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shaliniash
Community Member

How do I ask for a raise?

Hello Upwork Community! 

 

I started working for a client early July at a rate of $10/hr. At that time I was still very new to the type of work they wanted done and didn't meet two of their requirements (Location and JSS score). I didn't think it was fair to charge them my usual rate ($15/hr) with the little experience I had and without proof that the (lack of) two requirements would not hinder my work. However, over time I have not only picked up the skills required to deliver the job perfectly, but they have been very happy with my work and have been giving me more responsibilities, which I absolutely love doing!

 

Now they've essentially offered me a promotion. I worked on a shift basis for 15-18 hours a week just going through their clients' social media accounts, liking stuff, posting content etc, nothing too big. However, the actual head of Social Media has had to step down for personal reasons and she wants me to take over for her and manage the social team. This is a huge deal since I've only been working for them for a month and a half but she says they've really loved what I'm doing so far. There's now added responsibilities and I would be working around 30 hours a week.

 

This would mean that I'll have to focus 100% of my freelance time on them (which I have no complaints about!) and wouldn't be able to take up new clients. So I was wondering if it's okay to ask for a raise? I'm thinking somewhere between $12-$15/hr because honestly they're a big company with loads of clients and I think they can afford that. 

 

And if it is okay to ask them to renegotiate my rates, how do I go about with it? This is my first big project so I would really like to understand different perspectives on how changing your rates really works for possible long-term clients. 

 

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

2 REPLIES 2
petra_r
Community Member


Shalini C wrote:

 

And if it is okay to ask them to renegotiate my rates, how do I go about with it? This is my first big project so I would really like to understand different perspectives on how changing your rates really works for possible long-term clients. 


If you will be doing a different job with different responsibilities, it's fair to renegotiate the rate. How to go about it is to approach your contact and say that, considering that your role has changed, you'd like to revisit your rate. That essentially leaves the client 3 choices. 1. They can say "no" - 2. they can agree - 3.. They can give you a timeline to revisit your rate, say, 3 months or whatever.

martina_plaschka
Community Member

I think it's natural to ask for a raise as this is a different job and responsibility.

What you don't say:

Dear John, my rate was USD 10/ hour because I was new, had no idea how anything worked, wasn't sure of my skills, and just took what I could get.

What you should say:

Dear John, I really enjoy working with your company too, and am happy to accept the new responsibilities and additional weekly hours. I will have to increase my hourly rate commensurate with the job description. I believe USD 15/ hour is fair compensation, what do you think?

 

Or something like that. Don't quote me. 

 

On a more general note: you should always ask the hourly rate on your profile. It is your rate, full stop. It's not a wish list or something to aspire to, it is what you think your time is worth. Try to avoid wildly varying rates on your job history, it's not a good look on a profile.

 

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