Surefire way to get the raise you deserve - fast

BOUTTE - You want a raise. You need a raise. You deserve a raise. Still with us? Then read on to find out how to get that extra money in your paycheck with a surefire tip from author and career-coach JoAnna Brandi - exclusively in the Herald-Guide.

"Getting a raise often is as easy as adding value to the job you do for your company," Brandi told our reporter. "Look at the value you deliver to your company, to your boss, to your co-workers and to your customers. Then find a way to add more value every day.

"It's not that hard to do, and there are several ways to do it. Value can be big and tangible - like coming up with a streamlined procedure to slash expenses and increase profits.

"Value can be 'small' and intangible - like encouraging or coaching a co-worker through a tough time, or by giving a customer such good service that she simply has to telephone your boss and say, ‘Man, that Fred is the cat's meow.'"

Over the long haul, it all adds up, says the author, adding, "Suddenly everybody's talking about you in a positive way.

"That's when the value you're adding to your performance is seen is seen for what it is: A boon to the bottom line.

“The more valuable you are to your organization, the more money your boss will be willing to pay you.

"Because not only are you making his job easier, he's profiting from having you around."