Promotions
How to ask for a promotion at work
Book a meeting for it, ideally before next year's budget is set. Show your manager the bigger job you already do and what came of it, then ask for the title and the pay in one sentence. If the answer is not this cycle, leave with a date to revisit it and the criteria in writing.
When to ask for a promotion
Ask before next year's money is set, and when you can point to work beyond your job description. In Mercer's July 2026 survey, 87% of 1,001 US employers said their 2027 salary budgets were still preliminary.
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Is it OK to ask for a promotion?
Yes. HR expert Todd Mayhew of USC Bovard College says employees shouldn't shy away from these conversations, and that if your company has no forum for talking about your growth, you should create one.
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Right before budgets are set
Christine Hernandez, another USC Bovard HR expert, budgets for her own team's promotions a year ahead. She says the best time to ask is right before your manager submits next year's budget, because “I can't give a promotion if I don't have the money.”
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Once you know how promotions work there
Promotions only happen at a set time each year in some organizations, HR expert Theresa Haskins notes, so look up how yours works before you ask.
Ask HR“How do promotions work here, and when are they decided?”
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When you're already doing the bigger job
Indeed's career guide says that taking on more than your role calls for, especially management or leadership duties, can make it a good time to ask.
How to make your case for a promotion
Show that you already do part of the job you want, and what came of it. The first step, Haskins says, is to take stock of your team's goals and what you specifically deliver toward them.
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Compare your job description with your week
Mark the work you do that isn't in it, especially leading people or projects. Hernandez asks people to show how they're working beyond their job description.
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Put a result next to each
Say what changed because of it, with a number where you can, like time saved, money made or a problem fixed. Start with what you've done since your last promotion or review.
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Name the job and why it's needed
Name the title you want, or describe the role if it doesn't exist yet, and the business need it meets. Hernandez expects you to make that case yourself rather than leave it to your manager.
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Fit it on one page
Your manager may have to take it to their own boss, so give them something short they can pass on.
What to say when you ask for a promotion
Keep it to three parts, then let your manager answer.
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Say why you're there
“Thanks for making time. I'd like to talk about my next step here.” Skip the apology.
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Show the bigger job
“Since [month], I've been [work at the next level] on top of my own role, and it [result, with a number].”
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Ask in one sentence
“I'd like to be promoted to [title] this cycle, with the pay that goes with it.” Name the title. The practice round's scorecard marks Your Ask down when you don't name a title, number or percent.
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Then stop
Give your manager room to answer, even if the silence feels long.
Say“Thanks for making time. I'd like to talk about my next step here. Since [month], I've been [work at the next level] on top of my own role, and it [result, with a number]. I'd like to be promoted to [title] this cycle, with the pay that goes with it.”
Say it out loud a few times before the meeting. Indeed's career guide recommends practicing the conversation first and listing the objections your manager might raise.
When your manager says no, or not yet
Plan an answer to each of these before the meeting. The AI manager in the practice round says the budget is set and that promotions wait for the review cycle.
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“There's no budget for it right now.”
In the Conference Board's September 2026 survey, employers' median 2027 budget for promotions, pay equity, market adjustments, retention and critical skills is 0.5%, against 3.1% for merit raises.
Say“I understand. What would it take to get this into next year's budget, and when is that set?”
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“Not this cycle.”
Ask what's missing and write it down. Haskins calls this a good time to plan how you'll gain the experience or knowledge you need before the next round.
Say“Okay. What would I need to show by [month] to be promoted next cycle? Can we write that down?”
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“We can do the title now, and the pay later.”
A new title without new pay is sometimes called a dry promotion. In a 2023 Pearl Meyer survey of more than 400 organizations, 13% said they use job titles to recognize or reward employees when funds are limited, up from 8% in 2018.
Say“I'm glad to take the title. Can we put the raise, and the date it starts, in writing?”
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“Let's revisit in six months.”
Agree to it with a date on the calendar. When your manager doesn't say yes or no, Montana State University Billings' raise guide says to set a specific time to return.
Say“Six months works if we book it now. Can we set [date] and agree on what you'd need to see from me by then?”
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“I'd have to take it to my boss.”
That's normal. Indeed's career guide notes that raises and titles usually need more than one level of approval, so give your manager something to pass on.
Say“Of course. I'll send you a one-page summary today. When should I expect to hear back?”
Put it in writing the same day. A short recap gives you both a record of what you agreed.
Subject: Next steps on [title]
Hi [name],
Thanks for talking today. To confirm, we'll revisit my promotion to [title] on [date]. By then I'll [what I'd need to show], and you'll [what you said you'd check].
