Asking for a pay raise is never easy, especially when many companies would rather throw an unwanted pizza party to show their appreciation than actually pay an employee their worth.
When anticipating this dreaded conversation with leadership, it’s important to prepare so that you can confidently advocate for yourself to get the compensation that you deserve.
In a since-deleted video, career expert Hanna Goefft shared the four-step “game plan” that helped her secure multiple raises at work. “I got a raise every 6 months for the last 3 years I was in a corporate job,” she admitted. “I kind of figured out how to game the system.”
Here is the career expert’s 4-step game plan to get a raise and make more money in 2025:
1. Get aligned
With performance review season swiftly approaching in January, there’s no time to waste for workers anticipating a raise or promotion at the beginning of the year. It’s time to start researching, scheduling time on the calendar with managers, and prioritizing financial success going into 2025.
Start by scheduling a few dedicated “performance review meetings” with your managers to openly chat about team and company goals, how you’re meeting expectations, and company growth.
If you’re falling short on any goals or expectations, focus on revamping your productivity in those specific areas over the next couple of months — tracking growth with actionable metrics, goals, or projects. When you follow up closer to January, you can use this tailored growth as evidence of your commitment to the role.
You can also schedule meetings with HR to review the process for raises because “being informed about how these things work,” Goefft argued, “is your best leverage.”
2. Gather competitive intel
If you want to successfully advocate for a raise, you must have a good understanding of what other people in your industry and company are being paid. Ask your co-workers, friends, and other professionals what they’re making and do research online so that you can accurately set a goal for yourself based on experience.
You can also utilize all of those LinkedIn messages from recruiters by setting up quick calls, asking them what they’re willing to pay and what other jobs in your industry are willing to pay you.
“Use salary comparison tools to get benchmarkers … but if you do nothing else, talk to peers,” Goefft added. “If that feels uncomfortable, you can ask, ‘What would you expect someone like me, with my background and experience, to earn?’”
If you’re looking into other jobs, or seriously considering leaving your team without a raise, utilize Goefft’s “compensation philosophy” to investigate other companies’ pay structures.
How are they defining success on their team? Are raises and promotion strategies clearly outlined? How are they rewarding hard work, career growth, and personal development?
3. Update your job description
Find your original job description — it’s likely buried in your original offer letter or sitting in a random LinkedIn screenshot from years ago — and beef it up with all of the extra responsibilities and projects that you’ve taken on.
“This will help you to visualize how your role has expanded and make that strong case to your manager” about being deserving of a pay raise or career growth.
If there are other goals you’re working towards or specific projects outside the scope of the traditional role you want to highlight, use your performance review meetings to do so.
4. Prepare your pitch
When you’re preparing for a pitch meeting with your boss or getting ready to present the idea to leadership, you should largely be considering one question: “What kind of return do they need to see to justify making this investment?”
When you think you have a good answer to that foundational question, craft your pitch around it. Curate qualitative goals, provide metrics for success, and discuss the future potential you have in the role and beyond to make your case.
Most importantly, according to Geofft, in all of these discussions, ensure that you maintain an underlying tone that competitive compensation is “a requirement” rather than a suggestion for you to continue adding value to the team.
“Think about the things that are important to you in your career,” Geofft added, insisting that you can also pitch your raise by focusing on “what problems you want to solve, the work that you’re good at, the work that makes you excited, and the structure of your work.”
If you want to earn more in 2025, utilize Geofft’s plan. It has clearly worked for her.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a News & Entertainment Writer at YourTango who focuses on health & wellness, social policy, and human interest stories
