How to Prep for the Promotion Conversation

Most of the time, a promotion won’t just fall on your lap just because you’ve been working hard for months to years, and everyone around you has noticed and complimented you on your hard work. Unfortunately, many companies and managers are determined to keep employees at the same pay even if they are doing double the work or a higher level of work than their current job title. That is why you must advocate for yourself, and to do so, you must prep for the impending promotion conversation that you will initiate with your manager when you are ready (or fed up). This guide will discuss the best time to have the promotion conversation, what to bring to the table, and some example emails that can be used along the way.

Strategies Based on Timing:

The best time to discuss a promotion with your manager is when your performance review is coming up. Reviews are meant for discussing growth and the future outlook on your progression within the company. Ensure you setting the stage for your performance review and are ready to discuss your wins throughout the year, as your manager will also be preparing to discuss your performance during that time.

If you have received a good performance review, it would be a good time to bring up the prospect of a promotion. If a performance review is not coming up soon and you are prepared to have the promotion conversation, it would be good to bring up the topic after completing a big project for your team or boss or even during a check-in meeting with your boss.

Of course, some managers do not have regular check-ins, nor do they pay attention to your day to day. Therefore, sending an email requesting a meeting with your manager to discuss your growth would be the best first step.

EXAMPLE EMAIL TEMPLATE:

What to Bring to a Promotion Conversation:

Always remember to provide evidence of the work you have been doing and the value you have been adding to the company. It is good to keep a spreadsheet of your accomplishments throughout the time you are working at a company. Every time you complete a difficult task or a big project, you can add it to your accomplishment spreadsheet along with a detailed explanation of how you went about completing the task. I also created an accomplishment excel spreadsheet with four specific columns:

Date: what date was the task completed. If it an ongoing task or project, I noted that as well.

Task: a description of the project or assignment that was started.

Accomplishment: detailed explanation on how you went about completing the assignment; what were the end results?  This would be a good time to use the S.T.A.R method.

Business Impact: how did it add value to the business, including your team or the goal the team is trying to reach.

This spreadsheet can be brought to the promotion conversation and given to your manager as evidence of the work you are currently doing and the value you have added to the team and the company.

The Importance of Following Up:

Many managers are willing to have the promotion conversation with their subordinates, but not willing to follow up afterwards. The job of following up and continuing the conversation will be up to you and will signify how serious you are about your request and your growth within the company. It will also keep the conversation on the top of your manager’s mind, especially if you include action points that were discussed during your meeting.

Always follow up after discussing growth and expectation with your boss. Not only does it help keep your request on your manager’s mind, but it helps to keep track of what was discussed and the next steps that should have been provided.

If, after meeting to discuss a promotion with your manager, the consensus is that the promotion will be delayed due to external circumstances, such as timing, lack of profits, etc; then it would be good to send a follow up email outlining what was spoken about and a timeline for another conversation at some point in the future. It is important to ask for an estimated timeline of when a promotion may be feasible with your boss if it is delayed during the meeting. That will then allow for you to include the estimated timeline in your follow up email.

EXAMPLE EMAIL TEMPLATE:

In Conclusion…

When I had asked for a promotion with my manager and continued to follow up, she was very surprised at my willingness to speak up and advocate for myself. Many people put themselves in a box and sit quietly as they let the years pass without ever discussing their growth and expectations with upper management.

When your workload is not matching your pay, or if you ever feeling capped out in your role, you have to speak up and let the people above you know. There is a ceiling in our career that we give ourselves and it’s never high enough, trust me. The company you work for may want to keep you quiet and hardworking, but when you come prepared and ready to request more in your career path, you will see if the role and the place you are at is worth staying or if it’s time to move on. 

Please read How I Went from Underestimated to Promoted to get a glimpse of how these steps helped me move up two job positions within 2 years.

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