Something to doCompensation
Ask what would make them glad to pay you more
A standing question to learn what your company values, so pay conversations start from evidence
Why it’s worth your time
Promotions and bigger raises tend to follow work already being done at the next level, not come before it. Asking early tells you what to aim at, in the terms the decision is actually made in.
How to ask your manager what it takes to get paid more
You’ll come away with the two or three things your company would pay more for, in its own words.
We’ll turn this into a checklist you can tick off.
- Pick a quiet moment, not a pay moment.
An ordinary 1:1, months before reviews or budget season. Asked with nothing riding on it, the question reads as curiosity rather than a negotiation.
Tip: If your last raise was recent, wait, unless it was far off the mark or your job has changed a lot since.
- Ask the question.You“I'd like to understand what my work would need to look like for the company to be excited about paying me more. I'm not asking for anything right now. I just want to aim at the right things.”
- Ask why, and ask for an example.
First answers tend to be general. Ask what someone at the next level does that you don't yet, and what the company actually measures.
You“Who's a good example of that here, and what did it look like when they did it?” - Do it, and keep the receipts.
Pick one or two things you heard and start now. Write down what you did, when, and what came of it, with numbers where you have them.
Tip: Keep it in one place you add to. When the pay conversation comes, you'll be describing work you've done, not work you promise to do.
- Send a short recap and set a check-in.
A few lines on what you heard and what you're focusing on, with a date to talk again. It shows you listened and gives you both something to come back to.
To: your managerThanks for talking through what the company looks for. Here's what I took away: the two or three things you heard.
I'm going to focus on the one you're starting with over the next few months. Could we check in on how it's going around a month or so before the next review?
Swap the highlighted parts for your thing. Works on Slack, in email, or said out loud.
Good moments for this: a few months before each pay cycleafter a new manager or a reorgwhen your role changes
We’ll turn this into a checklist you can tick off.
Keep going with Truest
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Making it work for you
Every workplace is different. Here’s what to think about before you start, and what might get in the way.
Things to think about
Who decides, when budgets are set, whether there are bands or a stated philosophy. Your manager may have less say than you'd think, and knowing that changes what you ask them for.
What might make this harder
Ask who it is up to and how the process works. Then ask what they'd need from you to make a case to that person.
Questions people ask
How do I ask my manager what it takes to get paid more?
In a regular 1:1, well before any pay cycle, ask what your work would need to look like for the company to be excited to pay you more. Say you're not asking for anything now. Then ask for an example.
When is the right time to talk about pay with my manager?
Months before reviews or budget season, when nothing is riding on it.
Is it okay to ask about pay without asking for a raise?
Yes. Asking what the company values, with no request attached, tends to read as curiosity and ambition. It also tells you what to aim at before you do ask.
Why this works, and where it comes from
Most people think of pay as a negotiation that happens once a year. From the company's side, it looks more like a bet. Paying more for work it can already see is a safe bet; paying in the hope someone grows into it is a riskier one. That's why the work tends to come first. It isn't a trick or a slight. It's how most pay systems are built to protect themselves.
Seen that way, the question does two jobs. It tells you what the company would actually pay for, in the terms the decision gets made in. And it changes how the whole subject feels. When pay is something they're doing to you, every decision stings. When it's a system with rules you can learn, you can work within it. A pay decision usually says more about the company's needs than about your worth.
Asked early and more than once, it also changes the eventual conversation. Your manager has watched you aim at what they described, and you have the receipts. The ask becomes a recap of work they already know about, rather than a pitch for work they'll have to take on trust.
Skip this if you're already paid well below the market for the work you do today. Then a standing question can turn into a way of waiting. Bring the evidence and have the direct conversation instead.
Other simple things to consider
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An exercise written by Truest, based on our experience. Last updated September 25, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.