“That man deserves a raise!”

While it might not show up in the history books, there is at least the possibility that phrase was shouted above the din by a stressed-out deck officer a little over 98 years ago, as the Titanic sank beneath the frosty waves.   Having witnessed the fine work of a calm and steady stevedore loading panicky ladies into the lifeboat, the officer made a mental note:  “If we survive this thing, that man deserves a raise.” 

Things weren’t looking too good, but good work still got noticed. 

The recession of 2009 is not on a par with the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.  We may have hit an iceberg, but cool hands on deck are still steering ahead.  If you’re one of those cool hands, the recession is no reason to forego a request for a raise, or to negotiate a better package in a career transition.

Prepare and proceed.  Keep your eyes on the prize and your feet on the ground.  In other words, be rational and realistic — and just a little opportunistic. 

Here are four tips for getting the salary you want during the recession you don’t –

1. Know your worth and defend your knowledge.  Research pays off . . . as in “pay.”  Know your industry and your peers and the appropriate salary.  Shoot for the high end, but have a bottom line in mind.  This leaves a little wiggle room.  Salary level is, after all, a negotiation.  The centerpiece of the negotiation should be the value of your performance.

“A promotion or raise is not necessarily related to the current economic crisis. It should be tied to performance, and people should always feel like they’re getting paid what they’re worth,” said Robert Chope, president of the National Employment Counseling Association.

2. Think it through.  Salary negotiators don’t roll over; they make decisions based on logic and business realities. They also look at everything from what you’ve done in your previous position to the ghastly tie you wore or the mismatched shoes and the odd “thingy” in your hair.  They’re human.  Make sure you’re ready to put your facts and your best foot forward.

3.  Stop, look and listen.  Remember what your mother told you about crossing streets?  Negotiating a salary or a raise during a recession is like standing on a busy corner, waiting for a break in the traffic. 

Stop: you don’t dash out.  Stop and give your boss a chance to speak first; he or she may praise you and provide you with some more negotiating points. 

Look:  assess the recession’s impact on the company and address it directly, especially if you can point to how your actions have or your abilities will soften the recession’s blow.

Listen:  Don’t be so relieved at having unloaded your request that you let your sigh of relief blot out the words of response.  Remember, this is a negotiation.  It doesn’t end with the request.

Sharlyn Lauby, the HR Bartender, notes that “we’re in this together.”  Companies want to ride out the recession and retain their talent.  In addition, companies are recruiting for smoother sailing in the future.

4.  Be fair.  You’re not the only one loading the lifeboats.  You want to be fairly compensated, but you do have colleagues.  If you consider your performance superior, make your point, but don’t reach too far beyond the the going rate for others with your level of skill and responsibility.

Jim Moniz of HR-Worldview says that recession or not, personal performance is still key and still valued:

Savvy companies recognize that in both good times and bad times, the ultimate key to success is their talent pool.  Likewise, they are also well aware that it is precisely at the trough of a recession that the labor pool will be at its deepest and wage pressures at their lightest.

It is a labor pool. It may be deep; there are obviously pressures.  But if you keep your head about you when everyone else on board is in a bit of a panic, someone may well shout out, “That man deserves a raise!”  Go for it.

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