Asking for a promotion often rhymes with a raise.

You want a new interesting challenge, you need to get out of the routine, why not establish a professional project?

 

Why ask for a promotion?

For the past few years, you have always been in the same position and you are bored, you want to relaunch your career and therefore ask for a promotion or even ask for a raise .

Be careful, even if a promotion often results in an increase, you will also find:

• a new workload;
• new skills to be acquired;
• constant stress to be efficient so as not to disappoint your superior who trusted you.

Will you also be able to combine your professional life with your private life?

 

When to ask?

The skills assessment , which usually takes place every year, will be a good time to ask your supervisor for your promotion.

During this assessment interview , you will tell them:

• your successes, but also your failures, because he will not forget to address them;
• your objectives, as well as your expectations;
• your skills and performance.

This face-to-face meeting with your manager is a privileged moment that should not be overlooked, because he will be attentive to your proposals and your desire to access new functions.

However, there may also be other times or opportunities to request a promotion, such as:

• your professional network which can be of great use to you, cultivate it;
• the increased activity of the growing company;
• restructuring of a department;
• or new contracts, etc.

… are conducive to career development .

 

How to request a promotion?

1. Identify the position you want

6. Research the position you want

2. Consider the relationship you have with your boss

4. Find the right time

3. Talk to colleagues who change positions

5. Be your own hiring manager

7. Ask for feedback

 

 

You want a particular job. Prepare your arguments well before the interview with your supervisor.

• Why are you drawn to this position?
• What added value would it bring to your career plan  ?

You will need to be persuasive, confident and say that you are the right person for the job.

• Be calm and motivated.
• Justify your skills and required performance.
• Show that you are ready to take on your new job .

Do not hesitate to support all your arguments with a document that you will give to your manager.

You will have prepared it carefully by reporting your achievements, underlined with concrete examples and figures.

 

Asking for a promotion is an extremely stressful time in your career.

• “What if they say no?”
• “What if they laugh at me?”
• “What if they don’t see the value I add to the company?”

Just thinking about possible answers can make you sick.

But if you’ve tackled larger workloads and added great value, shouldn’t your job title adequately reflect your greatest value?

Time to ask for a promotion or a raise.

You will learn exactly how to turn a normally awkward conversation into a pleasant discussion and how to make this an obvious decision for your boss.

 

• Knowing how to apply for a promotion can make you rich
• How to define your value for your employer
• Error n. ° 1 when requesting a promotion
• Front loading of work
  • 3-6 months: prepare your boss to give you a promotion
  • 1 to 2 months: prepare the briefcase technique
  • 1 to 2 weeks: Practice, practice, practice
• How to ask for a raise and increase your salary

Knowing how to apply for a promotion can make you rich

Consider these three points:

1. A promotional conversation can take as little as 10 minutes.
2. A promotion can propel you to the next level in your career.
3. Many of my students and friends who have used the techniques I am about to share have learned to ask for increases of $ 10,000 or more.

Even if a promotion only brings you half of that (a $ 5,000 increase), it adds up dramatically over time.

Have a look:

 

 

And remember: Most people who get promoted once tend to be promoted frequently.

Asking for a promotion is a smart and time-efficient way to put more money in your pocket and improve your career.

So why do most people leave their career path to chance? Simple: Fear. Most are afraid of being shot down, so they don’t even try.

Fortunately, you can combat this fear with some preparation.

 

 

How to define your value for your employer (you are probably doing too much)

How long have you been in your company?

2 years? 5 years? 10 years? Suppose it has been a while.

During that time, you have definitely improved at your job. You have probably developed new skills and assumed new responsibilities. You’re probably helping the company a lot more than you did a year ago. So, as your contribution continues to increase, your compensation has remained stagnant.

 

Many of us are humble and modest by nature, and that is fine. But there is a BIG difference between being humble and underestimating yourself:

• Humble : “I have done XYZ, and I am proud of that achievement.”
• Undervaluing : “Oh sure, I helped a little with that project, but it wasn’t just me. Also, anyone could have done that, so why should I feel special?

And as the bard once wrote …

Here is an exercise you can do to break this limiting belief: List all the ways that you have become more valuable to the company since you started your job.

Be generous with your list, but strive to be specific:

• Have you delivered specific results? Which? Calculate how much they were worth.
• Has your communication improved? How is that?
• Are you more efficient than before? How do you know?
• Do you know the business better? How does this translate to company results?
• Have you developed new skills? What type?

Keep in mind that achievements that seem mundane to you may seem exceptional to someone else. No achievement is too small. Write them all down.

This is your first step in learning how to request a raise or promotion.

Now that you know the value it adds, it’s time to prepare for the conversation with your boss.

