How to Get a Promotion or Raise in Your First Job

You have been in your first job for a while. You see your peers on LinkedIn announcing promotions. You wonder if you should be having that conversation too, and if so, when, and how.

Most generic guides answer with a list of “10 steps to your first promotion” written for the US market or for senior professionals. They miss the things that actually matter for a graduate hire in the Netherlands. The difference between a title change and a contract conversion. The timing of the annual review cycle. What is realistic in years 1, 2, and 3 specifically.

This guide covers all of that. The four flavours of progression. The NL review calendar. What moves the needle. How to have the conversation. And what to do if the answer is no.

TL;DR

"Promotion" covers four different things: title change, scope expansion, salary increase, and contract conversion (fixed-term to permanent). They run on different timelines and need different conversations.

Most NL graduate hires will not get a title promotion in Year 1. Year 2 is the realistic first shot at a junior-to-medior step. Year 3 is when something is wrong if nothing has moved.

Annual review timing matters. Most NL employers run reviews in November to January, with raises effective January or April. Calling the meeting in February is too late. November is the sweet spot.

CAO and Rijksoverheid jobs have step-based progression that runs separately from any promotion conversation. Private sector is more open, but also less predictable.

When graduates say “I want a promotion,” they usually mean one of four things, sometimes more than one at once. Disentangling them is the first step.

1. Title change

A formal step up in the job ladder. Junior Analyst to Analyst. Trainee Consultant to Consultant. Associate to Senior Associate. Most company ladders have a clear sequence and an internal timeline (often two to three years per step in the early career).

In Year 1, this is rare. Most NL graduate ladders expect 18 to 24 months at the entry level before a title change. The exception is structured traineeships (ORMIT, banking traineeships, public-sector trainees) that build a fixed promotion into the programme design.

2. Scope expansion

Same title, bigger work. You start owning a project end-to-end instead of being the support on it. You become the team's go-to for X. You take a junior under your wing.

This is the most common Year-One progression in NL graduate roles, and the one most candidates underestimate. Scope expansion is what builds the case for a future title change. It also signals to the company that you are growing into more responsibility, which is what gets you considered when the next opportunity opens.

3. Salary increase

More money, with or without a title or scope change. In NL, this can come from three different mechanisms. A CAO step (automatic, in CAO sectors). A Rijksoverheid trede increase (largely automatic in the public sector). Or a discretionary merit raise (in private-sector jobs without a CAO).

The mechanics matter, because if you are in a CAO sector, your raise is partly already on a schedule and not entirely up to your manager. We cover this in Section 3.

4. Contract conversion (fixed-term to permanent)

This is the one most international graduates miss. NL graduate hires often start on a fixed-term contract (12 months is common, 7 months also seen). Whether that contract gets converted to permanent at the end is a major decision in your career. It usually carries a more meaningful bump in stability than a title change at the same stage.

The conversion is governed by Dutch law (the ketenregeling, or chain rule), and the timing is partly fixed by that law. We cover this in Section 3 too.

The four flavours

A title change is a formal step up in the job ladder. Year 2 is the realistic first shot — Year 1 is unusual outside structured traineeships. To push for it, build the track record first, then raise it formally at the annual review with examples in hand.

A scope expansion is the same title with bigger work or more ownership. Year 1 is when this happens most, and it continues through years 2 and 3. To push for it, volunteer for owned outcomes and tell your manager what you want next.

A salary increase is more money, sometimes with a title or scope change attached. It follows the annual cycle, and on CAO and public-sector contracts the steps are largely automatic. To push for it, time the conversation around the review cycle (see Section 3).

A contract conversion is when your fixed-term contract (tijdelijk) becomes permanent (vast). It is triggered by your contract end date, often in months 11-12 of a 12-month contract. Raise it two to three months before the contract ends, not after.

These are not separate tracks. A strong Year 1 of scope expansion is what makes the Year 2 title change conversation easy. A signed permanent contract is what makes a Year 2 salary push credible.

