You’re working hard doing not only your job, but also half of your co-worker’s who left 10 months ago. It’s seems you’re doing everything to prove yourself but still haven’t gotten a raise or a promotion.
Often people only receive work-related financial reward when they ask for it. So, here are seven steps to help you negotiate a promotion or raise.
1. Lay down the promotion foundation:
Approximately six-to-eight months after starting a new job, initiate a promotion conversation with your supervisor. Express your love for both the company and the job, and ask him/her to share what is required to make it to the next level. Take a moment to recap your conversation in a brief email. If you haven’t had this talk soon after starting your current position, it’s not too late - have it today.
2. Master the unwritten requirements:
Every organization, regardless of size, has unwritten expectations for advancing. It’s your job to observe and have informal conversations with colleagues at all levels to find out what it really takes to get promoted. For example, some companies have an unspoken rule that you must work for at least two years at the corporate headquarters. In other organizations it’s only those who’ve worked in a particular area who are able to take that next step on the corporate ladder. You’ll easily learn who gets promoted and why from what your company actually does, not from what the HR manual says.
3. Consistently over deliver:
One way to create an air-tight argument for why you deserve a raise is to demonstrate and document how you’ve been exceeding the expectations of your job for the past 9-12 months. Identify 5-7 major responsibilities that extend beyond your current job description or that were previously handled by someone in a more senior position.
4. Expand your kudos file:
You should be keeping a file of all of the kudos and positive feedback that you receive internally or externally. Every “great job” email or note expressing a project well executed should go into the file. Remember, it’s your job to ensure the file is as big as possible, so when someone verbally praises you for “doing an amazing job on a recent project,” kindly ask them if they would send a brief email or memo so that you can show it to your boss.
5. Leverage your performance evaluation:
Your annual performance review can be a great tool to support your promotion negotiations. Take note of all of the areas where you have exceeded expectations and identify specific verbatim quotes that speak to your greatest accomplishments.
6. Draft a well written promotion memo:
Now that you are armed with tons of information, scour through your kudos file, performance evaluation, and extra responsibilities summary to select your top 10-12 accomplishments to include in your formal written request. Draft a memo that highlights these career accomplishments, and include metrics and numbers to support each accomplishment, if possible. For example, if you are responsible for getting patients to participate in a research program, list how many people you’ve signed up in the past year. If that number is greater than your predecessor, highlight the percentage increase.
7. Make the promotion pitch:
Schedule a meeting with your supervisor to formally present your promotion request. Give him/her your memo and attach a copy of your kudos file. Be sure to practice what you will say to ensure that you present your accomplishments in a compelling way. At the end of the meeting, ask for specifics regarding when your boss will respond to your request.
The best way to get a raise or promotion is to gather overwhelming data to support that you deserve it, not to whine or complain. Understand the unspoken requirements, document your accomplishments, and build a strong written case. This week, begin to map out your promotion plan and start developing and gathering these and other docs.