Guest post by Alban
Asking for a pay raise is not something which is taught and can be a contentious issue, especially when times are tough for many businesses and many families. However, successfully securing a pay raise can have little to do with economic conditions, and all to do with how you approach your boss. 
Your boss is unlikely to actually be an ogre and if you don’t have a problem talking to them about a project deadline or scheduling your annual leave them you can approach them in the same respectful and calm manner to ask for a pay raise. It is still easy to feel you are jeopardizing your position with the company if you ask for more money and in down times you may be highlighting yourself as the next one to go in a job cut which is why you need to be aware of the best tactics to use and attitudes to adopt when asking for a pay raise.
And yes – you should still ask for a raise if you think you deserve one, if you like your job and your co-workers then you will be much better off asking for more money in your current position than trying to insert yourself into a new office environment with a higher paying position.
