Your Simple Steps to Getting a Pay Rise
- Gradragstoriches
- Nov 6
- 5 min read
Updated: Nov 9
Get a Promotion and a Raise
If you're reading this, you're probably curious about what you're really worth in today's job market. Maybe you're considering asking for a raise, better working conditions, aiming for a promotion, or wondering if it's simply time for a change. Whatever brought you here, you've taken a brilliant first step.
Let's get one thing straight: life (and pay) isn’t always fair. You usually won't just get meaningful and fair pay rises automatically. That's down to all kinds of structural reasons in how companies, humans, and society operate.
The first, and most important, thing to understand is this: You need to ask to get paid what you deserve. You need to know what to ask for, and, more importantly, how to ask for it.
What to Ask For: Knowing Your Value
Before you can even open your mouth, you need to understand your true value to the company and in the wider market. This is your foundation!
Here’s how to figure out your worth:
Write Your Actual Job Description: Forget the generic one you were given. Write down what you are really doing. List your key responsibilities, any special projects you've led or contributed to, people management duties, and unique skills or perspectives you bring.
Search for Comparable Roles: Head to job sites like LinkedIn and search for roles with similar responsibilities. Aim to identify 5–10 comparable jobs.
Research the Salaries: Use platforms like Glassdoor and LinkedIn to research the salary ranges for those comparable roles. Your goal is to understand what others are being paid to do your work—that gives you a target for your negotiations.
The Power of a Job Offer
The other powerful way to prove your worth is to get another job offer.
Your goal here is to get right up to the job offer stage. Whether you accept it or not is totally up to you, but that offer is incredibly valuable evidence of what the market thinks you are worth. Plus, getting an external offer gives a huge boost to your confidence - both in yourself and in the numbers you plan to ask for, which is absolutely critical to getting what you want.
Picking Your Number
Once you’ve done your research, you should have a solid sense of the true salary range you are worth - let’s say £50k–£70k a year. Then you should pick a number in that range that you want to ultimately get offered, e.g. £60k.
But because your employer will probably want to negotiate, you should ask for more than your number, say, £70k, which allows them to negotiate you back down to £60k - so they feel good about themselves and you get the number you wanted.
How to Ask for More: Secure the Promotion First
This part can feel "tricky" because most people undervalue themselves and are bad at negotiating their own salaries. But remember, you now know your true value! You just need to go and get it.
The first step is NOT to ask for more money or improved working conditions. The first step is to secure the promotion. The pay rise comes after the promotion, as a logical consequence.
The same is true if you are looking to change employment.
Preparing for the Promotion Conversation
To get promoted, you need to show your manager how well you are doing your current role using the analysis you have already carried out. Then show you are capable and already doing the work of the level above you. If you’re not doing it yet, make it your roadmap!
Current Role/Responsibilities | Examples (of how you’ve done the above) | Next Role/Responsibilities | Examples (of how you’ve already done some of the above) |
The point is to map how much of the role above you that you're already doing. If you've hit 50% of it, you have a strong hand, and this analysis is your evidence.
Get the Manager On Your Side
Prepare for the meeting by considering all the value you bring, and the ways you can help your manager and the company succeed. You are trying to align your interests so you are all pulling in the same direction.
Book the Meeting: Ask your manager if you can meet, preferably face-to-face, to talk specifically about your growth and development.
Stick to the Script: When you start, don’t get distracted by small talk.
Start Positive: Honestly highlight some of the good things your manager has done.
Present Your Case: Say you've done some analysis and genuinely think you are performing at a higher level (share your analysis sheets).
State Your Goal: Say you want to be recognised for the work you've been doing and want the opportunity to grow more.
Get Feedback: At the end, ask your manager what they think. Do they agree you should get promoted, or do they have objections? Take their objections away and work on them—that becomes your clear roadmap to promotion.
Remember: We still haven’t talked about pay or working conditions (eg working flexibly from home)! That comes after you’ve secured your promotion.
How to Handle the Pay Rise Conversation
When your manager tells you that you’re getting promoted, they will usually bring up the proposed pay increase.
Heads up: Their first offer is often at the lower end of the acceptable range. Companies are incentivised to keep costs down and rely on you being too grateful for the promotion to negotiate well.
Express Thanks: Acknowledge and thank your manager for the effort they put into getting you the promotion, even if the offer is low.
Present Your Evidence: Say you had a different number in mind based on your evidence. This is where you list those strong points in your favour, like your market research of what you could be getting elsewhere, or the literal value you deliver (revenue, customers, etc.).
Keep it Personal: Only give reasons that are in your control and that you personally bring to the table. Don't use external things like inflation, as that affects everyone.
Give Your Number and Stop: Once you've delivered your case (keep it punchy!), end with: “What I’d be happy with is £X amount.” And then stop. Do not justify it again - you presented your evidence already! Silence is a powerful negotiating tool.
This is why having confidence in your numbers is the difference-maker. You did the research, so you know your ask is legit. Believe in yourself!
What if They Say No?
Give your manager time after your meeting to figure out the next steps. Sometimes a company cannot pay you more. You often don’t know of the politics either, so let your manager do their thing (that’s why you need them onside).
And if your company really can’t offer you more money, it’s still worth seeing if you can get something else, like working from home, time off, benefits, etc. - whatever value they can give.
Why do Some People get Promoted faster than Others?
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