Rich in Salary Raises

The #1 method to get the recognition you deserve at work. (It’s how I got promoted 2x as fast as my peers.)

CONTEXT

After I graduated college, I worked at LinkedIn for 7 years. In those 7 years, I was promoted 5 times (roughly every 1.5 years).

This was more than 2x as fast as my peers, who were promoted every ~3-4 years on average.

And those promotions compounded significantly over time. (Flash forward to my current role at Google where I’m the youngest person at my seniority level.)

What was my secret?

THE METHOD

I spent 1 hour every week preparing for my one-on-one meeting with my manager.

Most people stroll into their one-on-ones expecting their manager to present.

Instead, I sent a pre-read in advance with:

• 3 wins from the past week (+ ideally a quantifiable impact)
• 3 priorities for next week (+ specific questions that I need input on)
• and 1 new idea to make our team better.

If you show up prepared, it will immediately set you a level apart from the rest.

Specifically, here’s how it will get you promoted:

WHY IT WORKS

3 wins:

• Most of us don’t give our managers enough visibility into the great work we’re doing. This solves that— and 3 per week will add up fast!
• Try to include quotes or emails you receive with positive feedback / words of recognition from others.
• This document of “wins” makes it so easy for your manager to write your performance review at the end of the year (and fight your case for a promotion).

3 priorities:

• When you proactively set your priorities and mitigate risks, you’re seen as a leader instead of a follower.
• And when you organize all your questions in one place, you avoid sending multiple emails or pings over the next week.
• If you want to go the extra mile, here’s a tip. For any potential risks or problems you bring up, form a hypothesis of how you might solve them.

1 new idea:

• Bonus points if this idea is something your manager finds inefficient or doesn’t enjoy doing.
• If you can find a solution (or take it off their plate for them), you’re proving that you can take on more responsibility than what’s in your job description. That’s what makes a promotion inevitable.
• (Caveat: Make sure you set healthy boundaries and don’t take on too much extra work at a time. Yes, salary raises are nice. But your health is far more important.)

It’s time to become your own best advocate. The harsh reality? No one will magically realize how incredible of an employee you are. This is especially true for introverted people like me.

Cheers to getting the recognition you deserve. 🙌

Until next week,

Jade

P.S. I want to take a moment to thank every. single. one of you. for joining this community. You've sent me the most incredible DMs and left the kindest reviews about my newsletter. It means the world to me. 🙏

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