It’s safe to say most of us would agree we’d like more money and a few extra holiday days. So, if it were up to us and not our employers, how much more of each would we give ourselves?

CV specialist Purple CV carried out a survey of 2,500 British workers and found, on average, Brits believe they deserve a not insignificant 36.8% pay increase (£8,500.43 on top of their current average salary).

North Easterners believe they are the most undervalued of everyone, and should be paid 45.4% more per year (£9,700.16).

The Welsh are the happiest with their lot – they would be satisfied with just £6,298.50 (30%) extra per year.

Purple CV also surveyed workers by industry. While lawyers get a bad rep as being shark-like, they’re actually the workers who feel they deserve the lowest pay rise, at only a 30% increase.

Surprisingly, the industry you might think would ask for the least actually asked for more than the lawyers: charity workers believe they deserve an increase of 32.22%.

And despite the high salaries of bankers, they’re still not happy, and feel underpaid, deserving 41.43% on top of what they currently earn. However, workers in the tech industry feel they deserve the highest rise.

Despite many tech companies being floated on the stock exchange for billions, they still feel they deserve 57.69% more.

Purple CV also found the nation’s workers feel they deserve an extra 8.3 days of paid annual leave.

The most burned-out region is Greater London – Londoners would love an extra 9.8 days according to the survey.

The Welsh had a different outlook, only wishing for 5.8 more days per year.

On average people in the South West, which includes Swindon, felt they deserved a 38.7% salary increase and 7.7 more days off work.

So how easy is it to actually negotiate with your employer over salary and holiday days? Purple CV has put together these key tips:

Timing

Pick the right time to approach your employer. Chances are they are more likely to say no if you don’t pre-warn them first. Set up a meeting and let them know what you would like to discuss in advance, it will give both you and them time to prepare.

Research Market Value

Know your industry and find out your value before asking for a pay rise. Spend some time looking into how much others in similar roles are earning.

Build your case

Employers are going to ask why you deserve the pay rise, so make sure you come to the meeting prepared with examples of where you have exceeded company expectations.The power of silence

Don’t be too tempted to just accept their first offer. It would be appropriate to say you will get back to them.

Wrap it up

You may not always get the answer you want, but remember ‘no’ doesn’t always mean there isn’t potential for it to be brought up again at later date.

Andrew Arkley, director of Purple CV, said: “It may seem an intimidating process to ask for a pay rise – even if we really want one. It’s all about approaching the situation with credible and objective reasons behind your request and maximising the chance for your employer to see your value as an employee.

“If the answer is no, then don’t let it get you down. You have ‘planted’ the seed for future opportunities and discussions.”