You probably deserve a raise this year, but the catch is that you'll have to ask for it. This is a turnoff for many professionals who find talking about money to be uncomfortable. In fact, a 2018 PayScale report found that only about one in three professionals surveyed have ever asked for a raise at their current place of work. Other professionals may think it's better to wait until their boss informs them they will be getting a raise, but the reality is that most companies don't do this anymore. If you want a raise, you have to bring it up yourself.

The first step in learning how to ask for a raise is to do your homework. You don't want to approach your superiors with an arbitrary number. You want to go to them with solid information based on your area and industry. It's helpful to use sites like Glassdoor and Indeed to get an idea of average salary numbers. You can also check job listings for positions similar to yours to see if they list the current salary range and, if they don't, compare the requirements of those positions to yours to get a sense of where you fall in terms of qualifications and job titles.

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