If you’ve got a job it’s likely smart to hang onto it while you can. Not to be a downer, but according to a report this week at CNN Money, the unemployment rate charged upwards for the ninth straight month in June, climbing to 9.5% from 9.4%, and hitting another 26-year high.

Additionally this report notes that it’s predicted that unemployment rates will hit 9.6% before the year ends. But technically it could get even worse as Briefing.com predicted a June job loss of 365,000 but in reality numbers of jobs lost hit 467,000. It’s pretty darn abysmal. Looking for new work may not be the right choice at this time.

Now, I know this is not the jolliest of news to kick off the holiday weekend but there’s at least one good thing happening on the job front right now. If you are employed a raise might be on the horizon.

If you’ve currently been laid-off there are many good resources to browse that could help you to get back on your feet:

• From CNN Money; “Three out-of-work professionals get makeovers from a team of four top career experts. Result: One master plan for each, full of smart strategies to find a job in a tough market. Their advice can boost your prospects too.” Read it – Find a job in a tough economy
• An excellent piece at The Wall Street Journal: Explaining Your Layoff to a Job Recruiter
• Tips for Surviving Unemployment – Part 1
• Tips for Surviving Unemployment – Part 2

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Before hand: Visit Salary.com, check out similar pay for other same-type positions in your area, and look at the Department of Labor website. All of these can give you fair wage info about your particular position, which means you’re ready to present those figures and negotiate smartly.

Be a decent employee: If you’re a nice, happy, and valued employee 90% of the time, you’re far more likely to get a raise then some other guy who acts like a jerk most of the time. You don’t have to be Pollyanna, just be better than most of your co-workers. This means avoiding gossip, co-worker confrontations, and making sure you’re polite and get your work done.

Be willing: Offer to take on a special project or learn a new task that can help boost your worth to the company.

Use new employees: If your workplace hires on new folks, and you can find out their salary, you can use it to win a raise. Say you’ve been there a while doing the same work the new employee is doing, but you’re making very little more $, point this out.

Don’t: Threaten to quit; unless you mean it. Even if you don’t mean it, threatening to quit if you don’t get your ideal raise, sort of puts you in a bad position. If you get the raise, your supervisor will wonder about your commitment and negotiation tactics, which doesn’t exactly set you up with the company in a positive light. The only good way to pull this off is if you can somehow nicely and casually mention that you’ve been offered another position for more pay, but you just love your job so much you’d hate to leave.

Have you ever asked for a raise and got it? What did you do? 

Post from: Thrifty Mommy