Your annual review is coming up! You were disappointed with your raise last year and despite the recession, you are hoping for the best this year.

Here are some tips.

Getting a raise is very simple for the Best of the Best!

It starts the day after your last raise and continues to the next one. It's called work. Hard work. If you work hard, offer innovative ideas, help implement those ideas and show initiative and enthusiasm, the rewards will follow. You must make yourself valuable to the company.

And sometimes you have to merchandise your accomplishments, as your achievements may not be top-of-the-mind to your supervisor.

• Go into your review with a list of your key accomplishments for the year.

• Write them out, along with a short description of how the organization benefited as a result.

• Hopefully, your boss will be aware of these things and will bring them up in your review.

• But if not, you'll need to do it yourself in a tactful way.

• Then, when it comes time to talk money, you've already covered your value to the organization. The increase should be commensurate. If it's not, this is an issue you need to discuss with your boss.

You may not be able to settle the discussion that day.

Ask your supervisor if you can think about your review and come back with your thoughts on what you consider to be a fair and equitable increase. You negotiate it from there.

Just remember though, that times might be tough.

Many of your colleagues are out of work. So you may need to be understanding if your boss acknowledges your worth but tells you the company just can't afford raises now. If you love your job and they've treated you well, ask if you can revisit the issue in six months.

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