You know you’ve been there. You were sitting at your desk or in your office after a long day at work and thought to yourself, “There’s no way they’re paying me enough to do my job.” Millions of people feel the exact same way and there really isn’t anything to lose in pursuing a raise on your salary. Now, depending on the situation you’re in, you may or may not be “eligible” to get a raise. You may think you’re doing too much work but there are a few things you should look at before marching into the boss’ office and demanding that he pay you more money. Let’s take a look at them.

• Figure out what your strengths are: If you’ve thought it through and decided that you need to make more money for the job you’re doing, the first thing to do is to figure out your strengths. Write down what exactly makes you unique in the company and why the job you’re doing is exceptional enough to call for a higher pay grade. If you list all of the things that make you unique and powerful within the company, you stand a better chance.
• Put yourself in their shoes: Suppose you owned the company you were working for. If you were to higher an employee to do the job that you’re doing, would you pay him or her as much as you’re wanting? You may be quick to jump and say “yes.” But the truth of the matter is that while it may seem like a difficult job to you, the company may not see it that way. What they’re paying you may be a very fair wage for what they think the job is. But to change their minds…

• Outline your day: If you outline everything it is you do in a day, coffee breaks and chit chat aside, you can present your daily workload to your boss. If a comparable company pays $5 more an hour for the exact same job you’re doing, you can present that too. If when written down on paper you’re doing more than you were hired to do, show your boss. A visual aid will help your case if you can show your manager that you are working more than you should. That doesn’t mean build a pie chart and graph your work history, but a simple piece of paper will do.
• Threaten to Quit: Let’s just say you’ve completely had it with your job and want the hell out. You hate your job and you hate everyone there. The only thing that would make you stay is more money. This tip of course is a last resort measure and should only be used if you are indeed actually willing to quit. If you’re not and you just plan on bluffing; Don’t. Explain how upset you are to your boss and threaten to quit unless something is done about it. In most cases, if you’re a valued employee, the company will do everything in their power to keep you there. If not, they’ll let you go. Make sure you use this tip wisely because it could end very badly if you don’t.