How to Ask for a Promotion
For many people, especially the more introverted of us, approaching one's boss and asking for money is one of the most nerve-wracking and fear-inducing events of any job, but it often needs to be done. I was in this position a little while ago, so I did a lot of research about different approaches, built up a body of evidence, and presented my case to my boss. After a month of waiting, I was awarded with exactly what I asked: a promotion (job title change) and more money!
This post is a big overview of what worked for me when asking for a promotion. I leave this here for others to learn from and for my own personal reference.
This should go without saying, but make sure you actually deserve a raise before even thinking about asking for one. If you are scooting by with minimal effort, not pushing yourself or your team to improve, not working to make the company better, then double-back and focus on those things first.
How do you do that? Look for areas of improvements, big or small, in your team or department and work on fixing that. It is especially useful if the improvement you see will also you improve yourself along the way.
Example Improvement Projects
Implement a new project management methodology.
Learn about, use, and preach:
Install a Continuous Integration server.
or anything else that provides a measurable benefit.
Show initiative by working outside work on personal projects.
Key to my entire argument for getting a raise was being able to show why I deserved a raise. In order to this evidence, I needed to have evidence. This meant that I needed to keep track of all the big things that I had accomplished so I could easily recall them when needed.
I follow an obsessive daily/weekly/monthly routine, as outlined in Getting Results the Agile Way, in which I consistently write down my goals and accomplishments. I recommend that everyone write down what it is they do on at least a weekly basis; reflect on how you did and how to get better. Having that to look at later makes it much easier to remember what you did when it comes time to assemble your argument.
Make a Giant List of Everything
This is the part where the rubber meets the road. For me, it helped to sit down and create a multi-page document containing bullet lists of my accomplishments in the past x months categorized into the structure below. Use this as a template if you like to build your own list.
A list of projects completed or started (with intentions of finishing). Things that saved the company time and/or money.
Technical Skills Acquired
This is a list of the new technological skills (languages, frameworks, tools) you learned and/or worked with, broken down into two sub-categories:
The stuff learned at work
The stuff learned at home or elsewhere
Important to show initiative
Technologies you learned in both places.
These are the non-technical skills you've developed (design patterns, methodologies, data structures, algorithms, etc).
Literally everything you've learned (relating to your job) should be on this list. If you have trouble remembering everything, review existing evidence (see previous section) to refresh your memory and take a few days to let things pop back into your brain that you had forgotten.
This big jumble of info is great to reference while assembling your argument for a raise, and looking at a big list of accomplishments at once can be a motivating experience.
Finally, using your brain dump as a reference, create a document containing a very condensed and concise 1 page version of your argument for a pay raise. Assemble it so that it works for you; it should showcase your largest accomplishments and best qualities. This final document should definitively show anyone that reads what you have done and why you deserve a raise.
You will present this document to your boss. It may sound strange to do this; it did to me too. However, this approach worked well for me because I have a hard time assembling thoughts into words on the spot, especially when under stress, so having a reference material during the big meeting was very useful. And as an added bonus, my boss used the document as ammo to lobby his boss for my promotion.
I do not believe there is a one-size-fits all outline for this type of document, so I will not post the one I created, but here are some of the items that I addressed in mine:
What motivates you to perform well (and keep your job)?
Ex: Money, recognition, job title, challenging problems, learning new things, etc.
Both inside and outside work. See your giant list.
Did you save your company time or money? Point those out!
Current compensation and desired compensation
Uncomfortable to do, but being explicit is good.
A note on technical skills: My company is not a tech company, so I did not list any of the technologies I learned in this document. Instead, I used an estimate of total skills/concepts learned to make it relatable such as, "Learned over x new technical skills in my spare time".
Set up a meeting with your boss. Don't keep the subject secret - let them know what it is about. Bring two copies of your argument document with you, and consider sending one before the meeting so they can prepare. Go over the meeting in your head multiple times beforehand. Practice with a friend or spouse.
Day of the meeting: breath. Relax. You already have the job; you're just asking for a small change. Be confident and friendly. Smile. Good luck!
Do not compare yourself to coworkers
This makes you look petty. Yes Jimmy three desks over is a pay level above you even though he started two years after you, but you don't know the whole story, and this is about your performance.
Make sure your boss understands why you deserve a raise
That's the whole point of the meeting! At the end of the meeting, your boss should see your side and be on your side.
Your boss is (probably) already on your side
If you're a great employee, your boss is probably already aware that you deserve a raise, but bosses have hoops to jump through just like you do. After your meeting with them, they need to bring the argument for your promotion to their boss. Outlining the reasons why you deserve a raise on paper makes their job easy and helps her/him as much as it helps you!
New employees are expensive
Considering the cost to hire a new employee can be
Unless your boss has the power to directly give you a raise, you will not have a definitive answer right away, and the ensuing bureaucracy your boss must face may take a while. Make sure to check in with your boss every week or so for a status update. With luck, and after the hard work you put into your job and argument for a promotion, you will come out successful and with a more profitable job.
As I said before, the ideas jotted here worked for me, and I hope at least some work for you. Good luck!
