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Over at CE Pro (my day job), we've just posted a story called "8 Ways to Get a Raise at Work." It's aimed at custom electronics installers, but the message it delivers can be translated into whatever you do for a living.

Fred Harding, the author of the piece, shares his background on looking to increase his salary:

When I was in high school, I worked for Jack Houchins of Jack’s Vacuum Exchange fame. After working there for about a year, I decided I deserved a raise.

So, I broached the topic with him. His reply was to ask, “Why?”

Jack went on to explain that I wasn’t any more productive over the past couple of months; I wasn’t selling more and so on.

Simply showing up wasn’t enough, he said. I needed to earn a raise.

I thought about that for awhile and came to realize he was right. I really wasn’t worth any more to him at that moment in time. I could change that, though, and I set out to do just that.

Keep in mind: you don't deserve a raise. You need to earn a raise.

Penelope Trunk says that it isn't enough to do your job well — you need to be doing more than when your salary was originally set.

I've been in a very good situation during my young career. My company automatically adjusts salaries every summer, and since I've been promoted to new positions twice, I've effectively had five raises in under three years.

Have you earned your next raise?