Moving on up: How to ask for a promotion

If you don’t ask for it, you don’t get it. If you have been productive, showed initiative and believe that you deserve a promotion, you should ask for one. If you just wait around, hoping that you will eventually be offered one, you will likely be disappointed.



You may be wary about asking. You may feel that you’d be bugging your boss or that you can’t deal with the possible rejection or that you might come across as greedy or ungrateful. Don’t worry, it’s perfectly normal to have these feelings. However, such misgivings lead many bright and hard-working employees to toil away in the same roles for years, while others around them earn raises and promotions. You can’t just assume that your boss will offer you a promotion every few years. You need to take control of the situation and make your case to them why you deserve to be promoted. But before you do so, keep these three pieces of advice in mind.

What do you want?

Before you reach out to your boss and ask for a one-to-one, you need to think about what exactly it is you want. Do you want more money? Do you want more responsibility? Do you want to move into another role or, as is sometimes the case, do you want a new role to be created for you?

If you want to move into another role, particularly a more senior one, make sure you do your homework first. You need to know exactly what the role entails, in addition to how and why others in that role (or at least a similar one) were hired for it in the first place. Whether it’s more money, more responsibility, a different role or a combination of the three, you should be clear about what it is that you exactly want. When you have, you will be in a better position to make your case.

Make your case

When you’re clear about what you want, prepare to make your case. You need to convince your boss that you’re worthy of a promotion. Show them that you have a proven track record; that you have shown initiative; that you have provided solutions to problems; and most importantly, that you have added value. Your aim should be to prove to your boss that you’re not just important, you’re indispensable.

Where possible, provide data to back up your case. As is often the case with large companies with hundreds of employees, managers are not as aware of each individual employee’s impact as they are at smaller companies. If you’re in such a company, it’s up to you to provide the evidence for your case.

Be patient

Last of all, be patient. Don’t expect your boss to make a decision straightaway. They’re not likely to give you an answer after just one meeting. It’s possible that there will be a series of discussions over a number of weeks if not months. And if it’s a large company, there’s a likelihood that numerous employees across different departments will be involved in the decision-making process.

While you need to be patient you also shouldn’t be afraid to ask your boss for feedback or to gently remind them of your request. You should also be prepared to work even harder. As soon as you ask for a promotion, your boss will expect you to show them that you deserve just that.

If you’re looking to take that next step in your career, get in contact with us today.