Here are 7 tips to help you get a raise at work:

1. Know your companys policy and schedule. Most companies have strict cycles when they approve raises. What is the raise cycle in your company? If you dont know, talk to your Human Resources representative.

2. Start now. Even if the next raise cycle doesnt start for a few months, you need to start early. If you wait until review time, your salary might already be decided by the time you have a meeting with your manager.

3. Find out what youre worth in the market place. There are many websites that will help you to find out the market rate for your position nationally or locally. You can find a simple salary calculator at www.monster.com. You can get more detailed information at www.salary.com.

4. Prove what youre worth at your company. More important than market value is the value you have brought to your company over the last year. Did you increase sales? Did you keep a major customer? Did you save the company money by designing a new process? Your boss should know what have done and how it positively impacts the bottom line. Dont assume that your boss knows exactly what youre working on. Give your boss weekly or bi-weekly updates. Before raise time give your boss a yearly summary of your accomplishments.

5. Clearly ask for a raise. Set up a meeting with your boss and present business reasons for giving you a raise. Bring past updates, customer comments, and any other information that supports your request. Make sure you set this up well before your boss starts to consider raise amounts.

6. Get Your Manager On Your Side. Realize that most times, your boss wont be solely responsible for your raise. He or she has to negotiate with their boss and human resources. They may want to give you a 10% raise, but the company standard is only 3%. Make sure you thank your boss for working with you to get you a raise and that you appreciate their help. Let them know that you want to work together with them on this and ask what information they need to support the request.

7. Be Persistent. If the answer is no, ask what is standing in your way. Let your boss know that you want specific feedback so you can get the raise in the future. Ask to set up a time to meet about this again and review your progress.

If you cant get a raise now, consider other items that you can ask for: a bonus, a spot award, attendance at an industry conference, or a really exciting assignment. You can also ask for an interim review in 3 or 6 months. Then start planning its never too early to start developing your strategy for getting a raise.