Boosting your income often starts with learning how to advocate for yourself at work. Whether you’re requesting a raise, preparing for a promotion, or exploring opportunities with a new employer, the right approach can make a meaningful impact. By focusing on the value you bring, building strong relationships, and communicating clearly during negotiations, you can position yourself for higher pay and steady career growth. With thoughtful planning, you can create more momentum and open the door to greater earning potential.
How To Ask For a Raise (And Get It)
There’s no hard-and-fast rule that says you have to wait until your annual performance review to ask for a raise. If you got a raise in January and landed a massive new contract in July…ask for more money. However, don’t assume that your manager knows all of your amazing accomplishments and is already considering giving you a raise.
Do Your Homework First
Before you have that conversation, though, you’ve got some homework to do. It’s up to you to make a strong case for deserving a raise. Instead of waiting until the day before your performance review to make a list of your greatest hits, do it year-round. Create a Google Doc that you update regularly. You should include your notable accomplishments and wins, especially ones that draw your boss’s praise.
When it’s time to make your case, don’t just email that entire doc to your manager. Focus on the three strongest arguments. Keep in mind that the three strongest arguments might not be your personal favorites. Ultimately, your boss (or their boss) is the one deciding if you’re valuable enough to the company to warrant a higher salary. Try to present accomplishments that align with their strategic goals.
How Much Should You Ask For?
Do some salary research about pay ranges for your specific job description. The gold standard is a matching job listing from a competitor, with a posted salary range. If you mention another job listing to your boss, don’t imply that you’re thinking about leaving. Instead, just say, ‘Someone else is hiring for my position and this is what they’re offering. I’d really like my salary to be commensurate with that offer.’ That puts an anchor down on a number.
Don’t limit yourself to salary comparison sites like Glassdoor or Salary.com. While web searches might give you some useful benchmarks for your industry and role, there are many other factors that mean you can ask for more. For example, is your role a real money-maker for the company? Have you significantly reduced costs? If you manage a team, have you increased employee retention? If so, do some calculations to determine how much money those items are worth to your employer. You may be warranted in asking for a lot more.
Position Yourself For a Promotion
Many managers have an annoying habit of hiring outside the company for open positions, instead of promoting workers internally. Employees can combat that habit by making themselves visible and building strategic relationships. When you meet with your manager for a performance review, don’t dwell exclusively on your past accomplishments, but tell them where you’d like to go in the future.
If you see an internal job posting for a job you’re uniquely qualified for, don’t assume that your boss or manager considers you in the running. Make it clear that you’re interested in the position and make a strong case that your accomplishments and qualifications are a great match for the role.
Be Visible
Visibility to your direct manager is only part of the promotion game. Pick a new manager or executive every month to reach out to for coffee or a quick meeting. In the short term, this might lead to a promotional opportunity in their department. In the long term, that person might land at another company where you now have a networking contact.
What about pursuing a certification or additional degree in order to secure a higher-paid position in your company? There are only a few situations in which this is worth your time. First, the certification has to be an absolute requirement for anyone in that job classification. Second, you shouldn’t pay for the classes out of pocket. Negotiate for the company to pay for your certification and then it’s worth it.
How To Know It’s Time To Go
There are a lot of factors that make a job a good fit: the work is rewarding, your manager and coworkers are supportive, there’s room for growth, and the pay is good. Just as you wouldn’t stay at a job in a toxic workplace environment, you shouldn’t feel beholden to an employer that refuses to pay you what you’re worth. If you’re asking for a raise and you get a ‘no’ or less than what you want, that’s useful information and could be a sign that it’s time to move on.
Instead of dreading the job-search process, think of it as an opportunity to get that raise you wanted, or even more. When you switch jobs, that’s where you’re going to make the biggest jump in salary. The key is to not base your new salary negotiations on what you make in your current role. People generally add 10 to 20 percent to what they’re making now, but if you’ve been in a position for longer than a year without a raise, then your skills are worth more than that 10 to 15 percent.
Don’t Worry About Switching Jobs Frequently
Is there a danger to jumping from job to job too frequently? Will it look bad on a resume if you only spend a year or two at each company before moving on? We don’t think so. You just need to be able to explain why you made each move. ‘It was a great organization, but the job of my dreams came along and I couldn’t say no.’ Or, ‘A year later, there was a merger and my former boss reached out.’ Stay at a job only as long as it’s a good fit for you, then find something better.
