Install these apps before you ask for a raise

Shape up or ship out

It's a statistical fact: Looking good correlates to being well paid.

That's why you need Fitness Buddy (iOS or Android). The free app is cool, with 400 awesome exercises. But you may want to splurge on the premium version, which is packed with more than 1,700 exercises and handy tools to keep your workouts organized and balanced for a mere $1.99.

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Sweet smell of success

You'll come away smelling like a rose, or any other scent you choose, with the iOS Aromatherapy & Incense Burner. Powered through the iPhone or iPad headphone jack with a tricked-out Q-tip as part of the fragrance delivery system, the soothing scents are said to produce instant atmosphere with a side order of mental well-being.

Use it at home while you're envisioning success the night before the big meeting, or on your lunch break to help get yourself in the right headspace. It's all about scents and dollars.

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Squeeze out extra cash

Asking for more money makes many of us nervous, even if we know we deserve it. But you can reduce some of the anxiety with The JobJuice Salary Negotiating App for iOS and Android, which walks you through the process so you know what to expect in a series of screens.

From preparation, scheduling, negotiating tactics and gambits, fielding an offer, closing a deal-this app package covers all the basics for $14.99.

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Pre-talking the talk

Hone your negotiation chops with Interview Prep Questions, a flashcard app for iOS and Android that's packed with queries ranging from the obvious to the offbeat. Diligently practice answering them out loud, and by the time you hit the interview room, your boss will hear your compensation needs loud and clear.

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Purr more, stress less

As you prepare for your salary summit, it's important to relieve stress periodically to maintain proper mental focus. Our solution: Releasing powerful endorphins by checking out adorable cats and dogs on apps like Aww!--Gallery of Cute Animal Pics, The Daily Puppy and App Kittens.

This is stone cold science, people: Looking at cute cats online can boost energy levels and happy feelings and function as therapeutic stress relief, according a to study in the journal Computers in Human Behavior.

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Power moves: Learn to earn

The BLT Body Language Trainer ($3.99 iOS) may sound like a delicious sandwich, but it delivers something even more valuable: is a cool way to master your body language.

Many swear that power poses are key to remaining calm and projecting dominance during your big salary showdown (or any high-pressure situation, really).

Nifty diagrams and straightforward text lay it out for you, showing you the two-minute poses that promise to deliver poise, broadcast your powerful openness and promote better mental focus. Stay cool because you are cool. Cool?

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Right said TED

Of course, if you want to get deeper into power poses, you can use the free TED app (iOS & Android) to check out Amy Cuddy's influential TED talk that first popularized the topic.

Plus, the Technology, Entertainment & Design group's legendary lectures are full of the kind of big ideas that bosses love to hear about when you're having "the talk" about your future in the company.

Watch enough of these often inspiring spiels, and you'll be speaking like a hipster tech evangelist thought leader in no time.

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Body talk: Another take

Getting your body to speak the language of power is one thing, but interpreting your supervisor's corporeal lingo is another. Even before you go into your salary talk sit-down, you'll want to gauge how the boss feels about you.

Armed with the basic non-verbal cues spelled out in the Body Language Decoder app ($1.99 iOS & Android), you'll be fluent in boss body before you know it. That came out wrong. But you get the picture.

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An app will write a letter for you

If you don't know where to start and maybe you're not the most verbal person, GetRaised.com is a simple way to get past square one. Way past.

You fill out a questionnaire about your job, industry, professional responsibilities and experience. Then you'll learn whether you're underpaid (you probably are). But here's the best part: The app will also draft a letter to your boss outlining why you deserve more money.

The letter writing process used to cost $20 with a money-back guarantee if you didn't get a raise, but it's now free. Its designers brag that their average raise using the service is $6,726, which isn't half bad, right? You probably shouldn't just hand the letter to your boss, but get.raised.com seems like a great way to get your thoughts organized.

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Stats entertainment

Like Salary.com, Payscale.com can help you zoom in on compensation for various companies, job types and industries. Crowd-sourced from employees past and present (as is the case with Glassdoor), PayScale's realtime salary, benefits and compensation numbers are then crunched statistically to give you state-of-the-market numbers for what you should or could be making.

Know you're number and guess your boss's; it's how you play salary poker.

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Ooooh, talk to me, big data

Go ahead, all you numbers geeks out there: Here's your chance to cut out the middleman.

Many of the popular salary apps glean much of their tech industry jobs data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and you can go right to that source by surveying the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) for the IT industry's median incomes and projections.

Because why not be resourceful and use all the resources you've got?

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Glassdoor: Open it for more

Forewarned is fore-armed, after all. IT pros, more than anyone else, know that information is power, so get it and use it. One powerful tool: Glassdoor.com or their free mobile app. This popular job search helper lets you survey salaries at your firm and others based on evaluations volunteered by past and present employees.

You can learn about the problems others may have faced in securing raises at your company. Forewarned is fore-armed, after all.

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Dress for the salary you want

There are plenty of fashion advice apps out there for men and women. But men who are wardrobe challenged may want to consult Cool Guy, The Fashion Closet and Style Shopping App for Men. When asking for more money, it doesn't hurt to look like a million bucks.

And again, this is science, folks. Or, at least, social science.

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Don't forget Sun Tzu

We've all had a boss who's been obsessed with Sun Tzu-a C-suite shark who was completely convinced that the ancient Chinese general's military tactics translate perfectly into modern-day business warfare. Well, maybe the dead general could do you some good, too.

Sun Tzu's The Art of Business ($3.99) offers nuggets of wisdom equally suited to capturing unruly hordes ... or just hoards of your company's cash.

Alfven & Didrikson AB