It’s always a good idea to keep your options open particularly if you are not sure where your company or your current position is headed.  If you are just going on an exploratory interview with a competitor to your company, make sure the interviewer knows that you are just exploring your options and you are not comfortable with your employer finding out.  If there is a job you are interested in and they are interested in you than you both need to decide when it’s appropriate to let your employer know.  I recommend that only and only when you get a FIRM job offer and are ready to resign, then you should let your current employer know.  Too many times job interviews lead to offers that don’t pan out and you want to be very sure yours is the one that will stick BEFORE you put your neck on the line for a pending job offer.

Knowing your value to the organization and paying particular attention to what is going on around you is a good way to ensure that you are not missed during a company restructuring.  Your boss is definitely an advocate but not always in a position to help you particularly if s/he’s job is also on the line.  Make sure you are noticed by the decision makers of the company and raise your hand if there are any projects or integration tasks where you might be able to help them with.  Keeping yourself front and center is important but you don’t want to draw too much unnecessary attention either-stay out of the spotlight otherwise you could be added to the list.  Sometimes, though it’s out of everyone’s hands and you just have to play the hand you’ve been dealt.

Do your research.  There are plenty of online resources to google to check to see what other competitive companies are paying for your position.  It’s important to compare apples to apples however and make sure you are comparing your competency and skills sets appropriately before requesting an increase. It’s also good to check in with a few recruitment agencies or a recruiter as they have the pulse on what the market is paying for your experience and skill set.  It’s good to know what you are worth but make sure you are reasonable in your expectations and knowledgeable in your research of the marketplace.  Make sure you are not asking for a raise just because you overheard that your co-worker is making more money!

The best time to access your worth to your employer is on the heels of a great project, increased responsibility, completion of assigned tasks to the delight of your supervisors.  If the company is going through a down-sizing, tough economic times or is in a hiring freeze, these are signs you may need to notice BEFORE requesting an increase no matter how hard you’ve been working.  Timing is as important as knowing your worth, but common sense always prevails.

If you are newly employed and have proven you have done an outstanding job, not just shown up for work but maybe closed a big deal, saved the company money, thought of a new business or product, then it might be a good idea to ask to be evaluated in light of your accomplishments. It’s a good idea to wait to see how you are being reviewed first before assuming that 6 months on the job entitles you to an increase in salary. Proving yourself first, and asking for a reward is probably a better position to put yourself in because after all, who would argue with your success?