Hey, guys.

And I am here with a fresh new haircut back to my short roots, you all can resume telling me in the comments that I look like Mrs. Incredible frequently.

To bring you guys something that we don't do a lot, in fact, I don't think we've ever done exactly this but it is something we get asked about all the time. We talk a lot on the channel and at TFD generally about advocating for yourself, negotiating, getting what you're worth, being paid more. But it is very hard to do that in practice if you don't actually know what to say.

And depending on the situation that you might be in, for example, if you recently graduated or are starting your first job, you can be totally lost on what the norms are, what's appropriate, or how to even broach the conversation of earning more. But we want everyone who watches TFD to be earning more by next year, being paid what they deserve. And in order to do that, we wanted to provide some actionable, tangible, and template-able scripts for you to use to advocate for yourself in that way.

We're providing them at the link in the description for you to use, modify, adapt, do whatever you need to do, or even just practice in the mirror because we all need to do that sometimes before a big conversation. So we are providing you four distinct scenarios that you might fall into with four scripts to follow and adapt to your needs. Without further ado, let's get into the scripts and the scenarios.

Number one is requesting a raise at your current job. This is something that most of us will have to do at some point in our career but many of us actively don't think about doing. A lot of us simply go along waiting to be offered a raise or assuming that the only time the conversation is possible is at our annual review.

Often not only is that not true functionally, there is more money to go around but the schedules and budgets of the company may not line up with when your review happens to be. So it could just so happen that the time you're scheduled for a raise isn't even a particularly good time for the company's budget or maybe you're long since overdue for a raise well before that annual review. In any case, it is totally within your right, and quite frankly, a very professional move, to advocate for a raise within your job.

So how do you do it? Here's a script to follow. Hi, boss.

Would it be possible for us to schedule some time in the coming weeks for a one-on-one performance review? I'm hoping to receive feedback on my performance so far within the company. And given that we're six months into the year, I figured now would be a good time to touch base with you and my performance.

Thanks, your name. Now, it just may be that they are not ready to give you a review at this time. If you get a no to that, it might be worth pressing forward specifically on the raise part of the conversation.

And do make sure that when you broach this conversation you come to it prepared with a quantifiable and well-documented list of what really entitles you to that raise. Raises, outside of cost of living increases, are really meant to demonstrate that you're going above and beyond what you're currently being paid for. Have you had various successes that go above and beyond what you were hired to do?

Are you consistently overperforming at your job? Are you directly leading to new revenue generation within the company? All of these can be easy and identifiable ways to advocate for your raise but it's important above all to remember that starting that conversation might often fall to you.

And sitting around and waiting for your boss to notice you and then to give you a raise is not exactly setting yourself up for success. But let's say that you are able to schedule that meeting. It's important to remember that there are a few different angles of attack when negotiating for that raise assuming, of course, that your boss is in line with you that your performance has been quite good and it might be time to have that conversation.

If what you're currently being paid is under market rate for similar jobs at competing companies, that in and of itself is a perfect way to broach the subject. You want to be paid market rate for what you're doing. But if you already are being paid market rate, ride the wave of your positive performance review with this script.

Hi, boss. Thanks so much for taking the time to meet with me today. I really appreciate your feedback.

I'm glad that my performance so far has been up to par and I'd love to discuss any options for increasing my salary in the near future to better reflect my work. Would a blank percent raise be doable right now? And I do recommend advocating for a slightly higher percentage than you're actually hoping for because chances are you're not going to get exactly what you asked for on first go.

Now if your performance review was not so positive, it's probably not the time to push for a raise and you might want to consider how to correct course on that before re-upping the conversation at a later time. But lastly, it's important to remind yourself that even if you are incredibly deserving of a raise at your current job, advocated for yourself well, have quantifiable receipts to show that you should get that raise, and have followed this script to a T and you're still being turned down for that raise, you may want to consider looking for another job. It's important that you give your current job every opportunity to prove itself willing and able to keep you but if they're not willing to be paid what you need or what you could be making elsewhere, it's important to remember that this job is not necessarily the end of the road.

Requesting a raise as a freelancer. While it can be a very volatile thing to work as a freelancer, and I know, I've been there, there is the frequent upside that you are a free agent and your contract unless you're actively midstream on a project, is usually up for negotiation. If your rate is rising with other clients or your availability is reduced, it's almost always possible to have that conversation with your various clients about raising your rates.

And while yes, very occasionally, you might be turned down or even discontinued from a contracted job because you advocated for a higher rate for yourself, this is extremely, rare and also, quite frankly, if your client is the type to do that you probably didn't want to be working with them regardless. But here's a good script to follow when you're ready to advocate for that higher rate. Hi, client.

I hope you're doing well. I'm reaching out because my contract will be up soon and I'd love to return to the conversation surrounding compensation. You may not be aware, but I'm now working at other client, and other client, increasing the scope of my experience significantly.

I'm also approaching the blank year anniversary of my role, though I have even more years of experience in blank from my previous job. My role and efforts have increased since we last drew up my contract and I'd love to discuss a raise negotiation. Would you be open to a blank percent increase?

If you'd like, I can also hop on a call to discuss if that would be easier. Thank you, your name. It's important to remember if you're ever afraid of doing this that quite literally the worst thing they can say is no but more importantly, establishing yourself as someone who values yourself as a freelancer, who knows your worth, who balances all of your various clients and prioritizes your time, will lead to an overall culture of treating you with more respect.

Freelancers are often not treated with a ton of respect and part of that is because they often don't advocate for themselves. And there just isn't the same incentive to treat them with that respect because they're not an internal employee. Setting the right tone and precedent as a freelancer helps you in all areas of your freelance work.

Requesting to negotiate a higher salary at a new job. When you are accepting a new job, it is basically essential that you negotiate for a higher salary than the one you are initially offered. Not only is it likely that you can get a little more money out of the future employer but it's also again setting that precedent that you take yourself seriously and are advocating for yourself.

You want to combine in this particular script an enthusiasm with the job that you are excited about starting with the reality that you want to start it on terms that are fair and commensurate with your experience and qualifications. So a script like this is a great place to start. Hi, hiring person.

Thank you so much for this offer. I'm looking forward to starting soon. First and foremost, insert any clarifying questions regarding the offer and benefits package, if you could clarify that for me I would really appreciate it.

Next, I would love to discuss compensation further. In full transparency, I expected to make blank in this position. Could we find a way to bridge the gap here?

I am confident that I will bring a lot of value to the team here. And then you can insert a paragraph outlining your strengths. And if you're hoping to negotiate a rate that is significantly higher than what the company quoted, you can write a detailed message reemphasizing what you bring to the table.

If you're simply hoping to meet market rate though and the company has quoted you less than your research indicates you deserve, this is a time to quote that. But you can finish by saying that again, I am incredibly excited to have been offered this position, and thank you for your consideration and I genuinely look forward to working with and learning from everyone on the team. I hope we can come to a mutually beneficial agreement and if it would be easier to discuss this further via phone you can feel free to give me a call at phone number any time between insert date and time.

I look forward to hearing about how we can finalize this offer so that it meets both of our needs. Thank you, your name. Ultimately, negotiating is never easy but it is one of the most fundamental things that we need to learn to do as grown-ups, especially in a professional context.

Any time you ever feel nervous it's about negotiating, remember that when well done it will only convey you as a professional who should be taken seriously, primarily because they take themselves seriously. So use some of these scripts to help build that negotiation And don't forget to hit the Subscribe button and to come back every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday for new and awesome videos goodbye.