Welcome to Day 8 of MONEY’s 10-day Financial Fitness program. By now you’ve seen what shape you’re in, bulked up your savings, and cut the fat from your budget. Today, add some muscle to your paycheck.
When you hit a fitness plateau, taking a new class or picking up a sport can be the key to breaking through to the next level. The same concept applies to your career. Landing a new job will likely result in a salary 18% to 20% higher than what you'd get via an internal promotion, according to a study by Wharton professor Matthew Bidwell.
Thanks to a rapidly rebounding job market, this is the best year since the recession to get a new gig. More than one-third of employers expect to add full-time employees in 2015, according to CareerBuilder's annual job forecast, up from one in four last year. Here's how to stand out.
1. Get the Inside Scoop
Employee referrals generate a full 40% of new hires, according to the JobVite 2014 Recruiting Survey. So rather than scouring the job boards, talk to people you know and ask about openings at their firms. Love a certain company but don't know anyone there? Reach out to your personal network or tap your LinkedIn contacts to see if anyone can connect you to an employee.
2. Make Yourself Poachable
Employers are increasingly courting passive job seekers, says John Hollon, editor of TLNT.com, which covers HR trends: "These are employed workers who may be willing to switch jobs but aren't actively searching." Recruiters like these candidates because they're successful and valued at their current jobs. Interested? Get on hiring managers' radar by peppering your LinkedIn profile with keywords related to the type of job you want. You can also sign up with the website Poachable, and get the Poacht app. List your dream job and resume for recruiters to browse.
3. Be Bold
That said, maybe you love your job or just can't move right now. That doesn't mean settling for a middling raise. While the biggest bumps do go to top performers, simply asking goes a long way. A new study from Payscale found that 75% of employees who requested an increase got one, with 44% landing the exact figure they asked for. The odds of receiving your requested amount are even better if you're already a high earner: Those with a salary of $150,000 or more had a success rate of 70%. Before you ask, get a sense of the budget. You have more influence when you show you see the boss's side, says career coach Lee Miller.
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