Getting ahead
Pitch the job you'd love
A conversation exercise to turn the work you'd love into something your manager can say yes to
Check the job you'd love against your team's goals, adjust it to fit, and bring one piece of it, or all of it, to your manager in their terms.
- About 20 minutes
- You and your manager
- When you're ready
- Conversation
Why this can work
Your manager can only help with what they know you want, and many people never say it. When you connect what you'd be excited to do with what your manager is responsible for, it stops sounding like a favor and starts sounding like a good idea. You also get to choose how bold to be, from one small change to the whole job.
Read moreHow to pitch a new role to your manager
You’ll come away with one piece of the job you'd love, said out loud in terms your manager cares about.
- Write down the job you'd love, even roughly.
A few lines is enough: the work you'd want more of, the work you'd hand off, and what you wish were part of your job. If you've already written a fuller version, start from that.
- Write down what your manager and team are trying to achieve.
Their goals this year, what success looks like for the team, and where the work you'd love might sit. If you can't fill this in, that's your first question for them.
Tip: Look beyond your own team too. The work you'd love might sit closer to another group's goals.
- Be honest about whether it could exist here, and adjust it.
Read your description against those goals. Which parts clearly help? Which would only help you? Reshape it to fit what the organization needs, and set aside what doesn't fit, for now. Adjusting isn't settling; it's how a first piece gets onto your plate.
- Pick your step on the ladder, and say it in their terms.
The smallest step is bringing one kind of work you'd like more of into a 1:1. The next is a trade: something you'd take on for something you'd hand off. The boldest is walking your manager through the whole description. Whichever you choose, lead with what you'd be excited to do and connect it to what they're responsible for. For example: I'm at my best when I'm talking to customers, and more of it could help with the retention goal. Could I join a few calls this quarter?
To: your managerI'd like to use part of our next 1:1 to talk about the kind of work I'd be excited to do more of.
I've noticed I do my best work when I'm the work you love. I think more of it could help with a goal your team owns, because how it helps.
If there's room, I'd happily start with one small step and see how it goes.
Swap the highlighted parts for your thing. Works on Slack, in email, or said out loud.Tip: Send a short note a day ahead so they come to the 1:1 having thought about it.
- Ask why, and keep the door open.
If it's yes, agree a first step and a date to check in. If it's no or not now, ask what would need to change, then mention it again when things do.
You“What would need to be true for this to make sense for the team?”
Good times to repeat it: once you know what you'd love to do more ofat the start of a planning cyclea few months after a no
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
They're busy running the team that exists. Work that blends your interests with a team need is often something they'd welcome but wouldn't have had time to design.
What might make this harder
Ask about them first, in a separate conversation. It's hard to pitch into goals you're guessing at, and asking is useful on its own.
Questions people ask
How do I tell my manager what I want to do more of?
Name one kind of work you'd be excited to do more of, then say how it would help something your manager is responsible for. A short note ahead of a 1:1 tends to go better than raising it on the spot.
Can I create my own role at my company?
Sometimes. It's most likely when the role clearly helps team or company goals and you've already shown some of the work. Taking on one piece first is often how new roles begin.
What if my manager says no to a new role?
Ask why and what would need to be true for it to make sense. A no is often about timing, budget or priorities rather than you, and those change.
How do I ask for more interesting work without sounding ungrateful?
Talk about what you'd be excited to do rather than what you'd rather avoid, and connect it to the team's goals. Offering to hand something off in exchange helps too.
Why this works, and where it comes from
The next job can feel like something that happens to you. A role opens, someone gets picked, and the picking seems to happen somewhere out of sight. In practice, the next job often goes to the person who said clearly what they'd be excited to do. Not because saying it is a trick, but because a manager can't match you to work they don't know you want.
From your manager's side, it looks different than you might expect. They answer to goals someone else set, and their week is already full. A request that arrives as I want more is one more thing to manage. The same request framed as here's something I'd love to do, and here's how it helps what you're on the hook for, is a solution. That's why the goals come first. When what you'd love lines up with what they need, your advocacy lands as welcome rather than out of the blue.
The honest check matters as much as the pitch. Some jobs can't exist at some companies: the budget isn't there, the strategy points elsewhere, the work belongs to another team. Reshaping the description to fit is not giving up on it. Roles that didn't exist often start as one piece someone asked for. And if the answer really is no, you haven't wasted anything; you've learned where to look next.
Timing matters, too. If your manager is brand new, the team is mid-reorg, or you've just had a difficult review, spend a few weeks learning their goals and delivering on what's in front of you, and pitch later. Wanting more pay for the same work is a separate conversation, with its own preparation.
Other simple things to consider
What to do next
More in Getting ahead
Never lose the proof of your work
Do it with Truest and it goes on your permanent record, in a Career Vault your employer doesn’t own.
See how Truest worksAlready a member? Log in- A living page in your VaultKeep it as one page you add to, next to your reviews and your files.
- A reminder beforePut it on your calendar and Truest reminds you before it starts.
- On your recordWhen it's done, it goes on your record with your priorities and progress.
Read this alongside your role page
Tell Truest what you’re dealing with
We read every one, and we write guides for the things that come up most. Leave your email if you’d like to hear when we do.
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.