Question: I haven't received a raise in two years. My annual review is in two months. What should I do?

Belita: It will be important for you to know the facts prior to the review. Start by determining if your co-workers' salaries also were frozen. If the freeze was across the board, it may be a small comfort to know that your performance wasn't likely in question. If you find out others received raises, your problem is more serious, as it probably indicates that management views your performance as lacking. If that's the case, you'll need to do some detective work to determine what the shortcomings are and how you can address them to earn the raise you desire.

Start by studying the correlation between your work and your salary. Put a figure on your contribution to the company's bottom line, by looking at these three categories:

• Increasing profits -- for example, by developing sales, discovering new customers or opening new channels of distribution.
  
• Decreasing costs -- by reorganizing systems to lower processing times, training personnel in efficiency or developing systems to avoid duplication.
• Avoiding errors -- by creating watertight contracts, selecting better equipment or other strategies.

Once armed with this information, rehearse how to present it as you make your negotiation pitch during the review. Ask for what's fair and can be justified in concrete dollars and cents based on the gains from your contributions.

If it turns out salaries are still frozen, consider asking for some kind of benefit that might enrich your job and life, but won't cost the company much. For example, you could ask for a continuing-education opportunity, additional training or a transportation allowance.

Paying the Bills Comes First

Question: I've been a consultant in the tech industry for several years. About 90% of my annual income comes from one client, which now wants me to work for it exclusively, full time. I can do the job, but it isn't challenging and requires about two weeks a month of travel, which is hard on my family. I'm very committed to my other work, which involves addressing social problems, but doesn't pay much and can't support my needs. If I don't take the job, the client will stop using me and I can't afford to lose the income. Your advice?

Gerard: Sometimes the harsh facts of life determine the choices we make. We'd love to tell you to pursue your dream and decline the offer, but then you wouldn't be able to pay the bills and feed your family. If you're certain that you'd lose the work from this client if you reject its offer, you don't have much choice but to take the job. Perhaps you can make the deal more palatable by structuring it for a one-year period, so you'll know there's a light at the end of the tunnel.

It's understandable that the client wants you to focus your energies full time and not be pulled in different directions with work for others. But it can't determine how you use your free time, so you can keep your hand in social welfare by volunteering for the organizations with which you now have paid-work relationships. You won't be paid if you honor the agreement with the company and it will likely take longer to transform this work into something that could support you and your family. However, if this kind of work is your dream, we believe you'll make it happen over time. Life is full of surprises, and something unforeseen might cross your path in the next year that will make the transition possible.

• How to submit your question: E-mail your question to Daniel Porot and Frances Bolles Haynes, with your first name and the city and country where you're located, which are required to publish your question. If your question is answered and posted, we will show your first name and city. Although we can't acknowledge all e-mail, we'll answer as many questions as possible.

-- For more information about Mr. Porot and Ms. Bolles Haynes, please click here.