 

 

Error# 1. when requesting a promotion (or uploading)

The worst mistake you can make when it comes to asking for a raise or promotion is simply showing up on the day of your performance review and requesting it.

If this is your plan, you will lose.

And besides, you deserve to lose.

I learned this lesson the hard way. When I was a student at Stanford, I worked for a local venture capital firm. After a few months, I decided I was going to ask my boss for a promotion. After all, I’m a smart guy and I’ve been working pretty hard, so you should ask, right?

 

The conversation went something like this:

Ramit: “Hello, boss, thanks for meeting me. So, I’ve been working here for a few months, and I think I’ve been doing a very good job. I really understood the ins and outs of the business, and so I’d like to discuss with you the possibility of a promotion “.

 

Boss: “Why do you think I should give you a promotion?”

Ramit: “Well … you know, as I mentioned, I think I’ve been doing a very good job, and I’ve been learning a lot about the company and how everything works here and … yes.”

Boss: “No. It won’t happen.”

Ramit: “Oh. Good.”

It wasn’t cute AND I was really mad at my boss about it for two full days (he said “NO!”).

But then I realized I was being ridiculous. I hadn’t given him any legitimate reason why he should give me more responsibility and pay me more, so why would I have expected him to?

I’ve improved a lot in trading since then, and this is rule number 1 I discovered about trading:

80% of the work in a negotiation is done before entering the roomThat means the conversation is only a small fraction of what the negotiation actually does or breaks . Actually, when you are learning how to ask for a raise or a promotion, it is your PREPARATION that will determine if you succeed or if you fail.

In other words, would you rather spend zero hours preparing and immediately be left without a negotiation, or would you be willing to spend 20 hours preparing with a 70% chance of successfully negotiating a raise or promotion?

 

 

Front loading of work

Better performers are willing to spend time and effort, so they can reap disproportionate rewards.

I call this “front-loading work.”

Here are some examples of front-loading jobs you can try (I cover these prep tips and other advanced career strategies even more in my Find Your Dream Job program ):

• Doing an amazing job for at least three to six months, with written praise from his coworkers and his own boss.
• Create a five-page performance test document that shows all the ways you’ve added value above and beyond your job requirements.
• Practicing with another skilled negotiator, videotaping him, preparing for every contingency and objection your boss may have.

Once you’ve done the work and done a good amount of preparation, you’ll want to make sure your boss knows that you plan to request a raise or a promotion.

 

 

The timeline for negotiation

How long would it take you to go from an average actor (where you are now) to a Best Actor (ready to negotiate your first raise)?

Three to six months in most cases. Sometimes more, sometimes less, but three to six months is usually an achievable goal.

This tends to surprise people.

“How can I negotiate my salary in three months? I am lucky to have a job.”

If you’re a high-performing artist, the time you spend in the business won’t matter as much as the work you do.

This mentality is crucial to know your worth. If you are skeptical about your own worth, your boss will find out instantly, and it will cost you thousands of dollars.

That is. It is possible to demonstrate enormous enormous value in three months, even as a new graduate. Even with few skills. Even in a horrible economy.

I’ll show you how to choose ambitious goals that really matter to your boss and work collaboratively to achieve them. These goals will be strategic in negotiating a raise, all within a tight schedule.

And this is what those three to six months would look like:

 

If you don’t get a regularly scheduled performance review, don’t worry – I’ll provide all the scripts necessary for your boss to accept a salary conversation. But the basic idea behind your Trading Timeline is this:

• 3-6 months before your review : Become a Top Performer by setting expectations in collaboration with your boss, and then exceeding those expectations in every way possible.
• 1-2 months before your review : Prepare the briefcase evidence technique to support the exact reasons why you should receive a raise.
• 1-2 weeks before your review : Practice extensively with correct tactics and scripts.

Keep in mind that all of this is done BEFORE the actual meeting (of course your friends will only see the results you got, not all the work you do).

This timeline best positions you to ask for a raise or promotion.

Let’s start by learning how to set expectations for your boss.

 

 

3 to 6 months: prepare your boss to give you a promotion by setting expectations

Your boss should NEVER be surprised to request a promotion or raise. If they are, you did something wrong and your chances of success decrease dramatically.

 

Think about it: If you just blind your boss, you’re putting him in place.

No one likes to be cornered, especially regarding money and promotions. Your natural reaction will be to become defensive. In psychological language, they will experience “reactance” (which is an elegant way of saying “no way, José”).

Instead, prepare your boss to give you a promotion. I spend exactly how to do this in this video:

Once your boss is ready, it’s time to prepare the Briefcase Technique.

 

 

1 to 2 months: prepare the briefcase technique to organize your negotiations

This is one of my favorite techniques to use in interviews, salary negotiations, client proposals, whatever!

