Elaine Lou Cartas

Business & Career Coach

Elaine Lou Cartas is an award-winning Business & Executive Career Coach and the CEO of Elaine Lou Coaching, based in Los Angeles, California. With over 10+ years of professional experience, Elaine guides women of color, and allies, who’ve established themselves in leadership and executive roles to create a holistic life so they can lead without sacrificing their well-being. She was awarded #1 Thought Leader by LA Weekly + Top 5 Business Coaches by Apple News for 2023. Her career advice has also been featured in Fobes, Business Insider, Money Magazine, and LinkedIn News. Elaine is also the host of the Color Your Dreams Podcast (https://elainelou.com/coloryourdreams/). Elaine received her Bachelor's degree in Psychology and Sociology from the University of California, Irvine; and her Master's in Leadership and Management at the University of La Verne.

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Forum Comments (2)

Tips on how to ask for a raise? I'm nervous!
Document your job description, things that you've done beyond your job description, and your accomplishments. Then, look at other jobs that are similar within your area, within your industry and field, compare your salary to those, and write that down as well. Let them know that you've done the research on competitors with similar jobs and job descriptions, and have that information to share with them.

When you are having a meeting with your direct supervisor, start by saying something such as, "I just want to say thanks so much for the past year. I've noticed and I've made a note here that I have performed and outperformed all the goals that we have discussed when I started working here. Additionally, I did research on other job positions within this area, and I'm actually not being competitively paid compared to them. And as a result, I would like to ask for [X] raise. What are your thoughts?"
What should I say when asked "what are your salary expectations?"
Before we even get to salary expectations and negotiation, I tell my clients to do their research. So, look at what the market rate is for that position and industry within that area. Let's say you want to be a product manager in Los Angeles. Look up a product manager in Los Angeles. Look up different job descriptions and look at the salary range for that. And then once you do that, then you could use the thank you sandwich. So, "Thank you so much for considering me for the product management position for ABC Company. At the same time, I did research with several companies around the area, and I see that the current compensation for this position within other companies and industries is X amount, and I would like to ask for X amount." So, whether it's even asking that … or even educating them like, "Hey, I want to ask for X amount because I've been able to do ABC with my current employer." So, you could use that in terms of salary expectations and negotiation, but make sure you have evidence for that.

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