I shouldn't be talking about collaboration and reciprocity without penning a short note of gratitude for the benefits bestowed upon me and my readers by the new Forbes.com Business and Financial Network.  

The BFNetwork has not only introduced me to many business blogs that otherwise wouldn't have come to my attention, my narcissistic perusal of my own posts listed there have drawn me into abundant Forbes.com resources that benefit my readers.  

I urge my fellow Forbes BFN Bloggers to poke around Forbe's  pages to unearth riches that can benefit their readers there.    

(right:  Forbes.com staff writer Tara Weiss)

That ridiculously lengthy introduction out of the way, here's a great article on how to negotiate a higher salary during a recession from Forbes.com staff writer Tara Weiss -- How to Ask  For A Raise When Times Are Hard.  Summary below:

• find out what people in your market and your position are making.
• once you know your market value, request a conversation with your manager about salary
• remind your manager of the strong contributions you've made.
• during an economic downturn, highlight new clients you've brought to the firm and cost-saving measures you've enacted. Include the key projects you've completed and goals you've met.
• prove you're vital to getting the company through a recession
• present your manager with the research you collected on what others in your market are making.
• consider perks outside of salary such as vacation time, health benefits, or reimbursement for commuting and professional training in a job-related skill.
• if you're rejected, ask what you can do in the next six months to make this conversation successful the next time. 

Thanks Tara!