Most NL employers run a once-a-year compensation review. According to recent compensation research, around 45% run annual reviews and 27% run two cycles per year. The cycle determines when raises and promotions are decided, and that decision is locked in months before you see the result on your payslip.

Private sector (most common)

The typical cycle: planning and budget agreed in Q3 (September to October). Performance reviews in November to December. Calibration meetings in January. Adjusted salaries effective from January or April depending on the company.

What that means for you: the conversation about your raise or promotion needs to happen in October or November at the latest. By February, the budget is locked, the calibration meetings are done, and the answer for this cycle is already decided. You can still ask, but you are asking about the next cycle.

Bi-annual cycles

Around a quarter of NL employers run two cycles per year, often April and October. If you are at one of these, you have two windows instead of one. Find out which months from HR or your manager. The same logic applies: the conversation happens 1-2 months before the decision is made, not after.

CAO sectors

Many NL sectors are covered by Collective Labour Agreements (CAOs) that include automatic step progression. Banking has its own CAO. Metalektro covers manufacturing. Horeca covers hospitality. Uitzendkrachten covers temp work. If you are in a CAO sector, your salary likely steps up automatically each year as long as your performance is rated as meeting standards. Most CAOs run their cycle in line with the calendar year, with new scales taking effect January 1.

CAO step increases are not the same as a promotion. They reflect your time in role at the same level. A promotion to a higher level (and therefore a higher CAO scale) is still a separate conversation.

Rijksoverheid (public sector)

If you are at a ministerie, gemeente, or other government body, you are on the Rijksoverheid schalen system. Each role has a salarisschaal, and within that schaal there are treden (steps). The default is one trede increase per year as long as your performance is satisfactory. An exceptional performance review can earn an extra trede. Once you reach the top trede in your schaal, the automatic progression stops.

Moving to a higher schaal is a separate process and is what counts as a promotion in the public sector. It usually requires a different role or a formally evaluated step up in responsibility.

Year 1: contract and scope

The realistic Year 1 outcomes: scope expansion, possibly a CAO step or merit raise, and (most consequentially) a contract conversion if you started on a fixed-term.

Title change is uncommon. Don't see this as a problem. Year 1 is when you build the track record that makes Year 2 conversations easy. Strong Year 1 evidence beats premature Year 1 ambition almost every time.

If you started on a 12-month fixed-term contract, the contract conversation will happen around month 9 or 10. Dutch law requires the employer to notify you at least one month before the contract ends whether they will extend or not (the aanzegverplichting). Use that month to push for permanent if you want it.

Year 2: first real shot at title

If you have built up scope in Year 1, Year 2 is when the title change becomes a fair conversation. Many NL ladders expect 18 to 24 months at the entry level, so a Year 2 review is the natural moment for the junior-to-medior step.

Year 2 also tends to come with a more meaningful raise than Year 1. The rough NL benchmark for a strong Year 2 raise (private sector, no formal title change) is 4-7% above inflation; with a title change attached, it can be 10-15% in some sectors. CAO sectors have set scales, so the range there is whatever the next step pays.

If you had a permanent contract from the start, this is also the year your first real merit-only raise kicks in. The first review at most NL employers happens around your one-year mark, but the bigger structural raise tends to come at year two.

Year 3: the path either materialises or it does not

By Year 3, you should be having concrete conversations about what comes after the medior step. If you are still in the same role with the same title and your manager cannot articulate what your next step looks like, that is a signal. Either the path forward exists here and you are due, or it does not and you should be looking elsewhere.

Year 3 is also when the salary growth from staying loyal to one employer typically falls behind the salary growth available from changing jobs. NL data is similar to other European markets here: an internal raise of 4-5% is normal, an external move can carry 10-20%. That is not a reason to leave, but it is a number to know.

Visible owned outcomes

The single strongest signal in Year 1 to 3 is owning a project or workstream end-to-end and delivering it. Not contributing to one. Owning one. The named person on the email when something goes well, and the named person on the email when something goes wrong.

In a graduate role, the owned outcome can be small. A weekly report you took over and improved. A client call you now run alone. A piece of tooling you built and others now use. The size matters less than the ownership.

