By DAWN SAGARIO
Gannett News Service

"Pay raise negotiations" was a foreign term to me last October, as I sat fidgeting in a conference room with my editor, who was flipping through my annual review.

I anxiously bit my lip, waiting to hear her give the final verdict on whether my work could (or would) be translated into something resembling a pay increase.

Negotiating power escaped me then. I was just happy I ended up getting more money, and keeping my job.

Asking for money at work is an art I have yet to master. A search on the Internet will find no shortage of tips. Dozens of hits pop up, including books with titles like, How Would Confucius Ask For a Raise? and How to Ask for a Raise Without Getting Fired.

Managers' advice on how to do it right is nearly universal: Go into negotiations prepared. Be ready to talk yourself up, explaining how much you've improved in the past year and increased company profitability. Know how much you're worth in the market by comparing the wages of others in your position in your region.

Employees requesting more money sometimes have misguided notions when it comes to producing evidence to support why they should receive a bigger paycheck, managers said.

Misconception No. 1: I've been here a year. Isn't it time for a raise?

"A lot of people feel like they're entitled to it," said Dave Meierotto, who at one time recruited workers in the information technology field.

Some will point to others who started at the company the same time they did and ask why that person got a raise and they didn't, Meierotto said.

"A lot of people think they're equal to everybody else no matter what" their performance at work, he said.

Misconception No. 2: Family members have a say in what you should be paid.

An employee's wife approached Laura Castro de Cortes at a company function to tell her she wasn't paying her husband enough.

"It was a new approach," said a laughing Castro de Cortes, then a manager at a nonprofit organization in El Paso, Texas. "More power to her."

Instead of giving that employee a raise, she gave all the workers an extra hour off every week, which she said worked out better in the long run.

A 22-year-old came to Myron Bear saying he was underpaid.

"I asked him, `On what basis?'‚" said Bear.

The employee answered: "My father feels that you're not valuing my services."

Bear, now a consultant for employee benefits in Des Moines, suggested that the employee go to work for his father, instead.

Needless to say, the employee didn't last long with the company.

Misconception No. 3: I'm irreplaceable.

"You should never go with that mind-set that, `They can't replace me,'‚" said Castro de Cortes, president and owner of Nosotros Group in Des Moines.

Everyone can be replaced, she warns. The quality of work may not be the same, but companies will find a way of getting that work done. The biggest mistake a new worker can make is not to ask for a raise, said Jack Chapman, author of Negotiating Your Salary: How to Make $1,000 a Minute. You just have to go about it the right way.

"There's practically nothing to lose," says Chapman.

He said that bringing up the raise issue even in tough economic times can be a positive. While the company may not be able to provide the raise immediately, it will make the bosses aware of the request. If you're a good worker the company doesn't want to lose, it will keep the possibility of a raise open.

Chapman suggests saying "hmmm" instead of "OK."

He said people often accept a raise offer too quickly. Saying "hmmm" instead can show that you may be looking for more, and prompt the employer to ask for your thoughts.

"They'll reach into the bag and see if they can come up with something new," Chapman says. You can also pursue what he calls "clever raises," which include other perks like education expenses, travel benefits and stock options.