Ask HR: Does Pursuing An MBA Really Entitle You To A Salary Raise?

Ask HR: Does Pursuing An MBA Really Entitle You To A Salary Raise?

People choose to pursue an MBA for different reasons.There are those who would go back to class for prestige while others do it hoping to climb their career ladders.
Others, armed with academic papers will also look to get a raise on their salary.
But does an MBA guarantee that you take home more than what you previously earned?
According to Muthoni Ndegwa, a Client Service Manager at Corporate Staffing Services, issues pertaining to salaries are usually strictly situational, varying from one organization to the other.
“Organizations initially have a laid out culture that also includes how they deal with their employee salaries. There are those that would raise your salary when you get more academic qualifications while others would never compensate you at all,” Ms. Ndegwa says.
He says that the question about salary should never be your motivating factor for going back to class.

What HR Says About MBA and Salary

1. Salary should be secondary reason you seek an MBA
According to Ms. Ndegwa, you should only go back to class expecting to become better at your job. Other rewards fall in place only later.
“With better skills you become excellent at your job. In the long run, the company discovers a better employee in you worth a reward. This may come in terms of a promotion and a subsequent salary raise,” Ms. Ndegwa says.
In this case, it is not just your academic qualifications negotiating for you but a combination of papers and matching skills relevant to your job.
You should be able to prove that you have become better at your job to convince your recruiters that you deserve a better pay.
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In short, your academic papers should have something tangible with them. The company should be able to see the worth of your paper by your output at work.
Do not waste money hoping that an MBA will pay you back with a raised a salary.
First you should be financially stable before you take an MBA so that a salary raise may only be an unexpected reward.

“Many Kenyan professionals pursue an MBA due to prestige and the hope that it will make them more competitive in the job market. Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee that the 500K to 1.3M you’ll have spent in class will come back in form of a salary increase or you getting a better paying job,” says Ms. Ndegwa.
“You therefore shouldn’t rush to class in order to earn more money. That shouldn’t be the motivating factor.
Earning a higher salary has got more to do with your skills and expertise and qualifications especially at post graduate level are an added advantage.”
In fact, instead of spending so much on courses that do not guarantee you a salary raise, you can seek to grow your career by enrolling in courses where you do not spend money.

2. Understand the company culture
What is the company’s salaries policy?
Is it a company that rewards people with high academic qualifications with raised salaries? If then go on and ask for a salary raise.
In Kenya, government jobs put a lot of weight on academic qualifications.
Each single stride in academic qualifications comes with a higher job group and a different salary scale.
This however does not cut across all sectors in employment.
Most companies will only reward you with a salary raise based on your performance.
Recruiters advise that you only decide to pursue an MBA after you are financially stable.
This requirement rules out any hope of going back to class to become financially stable- get a salary raise.

3. After you get your MBA, make the move for a better pay
This is strictly after research on whether or not the company rewards those who go back to school.
If you are sure, you can make the move. No one will know what you want until you ask for it.
And definitely, it will be business as usual at your workplace when after your classes, you store your papers safely without letting anyone know that you boosted your studies.
An MBA can turn out to be an effective negotiation tool for salary raise, but only if you ask. Let the company know that you are no longer the same person.
That you have better training bound to lead to better performance at your job.

Read Also >>> 4 Things You Should Never Say When Asking For A Raise 
Before you think of getting an MBA, consider your motivating factor.
Much as it may lay basis for a better pay, it is important you look at it as a way to better your performance at work and ad not a means to get a salary raise.

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