Thanks,
[Your name]
What not to say when asking for a promotion
The practice round's scorecard flags each of these when it hears one, and quotes your words back to you.
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An ultimatum
Don't say“Promote me by June, or I'll start looking.”
Mayhew warns that bringing an outside offer into it can backfire, and that you should only bring one you're prepared to take.
Say instead“I want to keep growing here, so I came to you first.”
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Naming a coworker
Don't say“[Name] got promoted last year, and I do more than they do.”
It turns the meeting into a talk about someone else's work. The AI manager in the practice round steers it back to yours.
Say instead“Here's what I've taken on since [month], and what came of it.”
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An apology for asking
Don't say“Sorry, I know it's a busy time, but…”
Mayhew says there's no reason to feel uncomfortable asking to talk about your growth.
Say instead“I'd like to talk about my next step here.”
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Personal need as the main reason
Don't say“We're buying a house, so I need the bump.”
Harvard's Program on Negotiation advises against framing a pay request around personal expenses or financial stress. Point to your work.
Say instead“I'm already doing [work at the next level], and it [result].”
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Accepting “not now” with no date
Don't say“Okay, maybe next year,” and the meeting ends.
Haskins says to use that conversation to talk through the next steps toward the promotion.
Say instead“Before we wrap up, can we set [date] to check in, and write down what I'd need to show by then?”
How to negotiate salary for a promotion
A new title should come with new pay. In Mercer's October 2025 survey of 1,013 US employers, planned promotion raises averaged 8.7% for 2026, against 3.2% for merit raises. Treat that as background, and base your number on what the new role pays.
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Find out what the new level pays
Ask HR for the pay range for [title], and look up the role in the Labor Department's CareerOneStop Salary Finder, which covers more than 800 occupations.
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Ask for one number
“For [title], I'm asking for [salary].” Give one figure and the reason behind it.
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If the title comes first
Get the raise and its start date in writing. When you ask for it later, Harvard's Program on Negotiation lists a promotion without a pay change among the objective reasons you can point to.
More on countering with one number: how to negotiate salary →
Asking for more pay in the job you have? How to ask for a raise →
If the promotion comes with an interview: internal and promotion interview questions →
How to get promoted at work
In Mercer's July 2026 survey, US employers expected to promote about 8.4% of their workforce in 2027, down from 9.9% in 2025. Start building your case months before you ask.
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Tell your manager what you want
Mayhew says to tell your manager plainly where you want to go and on what timeline, and to ask for their support.
Say“I'd like to move up to [title] in the next [time]. What would you need to see from me?”
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Take on part of the next job now
Indeed's career guide describes asking for a few duties from the role you want, then for more as you handle them well.
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Say “Yes, and” to bigger work
When you're handed a new assignment, say yes and then say what you need to do it. The advice comes from Deborah Kolb and Jessica Porter's book Negotiating at Work, as Harvard's Program on Negotiation reports it.
Say“Yes, I'll lead it. And I'd like it to count toward [title] at my next review.”
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Share results as they happen
Kolb and Porter also advise telling leaders about your and your team's achievements as they happen. Indeed adds that a promotion request shouldn't come as a complete surprise to your manager.
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Keep regular check-ins
Hernandez recommends setting up regular check-ins with your manager, so your progress comes up between reviews.
Practice asking for a promotion out loud
An AI plays your manager in a 1:1 you asked for, and you talk it through out loud. It knows only your job title, or the job description you paste, and what you tell it, not your pay, your reviews, your projects or your coworkers.
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How it goes
The manager opens with “What did you want to talk about?”, asks what's changed since your last review and which result your ask rests on, and tells you the budget is set. At the end, it asks you to sum up where you landed.
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When you ask for a promotion
It can't approve a promotion on the spot, but it may offer the title now with the pay later. Asking for a date to revisit it and the criteria in writing is up to you.
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The scorecard
You're scored on Your Ask, Your Case, Securing Next Steps, Handling Pushback, and Communication & Presence. Any red flag it heard is quoted back to you, like an ultimatum or a “not now” you accepted with no date.
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What's free
Your first two scored mocks are free, with no card, and red flags are never behind the plan. The coaching, with why you lost points and your weakest answers rewritten, is in the monthly plan at $29 a month (intro price through October 31; regular $49).
More guides: Phone screen questions · Salary expectations · Phone interview tips · Calming interview nerves · Negotiating a job offer · What not to say in an interview · Asking for a raise · Practicing for an interview · Answering interview questions · Panel interviews · Why it's hard to find a job