Going past the brief, in the direction the team is going

Doing exactly what was asked is the floor. Doing what was asked plus the next 20% (the analysis no one asked for, the small fix you noticed, the slide that anticipates the question) is what gets noticed at calibration meetings.

The qualifier matters: “in the direction the team is going.” Going past the brief in a random direction looks like distraction. Going past the brief on the thing the team or the company is already pushing on looks like initiative.

Becoming the go-to for something

In a team of 8, being known as “the person who really gets X” is worth more than a 90th-percentile generalist score. Pick one thing your team needs, that you can credibly become the in-house expert on, and become it. A specific tool, a specific process, a specific client, a specific data source. One thing.

Receiving feedback well

This is more important in Dutch workplaces than in many others. Dutch workplace culture values direct feedback, and managers test how a junior takes it as much as they test the work itself. Pushing back on every piece of critical feedback marks you as someone who won't grow. Visibly taking it on board, fixing the thing, and not making the same mistake twice marks you as someone worth investing in.

(For more on Dutch directness in feedback specifically: [LINK PLACEHOLDER: post #4 Understanding Dutch Workplace Culture].)

Building the paper trail

At calibration time, your manager has to make the case for you. They are not just relying on memory; they are pulling from emails, performance notes, and 1:1 documents. If you have done good work that nobody wrote down, it is much harder to cite. Practical move: keep a short running document of what you owned, what you delivered, and any feedback you received. Send your manager a brief written check-in every quarter or so. They will copy from it directly into the review.

Anti-pattern: asking before there is a track record

The fastest way to slow your own progression is to ask for a promotion before there is concrete work to point to. “I think I'm ready” is not a case. “I owned X, delivered Y, the team now relies on me for Z” is. If you cannot list three or four specific things, you are not ready to ask, and asking will set the conversation back.

These are not scripts to memorise. They are starting structures. Adjust to your relationship and your specific case.

The temperature check (mid-cycle)

Use this 4-6 months into a review cycle, well before any decision is made. The goal is not to ask for anything. The goal is to find out where you stand and what you would need to do to be in line for what you want.

Frame: “I'd like to use part of our 1:1 to talk about my development. I'm thinking about [title change / scope / contract / raise] in the [next review / next 6 months]. Could we discuss what would need to be in place for that to be a real conversation when we get there?”

This is low-stakes. Your manager hears it as you taking your own development seriously, which is a positive signal in itself. You leave with a clearer picture of what you need to demonstrate in the months before the formal review.

The formal review (in cycle)

This is the actual ask, in the meeting where decisions are made. By this point, your manager already knows what you want, because you raised it 4-6 months earlier. The formal review is where you make the case explicitly and tie it to the work.

Frame: “I think the work this year supports [the title change / a salary increase of X / contract conversion]. The specific evidence I'd point to is [project A I owned, outcome B I delivered, capability C I built]. I'd like to understand whether that lands the same way for you, and if not, what's missing.”

Keep it short. The case is in the work, not the speech. The longer you spend pitching yourself, the more nervous it sounds.

(For salary specifically, including how to back the number with NL market data: [LINK PLACEHOLDER: post #14 Salary Negotiation for Your First Job].)

The contract conversion conversation

This is its own beast and worth treating separately. If your fixed-term contract is approaching its end (typically the last 2-3 months), you need to know whether the company plans to extend or convert.

Frame: “My current contract ends on [date]. I want to flag that I'm interested in continuing here on a permanent basis. Could we discuss what the plan looks like from your side, and whether there's anything you need from me before that decision is made?”

If the conversation gets vague (“we haven't decided yet”, “it depends on budget”), push for a specific date by which you'll know. The aanzegverplichting requires the employer to give you written notice at least one month before the contract ends, but “I'll know in a month” is not a great answer if you're trying to plan.

Year 2+ ask: pushing for the title

By Year 2, the conversation can go from “what would I need to do” to “what I have done.” The shape is the same as the formal review, but with more accumulated evidence and a more direct ask.

