counsel at 617-521-7309, or visit www.state.ma.us/doi/consumer/css_health_minicobra.html.)

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