Lack of confidence, feeling awkward talking about money, and the fear of being viewed differently all prevent women from talking to their boss about career promotions.
But by not having a conversation, you could be leaving money and promotion on the table.
And while you might feel nervous to broach the topic, it’s important to do. All you need is a clear, actionable plan to do it. Here are my five proven steps to talk to your boss about a promotion.
5 Tips to Talk to Your Boss About a Promotion
1. Get the timing right
The worst thing you can do is catch your boss off-guard and “ambush” them with this conversation! Instead, schedule a time where you can have a focused and productive meeting.
- Pro tip: 10:00 a.m. on a Tuesday is an ideal time because it’s early in the week and morning, but they’ve had time to settle in with a cup of coffee. Many leaders suffer from decision fatigue through the day, so “big asks” are best done in the morning.
2. Build rapport
This meeting is important, and you don’t want to waste time chatting about day-to-day things or get off track. So, build rapport with your boss by following these tips:
- Run into them earlier in the day to catch up so you can focus during the meeting.
- Be positive and confident. Make sure you have good posture, sit up straight, and are smiling. Career confidence matters and shows your boss you’re the right person for the job.
- Genuinely compliment your boss. Be kind and grateful to your boss to further establish a positive rapport.
Genuinely compliment your boss. Be kind and grateful to your boss to further establish a positive rapport.
- Genuinely compliment your boss. Be kind and grateful to your boss to further establish a positive rapport.
3. Add value
It’s important to talk about your past accomplishments, but it’s not the only thing that matters. You want to showcase your future value with a clear, written plan for the role and how you would improve things.
Doing this will help them see you in the role and will create loss aversion—i.e. if they don’t give you the role, they’ll miss out on what you have to offer!
4. Ask for what you want
Just think—if you go to a restaurant and ask the server for dessert, they won’t know what to bring. They need to know exactly what you want to order. It’s the same for promotions—you need to be specific about:
- The exact position you want
- Appropriate compensation for the role
5. Negotiate
Negotiating often leads to a higher raise. One study showed that those who negotiated their salaries increased them by 7.6% over those who didn’t. Here’s how to negotiate yours:
- Properly value yourself: Know your market value, or what you could get at another company in today’s market.
- Don’t tie a promotion to personal factors: Getting a promotion and raise should be based only on your value and future value, not your personal needs.
- Juxtapose your ask: The first number given in a negotiation is an anchor number, so you want your manager to throw out the number first. If they ask, make sure to give a range where the lowest number is what you’d still be happy with.
Communicating with your boss about career promotions doesn’t have to be scary! Follow these steps and watch the YouTube video to learn more.
Preparation is the most important part of communicating with your boss for a promotion. And that’s exactly what My Promotion Plan is all about—a six-week course to land the position of your dreams and earn what you’re worth. Check it out and join us on the journey to your next promotion.
