When and How to Get a Promotion

Quick! Before the month ends, you'd better ask for that promotion. With the economy perking up, many workers who have been taking on additional responsibilities to compensate for laid off staff might believe its time to seek a little recognition for their efforts. While the timing could well be right to ask for a raise or promotion, certain months are better than others, and the time is ripe in January, according to recent research conducted by LinkedIn.com, a prominent professional networking site with more than 90 million members.

A Buck Consultants survey titled, "Compensation Planning for 2011," found that "More than three-quarters (76%) of organizations that froze pay during the last 18 months have lifted their pay freezes or intend to do so by the end of 2010." The study also notes that workers in the U.S. can expect only modest pay raises this year, although salary increases for 2011 will average 2.8 percent, an increase from the two previous years.