6 things to keep in mind to boost your chances of getting a promotion or a raise
- A raise or a promotion typically doesn't just happen on its own.
- You should meet with your boss in advance to discuss a plan and where improvement is needed.
- Share your wins with your boss and ensure the achievements highlight their impact on the company.
If you're hoping to get a promotion or raise later this year, you can do a few things now to make the most of your odds.
"Showing your work, communicating effectively, building rapport with people," Amy Lentz, the founder of Hack Your HR and chief people officer of footwear company Toms, said. "It's not just about doing good work. It's about building good connections to make sure that the work that you're doing is visible and truly valuable, not just to you and your goals."
Before you potentially land an increase in pay or move up the career ladder, you would likely want to talk to your boss about a plan, talk to colleagues who have grown at the organization, consider your achievements, and work on important projects.
Timing could also work in your favor. Julia Pollak, chief economist at ZipRecruiter, said the career site's latest annual employer survey from late 2024 showed a majority of businesses do expect to raise their workers' pay this year.
Recent labor actions "show that workers still have plenty of leverage in many industries and that employers still have reason to be quite spooked and feel substantial wage growth pressure," Pollak told BI.
Pollak said with different efficiency improvements in the workplace, employers can "afford to reward workers for their increased productivity."
Here's what to know about raises and promotions.
Timing is important
Jenny Wood, author of the career and advice newsletter Big Small Things, said not to ask for a promotion the week before the promotion cycle and not to quickly bring it up in your usual one-on-one meeting with your boss. Instead, she said to have a 30- or 45-minute meeting where career development is the focus. That meeting should also be long before the promotion cycle at your company, so there's time to develop a strategy.
"The onus is on you to go in there and be an advocate for yourself and twice a year to have a career development conversation with your boss," Wood said.
Lentz said to wisely consider when you advocate for a raise or promotion, such as after working on a big project or ahead of when budgets are set at your organization.
You may also need to consider whether you still need to build up more experience before asking for a promotion or a pay bump.
"Be mindful that the idea is to seek significance once you've done something significant," Wood said.
Prep before meeting with your manager
Wood suggested ranking yourself in a spreadsheet on a range of characteristics before the dedicated career development meeting. That includes self-evaluating your teamwork, problem-solving, or other areas important to your company and how you've grown over the last year.
You can ask your boss to add their input to the spreadsheet before the meeting or talk about it during the chat, ask about which areas are important in order to progress at the company, and you can provide examples that demonstrate improvement during your conversation.
Wood also suggested sharing a document with your boss 24 hours before the dedicated meeting with five questions that have already been answered, which can help guide the meeting. Those questions could cover skills, people you should talk to in the organization, or projects that could help you be more successful in your career.
What to do during the meeting
Wood said to create a plan with your boss during the career-development meeting.
As the meeting is happening, you can also look for warning signs that the meeting isn't going well, such as if your manager is multitasking during it, Wood said. Your boss's body language may also indicate how it's going.
"Are they leaned into what you're saying, or are they pushing back? Are they pushing back with their words?" Wood said, adding, "You want your boss to be a participant in the creation. That's why you're having this dedicated meeting versus sending them an email."
Wood thinks enthusiasm is important during career development conversations.
"If there's one asset in any organization that is critical, it is enthusiasm, and it can overcompensate for so much skill, talent, and experience," Wood said. "So I always lead with enthusiasm in any kind of promotion or salary negotiation."
Show off your wins to your boss
Lentz suggested sharing your achievements with your boss every quarter or twice a year and including numbers. She also said to be aware of your manager's communication style when talking about accomplishments.
"If they're data-driven, bring metrics. If they value collaboration, you can highlight teamwork," Lentz said.
Wood said to write a list of your achievements. Each accomplishment on the list should detail your role, objective, and impact.
In your documentation of accomplishments, Lentz said to articulate the outcome of your time spent rather than simply talking about what you're doing. She also said wins should be measurable.
"Because what you're asking for is the most measurable thing of all, which is more money," Lentz said about raises. "So if you're going to ask for 15% more, well, what have you done that qualifies that?"
Consider who else is involved in these decisions and who you can ask for advice
Lentz suggested seeking clarity on the norms of promotions and raises at the company. That can include asking others how leadership responds to self-advocacy and asking about what timing looks like between promotions.
She said if you haven't been at the company long, look for people who have grown internally and ask them if they have some time to advise on investing in your growth at the company. Lentz said you can also contact human resources.
She gave some example questions for HR: "I am really curious to understand the inner workings. I know it's not a good time to ask for a raise, but when the timing is right, I would love to be prepared. Could we go over just leadership structure and the org review and understanding how positions are filled versus externally versus internally?"
Wood also said your boss's peers or managers are typically involved in raise and promotion decisions.
What questions you could ask your boss
Even if you don't want a promotion, you may think it's time for a raise. That conversation can be somewhat different than the promotion talk with your boss. Wood said instead of asking, "Can I get a raise?" you can ask one of the following questions:
- What would it take for you to feel comfortable giving me a raise?
- How else can I show my impact so that I am an easy candidate for a raise next year?
- How can I meet other stakeholders to help you feel more comfortable giving me a raise?
Wood said your boss should also give the number for the raise — not you — since they might know what a typical raise at the company looks like for your tenure and position.