How do you actually get promoted?

Welcome to Let's Talk Offline, LinkedIn's podcast (and newsletter) about what it takes to thrive in the early years of your career — hosted by me, Gianna Prudente, and Jamé Jackson Gadsden. Follow the show wherever you get your podcasts and subscribe to the newsletter to join our community of work besties.

Got burning questions about work? We want to answer them on the show! You can email us your questions at [email protected].?

This week on Let's Talk Offline

? Click here to listen to the episode on your favorite podcast app ?

How do you ask for a promotion?

Do you bring it up yourself or wait for your manager to take the lead? And when you finally get that promotion package, can you negotiate the salary? Wait … what if there’s no pay raise at all?

Let’s talk.

Depending on where you work, the promotion process might feel like a mystery. Sure, you might have a career ladder or growth framework for your role, but it’s not always clear how long you’re expected to stay in each position — or what it actually takes to move up.

The truth? Promotions aren’t just about how well you perform. While performance is critical, it’s only one factor. Economic conditions, your company’s financial picture and business needs all likely play a role. Sometimes, even when you’ve done the work and are ready for the next challenge, the opportunity just isn’t there.

That can be disappointing and discouraging. But you’re not alone in navigating this process.

Jamé and I tackled everything you need to know about promotions on the latest episode of Let’s Talk Offline, with help from Emily Durham. Emily is a talent acquisition expert, career coach and the voice behind The Straight Shooter Recruiter podcast. She’s also known as Emily The Recruiter to her loyal social media following, where she shares candid advice about work and life.

My experience with promotions

Before we dive into our conversation with Emily, I want to share a bit about my own experience.?

The rulebook on promotions often feels unspoken, and when I was aiming for my first promotion at LinkedIn, I had a lot to figure out. I leaned heavily on my then manager, mentors and work friends to understand LinkedIn’s promotion process. Those conversations gave me the clarity I needed to navigate the system.

Last year, I moved up from associate news editor to news editor after about two years in my role. I had been operating at the next level for a while, tracking my progress against my team’s career ladder. Recognizing I was ready was exciting, but I also knew I needed to build my case.

Emily emphasizes that this process should start at least six months before your promotion cycle.

"What if you have a performance gap you need to address? Give yourself the runway," she says.

Building your case and making the ask

The first step to building your case is collecting receipts (you know Jamé and I love this part). Emily suggests keeping an "I-love-myself list," aka a brag folder. Document everything: project highlights, kudos from colleagues, client wins — anything that showcases your impact.?

If you're not sure how to track your wins for the type of work you do, don't worry! I asked LinkedIn members how they log their work wins. You can check out the post for inspiration.

Throughout the process of building your case, think of your promotion as a partnership between you and your manager. Regular career conversations are key. Emily recommends asking these two questions often:

• How am I tracking toward the next level?
• What gaps do I need to close to get there?

"You're going to notice at a certain point, they're going to be like, 'I think you're there,'" Emily says.

That’s your cue to start the promotion conversation. She suggests framing the conversation like this:

• Thank your manager for their support.
• Share your excitement about growing with the team.
• Ask, how can we partner to make this promotion happen?

"Leave the ball in their court," Emily says. "Let them guide the conversation."

What we covered in the episode

There’s so much more to unpack around promotions — like how to navigate a manager who’s a gatekeeper, what’s negotiable in your promotion package and what to do if there’s no raise attached.

We dig into all of it with Emily in the latest episode of Let’s Talk Offline. Listen here to get the full scoop. Here's a sneak peek:

In this episode's Show the Receipts segment, Jamé and I tackle a hot trend: ditching coffee for alternative energy boosters. If you're a regular listener, you can probably guess where we stand on this. Tune in to hear our takes.

After listening, tag us on LinkedIn with your thoughts — whether on asking for a promotion or ditching coffee. We’d love to hear from you!

Before you go…

A reminder to listen to, follow and rate the show on your favorite podcast app. See all the ways you can find Let's Talk Offline here. Plus, send us your questions for our Dear Work Bestie segment at [email protected].?

See you back here next Tuesday! We're sharing a beginner's guide to battling burnout. We’ll cover the warning signs, how to address it when it happens and steps you can take to prevent it from recurring.

As always, remember Jamé and I have your back. So if you need to chat, let's talk offline.