Want a salary hike? Ex-Meta, Microsoft HR executive reveals 'the best time to ask for raise​'

People usually believe the best times to negotiate their salary is during a job interview or during an appraisal, but they’re not the only acceptable checkpoints to bring up a hike in salary with the manager, says career strategist Maddie Machado. She has been a recruiter for 10 years and has who has worked as a recruiter with Meta, Microsoft, and LinkedIn.

“You don’t have to wait until promotion cycles or merit increase cycles to ask for more money,” Machado tells CNBC Make It. “There’s never a wrong time” to discuss salary with the manager or the HR, she adds. “This is your money, and every week you wait to have the conversation is a week you’re getting a few hundred dollars less than what you could be getting paid.”

To explain further, Machado says that companies never hesitate to negotiate contracts with other vendors or clients. It works the same way with employees. She also shared that once she informed her boss that she wanted to revisit her pay and got an offer of 10 percent raise without even having to negotiate.

"The best time to ask for a raise, then, is when you’re prepared to make a strong case for it based on your contributions and performance," Machado tells CNBC Make It.