What does it take to get ahead at work? Here’s 3 easy ways to increase your chances for a job promotion and pay raise.

It turns out 2021 was a great year to get promoted. According to LinkedIn, promotions were up 9% last year, reversing the pandemic-induced slump of 2020.

Given the tight labor market, do you think the promotion rate is on the upswing again this year? Or will recession fears bring it back down?

Either way, here’s 3 surefire ways to increase your odds for a job promotion (and higher pay). They worked for me and I know they can work for you too!

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1. Work for a Growth Company

There is a lot to be said about working for a high-growth mid-size company, or a fast-growing division within a large corporation.

When your employer is flush with revenue, the odds are in your favor to receive higher than average pay increases and special bonus payouts. And, a company that is growing is going to be creating more jobs, and therefore offer more opportunities for advancement. Your ability to get promoted just increased!

Plus, working for a high-growth company makes you more marketable. Your professional worth goes through the roof when you can share how you helped scale a business and contributed to double-digit growth.

When you decide it’s time to move on to greener pastures, your experience at a high-growth company will open the door to many more higher-paying opportunities. And you can be in a great position to negotiate your next job promotion too.

2. Update Your Elevator Pitch

If you’re open to changing jobs to get promoted (and I hope you are), then I’m guessing you’ve done a decent job keeping your resume up to date, or at least your LinkedIn profile. But when’s the last time you updated your elevator pitch?

One of the best moves I made to advance my career was planning and preparing for recruiter calls. If you can nail your answer to the most frequently asked screening question, “tell me about yourself,” then you will be well on your way to moving forward as a job candidate.

But if you’re still talking about making the Dean’s list 5 years after graduating from college, or touting results from a job you had 10 years ago, you’ve got a problem. It’s time to level up your interview elevator pitch.

For example, highlight how your work responsibilities expanded over time, or even better, talk about how your contributions to the business led to a job promotion. Or, if you aspire to advance into a managerial role, briefly touch on your success coaching your peers, leading cross-functional projects, or being selected for emerging leadership programs.

And after your updated elevator pitch advances you in the interview process, don’t forget the next essential step to land a higher-paying job: sending interview follow-up emails! Did you know 57% of job seekers don’t even send a simple thank you note after an interview?

Need some inspiration for what to write? You can download 25 examples of follow-up emails I personally used to secure job offers here for free.

3. Ask for a Job Promotion

It’s time to ask for a well-deserved job promotion and pay raise.

The saying, “if you don’t ask, you don’t get,” certainly applies to getting promoted. You can’t expect to quietly kick butt at work and get rewarded. More often, you need to speak up and ask for what you want. But how and when you ask for a job promotion matters.

One of the best times to ask for a promotion is during a period of high turn-over. If several of your colleagues have recently jumped ship, your company may be more inclined to promote you to retain you. Layout a justification for your promotion and see what happens—just make sure your request doesn’t come across as a demand or sound like an ultimatum. 

Best case, you ask and get promoted. Worst case, you don’t get promoted, but you gain valuable insight into what it will take to get promoted in the future. Then, you need to decide how you feel about what you learned.

Were the reasons you were passed over for a job promotion justified? Perhaps you will agree there are skills and competencies you need to develop, or knowledge and experiences you need to gain. If so, it’s time to get a game plan for HOW you grow in these areas.

But if you feel the decision was unfair or are unclear on how to strengthen your standing for a job promotion next time, it may be time to move on.

Job-hop to a high-growth company!

Summary

The 3 ideas I shared in this article are ones I personally used during my corporate career. They helped me reach my professional and financial goals, and I know they can do the same for you.

Want more ideas on how to make yourself more promotable? Check out this primer on how to prepare for your next job promotion–it covers 5 abilities that are essential for career advancement.