How To Ask For A Promotion

Are you in a job in which you feel you’re doing well, have mastered your role and feel like you’re ready to take on more responsibility? If so, it may be time to ask for a promotion. There are a few ways you can approach this;

Reflect

Think about what it is you want. Are you looking for more responsibility? More money? To manage more people? Knowing what you want from your promotion is the first thing you need to assess before approaching your boss with the request. You need to have a clear idea of what it is you want before you can ask for it. Going in with just the idea of wanting a promotion without giving it any thought, is a sign that your request will more than likely be rejected.

Be Prepared

Know in your head all of the projects you’ve worked on. Know any statistics, facts and figures that will support your request for a promotion. Prepare a list of your accomplishments and be ready to talk through each of them with your manager. This is the best way to approach your manger about wanting a promotion and then follow up afterwards with an email. The email should state clearly why you want a promotion and the reasons why you feel you deserve one. It will also give your manager something to look over while he/she is deliberating.

Get the Timing Right

Timing is everything. Being 6 months in a job and asking for a promotion is never going to be a good idea or 6 months after being given a previous promotion. You need to have worked up enough time and be succeeding in your current role before you can consider a promotion. You need to ask yourself, is now a good time for more responsibility? If you feel you are managing your workload well and are ready and capable of more responsibility, then you can be confident when asking for a promotion.

Ask for Feedback

In the run up to asking for your promotion, check in with your manager that they are happy with what you are getting done and ask if there is anything else they would like you to work on. If you are consistently getting positive feedback from your manager, it’s an indication that there may be opportunity for a promotion.

Follow up

If you have already asked for a promotion and you haven’t been given an answer weeks later, you will need to follow up. Request a meeting with your manger specifying that you are seeking an answer about the promotion.

Be Patient

Don’t assume a discussion about a promotion is a once off. It is often a series of conversations over a period of time. Your manager may not even come back to you for a week or two with their answer and he/she may follow up with questions. If unfortunately, you aren’t successful in receiving a promotion immediately, ask what you need to achieve/work on in order to receive a promotion. Armed with this information, you can work on achieving these targets to ensure you receive one in the near future.