We’ve offered our suggestions for what to do in these uncertain financial times, but many of those ideas focused on hunkering down and riding out the storm. But what if you want to do more than that? How can you thrive in spite of the economy?

One option is to get a raise. Yes, you really can get a raise nowadays as long as one is warranted. To this end, Free Money Finance lists five steps you should take to demonstrate you deserve a raise as follows:

1. Determine the expectations for your position.
2. Work to overperform.
3. Document your success.
4. Show you’re underpaid too.
5. Have a great attitude.

They note that while all five all of these steps will help you get a raise, the one vital criteria is overperforming. Even in tough economic times, those that do more than expected are strong candidates for raises either at their own companies or similar ones. On the other hand, if you’re just meeting company expectations it’s very hard to justify a raise even in fair economic conditions, and it’s almost impossible to do so these days.

And even if your company can’t (or won’t) give you a raise due to “economic conditions”, following these steps will certainly increase your job security and put you first in line when raises resume.

How to Demonstrate that You Deserve a Raise [Free Money Finance]

— FREE MONEY FINANCE (Photo: Getty)

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