How to ask for a promotion

How do you ask for a promotion?

Ask for one clear thing, in a conversation set aside for it, with a short written list of what you have already done that shows you are ready.

It is easy to wait to be noticed, or to raise it in passing, between other things, with nothing to back it up. Managers act on what is in front of them. If you hand your manager a page that says what you have done and what you are asking for, you make it easy for them to take it seriously, and easy to pass on to whoever has the final say.

So the work happens before the conversation. You need three things: the evidence, the right moment, and the words.

Put your case on one page

Your manager should be able to read it in under a minute. Keep it factual, with no pleading. It needs five parts.

1. Where you are now. Your job, where you work and how long you have been there.
2. The job you want. Name the actual role. "Something more senior" is hard to say yes to.
3. What you have done. Three to five things, one per line. Be specific, and use numbers where you have them. Things beyond your own job count most: training new people, covering for someone, being trusted with keys or cash.
4. Why it helps the business. Two or three sentences about what they get if you move up. Put it in terms of what it does for them, rather than whether it is fair to you.
5. What you are asking for. One thing. A vague ask gets a vague answer.

If you are studying, add it. It shows you are putting in the work for the next step as well as asking for it.

Only two things on your list? Then it may be worth waiting. Over the next month, write down everything you do beyond your own job. Three or more makes a stronger case.

When is the best time to ask for a promotion?

At your performance review if one is coming up soon, and otherwise in a short meeting of its own in a quiet week.

A review is the conversation already set aside for this, so use it. Give your manager the page a few days before, so none of it is a surprise.

If there is no review coming, ask for fifteen minutes on their own, rather than catching your manager between other things. Pick a week that is not month-end or stock-take, and not straight after something has gone wrong.

Not sure when reviews happen? HR or someone who has been there longer will know. If one is within two months, wait for it.

What to say

Open simply. Thank them for the time, name the role, hand over the page, and say what you are asking for. Then stop talking and let them read.

The ask does not have to be "promote me today". It can be any one of these:

• a conversation about moving into the role
• a date to look at it again, if now is not the time
• to be considered when the role next opens
• to act in the role for a trial period, with a review at the end of it

Say it out loud a few times at home until it sounds like you.

What if your manager says no?

Ask what would need to change and when it can be looked at again, because a no with a date is very different from a flat no.

"Not now."

"That is fair. Could we set a date to look at it again, say in three months? And is there anything you would want to see from me before then?"

"There is no budget for it."

"I understand. If the budget were there, is it a role you would see me in? Could we agree what would need to change, and when it might be looked at again?"

"You are not ready yet."

"Thank you for being straight with me. What would ready look like? Could we check in on that in two or three months?"

"Let me think about it."

"Of course. I will leave the page with you. Would it be all right if I came back to you next week?"

Straight after, write down what was said and any date you agreed. Work on exactly what they said they need to see, and check in a week before the date with what you have done since. If it is a flat no with no reason, that tells you something too: the next step up may be at another employer, and your CV should say what you did here.

How do you ask for a raise?

The same way: with evidence of what you do, at the right moment, and with one clear ask.

A raise is a harder conversation if you do not know what the work is worth, so find out first. Look at what similar jobs are advertised for, and check the legal minimum for your kind of work. The Career Office's pay screen shows the legal minimum and what people earn for a job, as part of Career Office Premium.

Then use the same page: what you have done beyond your job and what it does for the business. Often the strongest route to more pay is a bigger role, so asking for the promotion is asking for the raise.

Questions people ask

Should I mention that a colleague earns more?

It is better not to. Keep the conversation about what you do and what it is worth to the business. Comparisons put your manager on the defensive.

Should I say I will leave if I do not get it?

Only if you mean it and are ready to go. A threat you do not carry out costs you more than the no.

How long should I be in a job before I ask?

There is no fixed rule. What matters is whether you have a list of things that show you are ready. If you cannot name three, start collecting them first.

Is the page I give my manager private?

The Career Office builds it only from what you type, and you choose whether to hand it over. How we treat your information is on our privacy page.