Frame: “Based on the last 18 months, I think I'm operating at the [target] level. I'd like to formalise that with the title and salary that match. Specifically: [evidence]. What's the path to making this happen in this review?”

If your manager agrees but says budget or process needs to catch up, that is a different conversation than disagreement on the merits. Get clarity on which it is.

Most graduates in their first job worry about the wrong things. Year-One slowness is almost always normal. Year-Three slowness, with no clear path, is often a real signal.

Slow progression that is normal

• Year 1 with no title change. Standard.
• Year 1 raise of 0-3% beyond CAO or step movement. Standard, particularly in your first review where the company is mostly checking that you should keep the seat.
• Your peers from a different team or different programme moving at different speeds. Different ladders move at different speeds for reasons that have nothing to do with you.
• Feeling unsure whether you are doing well. Most graduates feel this in Year 1, including the ones who are doing very well.

Signals that something is actually wrong

• Year 3, same title, no clear answer when you ask what comes next.
• A pattern of vague feedback. “You're doing fine” every quarter without specifics is not feedback; it usually means your manager doesn't have a strong view, and that's a problem for your case at calibration.
• Repeated promises that don't materialise. “Next review” for two reviews in a row, with no concrete change in what's blocking it.
• Public reorganisation that quietly removes your path. If your team's structure is being flattened or merged and the medior role isn't on the new chart, that's a structural problem, not a performance one.
• Your manager actively avoiding development conversations. Different from a manager who's just bad at them; this is the one who reschedules them or makes them very short.

What to do with these signals

None of them is a panic button. They are reasons to start exploring. Talking to recruiters, looking at roles in similar companies, or having coffee with someone whose career trajectory you admire is not disloyalty. It is information gathering. If your current job turns out to be the right place after all, you will appreciate the comparison. If it does not, you will have started early enough to move thoughtfully.

(For the broader question of whether to leave: [LINK PLACEHOLDER: post #16 What to Do If You Don't Know What Career Path to Take].)

Don't react in the meeting

If the answer is no, or partial yes, your job in the meeting is small. Thank them. Ask the right follow-up question. Don't commit to anything. “What would I need to be doing differently to be in line for this in the next cycle?” is the right question.

Resist the urge to argue the case again. You already made the case. The reasoning has already happened. What matters now is what you do in the months after.

Get the development plan in writing

Within a week of the meeting, send a short follow-up email. Summarise what was discussed and what you understood the next steps to be. “To make sure I'm on the same page: the things I'd focus on for the next cycle are X, Y, Z, and we'll revisit at the next review.”

This serves two purposes. First, it surfaces any misalignment now, while it's still possible to fix. Second, it creates the paper trail you'll need if the next conversation goes the same way.

If “not yet” becomes “not” twice

Two consecutive review cycles with the same answer and no concrete change in what's blocking it is a real signal. At that point, the question is whether you want to stay anyway (sometimes the role and team are still right, even without the formal step), or whether you want to start looking.

Looking elsewhere is not the same as leaving. Many people who interview elsewhere end up staying, with better information about what they're actually worth and what other places offer. The interviews themselves are useful career data.

On using a competing offer as leverage

Some guides recommend interviewing elsewhere mainly to get a competing offer for negotiation. Be careful with this in early career.

First, the leverage from a competing offer at year 1-2 is often weaker than candidates expect; employers know graduate-level offers are easier to replace. Second, walking into your manager's office with a competing offer and asking them to match it can damage the relationship even if they do match it. Once you've shown you'll only stay for more money, the relationship has shifted.

The smarter version: interview elsewhere to learn what the market actually pays and what your real options are. If you find a role that's genuinely better, take it. If you don't, use what you learned to make a stronger internal case at the next cycle, without bringing up the offer at all.

The promotion conversation is mostly preparation. The meeting itself is the visible part of work that should already have been done in the months before.

Aurora, GradGuide's free AI career coach, can help you prepare. Walk through your specific situation (year, contract type, sector). Build the case in concrete language. Role-play the meeting before you have it for real. Draft the follow-up email so the development plan is in writing.