CHICAGO — For some early-career professionals, the idea of negotiating for a promotion, raise or additional benefits can cause anxiety — especially if they’ve never done it before.
But advocating for oneself at work is a valuable skill that requires refinement and thoughtfulness, and it’s more impactful than waiting for an offer. In fact, according to a report from LendingTree, 82% of full-time workers who asked for a pay raise in 2024 received one in that period.
That’s why Trade Show Executive compiled some helpful tips and tricks to engage in effective negotiations with employers and colleagues to help you negotiate without breaking a sweat.
Everything Starts with Knowing Your Value
Similar to when you’re applying for a position, it is important to go into conversations knowing the average market rate for the role you’re looking for. Use tools like Glassdoor, LinkedIn Salary, Payscale or other indicators to gain an understanding of your market rate.
Along with having a general salary range, be sure to understand your own unique contributions, skills and impacts on the organization that will help support your requests.
Record Your Value and Wins
A great way to ensure you demonstrate your value to the organization is to keep a record of your accomplishments and positive feedback you’ve received. Having this information recorded helps to build a case for yourself and why you’re ready for what you’re asking for.
Remember to be specific. The more you can rely on data and metrics to support your accomplishments, the easier you can tie those back to the organization’s overall business goals.
Business Insider reports that as companies make performance-related job cuts, it’s important to keep track of your own performance not only for raises and promotions, but for overall job security.
Timing Matters; Be Strategic
Be intentional about when you’re initiating the conversations around a raise or promotion. It wouldn’t be ideal to open the conversation right after the company made budget cuts, inacted layoffs or forecasted a downturn. It’s more effective to time it for performance review periods or after you’ve made a major achievement.
Aside from being aware of your business’ cycles and standing, Forbes also recommends workers to consider it time to ask for a raise or promotion if you find yourself in the following scenarios:
- You’ve been at the same organization for more than two years without any kind of progression
- You consistently are being assigned more responsibilities
- You have a large responsibility that only you can perform
- You’ve received consistent positive feedback from leadership and peers, but haven’t received a pay increase
Create a Clear Pitch
An important step in negotiating a promotion or raise is to know which of the two (or both) that you want. Be specific in describing the role, title or salary range you’re aiming for.
Another thing to consider is to look beyond salary and determine if you want to ask for more flexible hours, bonuses opportunities or professional development support.
Tailor your pitch to who you’ll be talking to — make sure you understand what criteria they use for these decisions.
Once you have a clear idea of what you’re asking for, practice your pitch with a mentor or friend, and ask them for feedback.
Prepare for Pushback and Critique
Being told no is not the end of the world — or the end of opportunities at your current organization. Request a timeline or a development plan if you’re met with a “no” at first. Remember to stay professional and positive, and be ready to ask what you can do to get to the role or salary you’re aiming for.
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