Asking is everything, says Susie Moore, pictured. Courtesy of Susie Moore My first sales job was in recruitment in Sydney, Australia.

I worked for a small and profitable boutique agency before joining a large, international American company. I hired for C-level executives in industries ranging from commercial real estate to network engineering.

The recruitment industry opened my eyes. I learned about negotiation, knowing your worth, and asking for what you want as a valuable employee.

These insights impacted my confidence (and income) quickly and at age 30 I was earning almost $500,000. Being in the behind-the-scenes of so many hiring negotiations, I accessed powerful information and insights that many people never have the opportunity to during their careers.

1. Everything you think about success is wrong

Study hard, graduate, get a job, work late, and the income ladder appears with ease and fairness, right? Wrong. People who get ahead contribute their ideas, show up from a place of self-assuredness, and consistently ask for what they want.

In “Women Don’t Ask: The High Cost of Avoiding Negotiation—and Positive Strategies for Change,” Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever state, “Women who consistently negotiate their salary have increased earnings of at least $1 million more during their careers than women who don’t.”

Yes — a million dollars. And remember, that’s just the money. Asking also opens up career acceleration dialogue and leadership positions much faster.

2. Asking is everything

No one is going to throw money at you if you don’t bring it to their attention! Don’t assume or hope your boss has any inkling that you want a salary increase or that you are being underpaid. Everyone is too busy thinking about their own stress and daily to do list instead of noticing your 7:15 p.m. departure from your desk and how you never took a sick day in 2016.

No one is busying his or herself concocting a plan to help you get paid more. It’s up to you to make it happen.

3. Network before you ‘need’ to

Most of us get networking wrong. It’s not cocktail parties and business card switching. It’s about helping others. It’s about connecting others. It’s about showing up and getting to know people in your city, your industry, or any type of group that you want to be part of.

Your network has a direct correlation to your earning potential, as when you want a new job, your network is the quickest route to landing one. In fact, I suggest that you should always be unofficially looking for a new job. Be open. Don’t assume your company is loyal to you (they’re not — they’d fire you the second you stop producing what they want).

Get to know what’s out there through knowing more people. Because people make decisions, not businesses. Optionality equals more dough. So don’t wait until you need to!

4. Hiring is hell

Recruitment teaches you the price of staff turnover and it’s much more expensive than you think. Consider this as a hiring manager:

Hours spent on advertising, reading resumes, setting up interviews, interviewing, more interviewing, background checking, human resources training, weeks spent in orientation and training of a new employee (when you’re lucky to find one). Oh — and not to mention that it can take anywhere from 3-12 months for a new hire to be as proficient as a former employee.

Precious productivity wasted while a position is unfilled plus additional work for coworkers and managers while a job is vacant.

Lost knowledge: When a great employee leaves they take a great deal of information with them. Employers hate this.

Risks associated with a new hire: What if it doesn’t work out? They start all over again? Yep.

Cost of new hire: How much will the new employee cost (plus all of the above and perhaps even a pricey recruiter fee)? Does this make is easier for you to just get a raise and stay, perhaps?

If you have been thinking about a raise this year, you’re probably in a good position to ask. And if you’re company is not in a position to pay you much more, there are plenty of other perks you can ask for instead — remote working options, more paid time off, additional training/education.

Not getting a raise can be a great outcome, too. It can give you the reality check you need to look for a new job. Or the nudge to start that side hustle that could give you more financial freedom that you ever thought possible.

Susie Moore is an author and life coach in New York who has been featured on the Today show and Forbes. A former sales director for a Fortune 500 Company, she remains an adviser to high-growth startups in New York City and Silicon Valley. Sign up for her free Get A Raise in 30 Days Workshop.