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iQuestions Faculty, Pat Gelsinger 
 
 
Question: 
 
How often should you discuss a raise or promotion with your 
supervisor? 
 
Answer:  
 
How often is it appropriate to have the discussion about a raise or a 
promotion with your boss? 
 
Often, companies have regular policies for that, where, on a yearly 
basis, you might have a review or you might have a discussion about 
salaries and grade levels—and thus, having that conversation on a 
yearly basis. 
 
Every single time that I’ve talked to my boss and I have that yearly 
review with him, I always ask the same question: “So, what’s it take 
me to be to the next level? What do you see in me today that I have 
to work on to get to that next level?” 
 
I don’t ask for promotions very often—in fact, I never have—but as 
I’ve gone through the years, I’ve made it very clear that I want to get 
to the next level. I’m going to work hard, I’m going to improve myself 
to get to the next level.  
 
And usually, about a yearly performance conversation with your boss 
is right. Over the course of the year, you should talk about some of 
the things that you agreed upon. “Oh. I need to work on my 
teamwork. I need to work on this particular skill. I need to work on 
this area of public speaking or how I work with the project team in this 
way,” and you got those assignments clearly laid out, and get in touch 
 
 
with him on the course of the year—“How am I doing?”—get feedback 
on those areas. 
 
But then, probably about once a year, you want to have a real heart-
to-heart about everything that you’re doing—how you’re doing in your 
assignment, what is required at the next level—and then those tough 
topics of salary and grade level, that’s the appropriate time to bring 
those up as well. 
 
Gelsinger -2- 
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