First, you’ll create a one to five page proposal document that shows the specific areas of the business where you can add value.

Then, he will bring the proposal with you when he negotiates his salary. When the issue of compensation inevitably comes up, you’re going to get this document out and outline exactly how you’re going to solve the company’s challenges.

Human Resources Director: So what’s your price range?

You: Actually, before I talk about compensation, I’d love to show you something I put together.

And then literally pull out your proposal document detailing the company’s weaknesses and EXACTLY how you can help them (Bonus points if you actually use a briefcase).

By identifying the weaknesses the company is experiencing, you can show the human resources manager where it will specifically add value, making it a valuable rental.

Approach the proposal as the most compelling menu you’ve ever received, with the problems you know about and the way YOU are the person to solve those problems.

 

 

 

I’m going to go into more detail about the briefcase technique in this two-minute video. Check it out below.

 

1 to 2 weeks: Practice, practice, practice

The last step before your negotiation is to practice, practice and practice a little more.

It is one thing to read about how to trade. Actually doing it, live and under pressure, is another joint experience. The only solution is practice.

Surprisingly, most people never do this. They just consume information and think: “Yes, yes, I have it” or “I will do it later”. But they are never fulfilled. However, just an hour or two of practice could mean the difference between success and failure.

 

Here’s how to do it: First, sit in front of a video camera, either alone or with a friend. Then brainstorm as many different scenarios as possible and practice your answers live and out loud just like you would in front of your boss.

For example, you could practice what you would say if:

• Your boss is surprised or upset when the salary goes up.
• Your boss asks you to name a number first.
• He tries to dismiss it with excuses like “It’s the economy” or “Everyone else is getting the same thing.”

Then observe (or have a friend give your opinion) the following, and practice until perfect:

• His words. They must be convincing and concise, and without difficult phrases.
• Your body language You want to be sitting, leaning forward and relaxed.
• Your tone. Must be professional, positive, and energetic.

This works. I know this because I used to stink in interviews and negotiations. I had no idea how to ask for a raise or promotion, but then I started practicing.

When I was in high school, I had trouble getting a scholarship, although I was thinking I was doing the interviews in person.

It wasn’t until I recorded myself practicing on video that I realized the problem: I never smiled. He seemed stern and unfriendly. When I started smiling regularly, I started getting a scholarship after the scholarship, enough to pay for my career and graduate school at Stanford.

A while back, I decided I wanted to improve on television interviews, so I got help from professional media coaches. Again, I thought it was good enough. But in my first recorded video response, the coaches showed me a dozen subtle mistakes I was making.

They showed me how to correct them and we tried again and again. After each round, they showed me the before and after video. The difference was night and day.

 

 

See for yourself the difference that even a few minutes of practice can make:

How to ask for a raise and increase your salary

The Boys Scouts know this. The Lion King knows it. And now, you know it.

To be prepared.It is the most important element when it comes to how to request a raise or promotion. With a little preparation, you will get ahead of 99.9% of the population, instantly improving your chances of negotiating.

If you’ve reached this stage, the final step is knowing what to say when you finally ask your boss for a promotion. You want the conversation to flow as smoothly as possible. The discussion must be mutually beneficial for your boss to see the tremendous value that it has brought.

 

 

Mistakes when requesting a job promotion

Just as there are good practices on how to apply for a job promotion, there are also mistakes that can leave you in an uncomfortable or harmful situation. Take into account this basic list that we made with some common mistakes and avoid them at all costs so that your boss does not get a bad image of you.

1. Get 100% sure you deserve a job promotion. Coming in with a confident, or worse yet, prideful attitude that you deserve a promotion, will only end the conversation with your boss faster than you thought. You must be sure of yourself, but without losing your feet on the ground.
2. Keep an open mind Something to keep in mind: you are not the only employee in the company. Your boss is in charge of many more people, who are just as valuable as you. If at this point your boss does not agree that it is time to move up, listen to their reasons and think of it as a challenge to improve.
3. Don’t be mad if things don’t go your way. Maybe your speech was impressive and the chemistry in the conversation was incredible. But if your boss thinks he can’t give you a job promotion yet, don’t make the terrible mistake of bothering and showing it. This attitude can lead you not only to not be taken into account in future occasions, but even to lose your job if you lose your temper a bit. Breathe and continue to overcome challenges.
4. Do not speak ill of other colleagues. Some employees recklessly compare their work with that of others to demonstrate their value. If your colleague does not meet the same challenges as you, it does not mean that it is your duty to expose her. Go and speak for yourself and your goals. Complaining about your peers will only give you a troublesome image that your boss won’t want to deal with. Show maturity and that you are a person capable of working as a team to ensure that everyone improves their productivity and performance.