You’re starting to feel underappreciated and overworked at your place of employment. You haven’t had a raise in so long the cost of inflation has slowly and steadily been eating away at your checks.

But you’re worried if you ask your boss for more money, they’ll laugh you out of their office instead of applauding your bravery. Here are a few ways to help tip the odds in your favor for landing that overdue raise.

Take On Additional Work

If you’re already feeling stretched past your limits on your workload, this one might not be feasible for you. But let’s be honest. Most people can handle some extra work at their job. After all, we seem to make time for chatting with co-workers or lingering a little longer in the lunchroom than we need to.

If you want to be worth the extra money you’re asking for, take on some extra tasks and remind your boss of that when the time comes.

Toot Your Own Horn

No one likes a glory hog or someone who pats themselves on the back 24/7. But in the workforce, sometimes you have to toot your own horn because no one is going to do it for you.

If you’ve won some awards, received some special praise, or landed a big account, make sure your boss knows about it.

Do Your Research

If you think you’re being underpaid, do the legwork and figure out by how much. Use online search engines or ask any friends you have in similar positions at competing companies to see how your salary stacks up.

If you know you’re being underpaid, use specific examples to show your boss when you call him out on it. Don’t place any blame when you bring it to his attention. Just tell him it has recently come to your attention that you’re being underpaid for the position you hold. He might not get you up to the pay level you’d like or consider fair, but a modest raise is still better than nothing.

Ask For a Reasonable Amount

Keep in mind that your odds of landing a 5 percent raise are a lot higher than getting a 15 percent raise. While it’s never fun to settle for less than you’re worth, you also need to be realistic when asking your boss for more money.

If they agree to bump you up by 5 percent, and you know you’re worth twice that, take your small victory and try again for the remainder in six months or a year.

Get Another Offer

If the other tactics don’t work, you may need to go through the hassle of applying for other jobs. If you go this route, make sure you’re prepared to go through with it. Don’t make an idle threat if you aren’t prepared to back it up.

This is a risky strategy that could go either way. If your boss still says he can’t pony up the money, you should seriously consider taking your new offer. If you can’t get a raise under these circumstances, you’re unlikely to ever get one at all. It may just be time to cut your losses and move on.