Reaching for More
My colleague recently moved into another team and I overheard the conversation of her sharing the great news with our manager. Awesome for her. Not the best of luck for me.
During their conversation, I overheard my manager mention that I would simply assume my fleeing colleague's responsibilities which made me feel excluded out of the decision and almost taken advantage of. To compound this, I had been overlooked for a promotion this year so this news really was the straw that broke the camel's back. Maybe the millennial in me thinks I deserved more but I knew if I didn't ask for a raise or consideration to be promoted, I would hate myself for passing up this opportunity to have this timely, strategic conversation. So this is how I managed to speak to my manager about that highly coveted raise:
During their conversation, I overheard my manager mention that I would simply assume my fleeing colleague's responsibilities which made me feel excluded out of the decision and almost taken advantage of. To compound this, I had been overlooked for a promotion this year so this news really was the straw that broke the camel's back. Maybe the millennial in me thinks I deserved more but I knew if I didn't ask for a raise or consideration to be promoted, I would hate myself for passing up this opportunity to have this timely, strategic conversation. So this is how I managed to speak to my manager about that highly coveted raise:
- I set up a 1:1 meeting with my manager. Sounds like a complete no-brainer, right? Not necessarily. Taking the initiative to schedule the meeting myself was probably the hardest part but showed I was driven enough to make the first step and set the tone of the meeting.
- During the meeting, I stayed objective. My feelings were definitely hurt that decisions were being made about my career without my input and nonetheless, with the door open so that I could overhear the conversation. However, during the meeting, I put my poker face on and laid out the facts of what projects I had been working on, the additional responsibilities that were lovingly bequeathed onto me, and the passing up for promotion which was a result of transferring teams during a disadvantageous time of the year.
- I reassured my passion for the team and appreciation of what my manager had done for me throughout our time together. This is a part of the discussion that I think really hit home because I wanted my manager to know of my deep appreciation of every development opportunity she has thrown my way. This allowed me to turn the conversation to focus on her fantastic leadership without assuming an entitled tone. She regularly sends me to learning opportunities and puts a lot of trust in my work. I reiterated my gratitude for these parts of our rapport and asserted that I would love to continue down this path of a great work relationship but compensation is a motivating factor for me.
- What I could have done better: Rehearse. I could have repeated my pitch a few times the night before and admittedly, I was nervous during my meeting which may have hurt my request had it been less confident.