A promotion is the best thing to happen to everyone in the world of jobs because it comes with the perks of a new title to add to the resume, a new step to new opportunities, and also proof that as an employee you are doing your job well and putting in all effort.

But when a promotion comes without a raise it becomes trickier because you get stuck in the middle of being promoted to new levels and the income not increasing.

In Lauren McGoodwin’s article, an American author and founder of Career Contessa, an online career blog, says that in this sense, accepting a promotion without a raise at your current company feeds into a longer-term strategy that will be beneficial when you apply for new jobs.

"Use your new title as leverage to apply to more senior roles at other companies. Not only are you going to be able to apply to new positions at other companies, but you will also be able to negotiate higher starting salaries that are often associated with senior roles,” her article states.

Jonathan Isheja, a product manager, says that promotion without a raise is always better than a raise without a promotion because that’s a way of knowing that your career is advancing.

"A promotion is a way of moving you closer to your dreams, it is the only way to shape a path for your goals. Imagine you have always wanted to be a manager and currently, you are a simple employee earning more than the manager but getting offered that position, would you decline? You would not because that has been your dream and it is certainly one way to build your career, so accepting a promotion without a raise is not a wrong move but a smart one because that promotion may generate a big income you don’t know later in life,” he says.

According to Marriane Uwimana, a data analyst in an IT office, you should reject a promotion when you feel it is not what you want.

"Sometimes not all promotions are really important, and sometimes the position you are in is where you should be. Promotion is very exciting but not one to rush into, you might want to jump into a promotion that will not add any skills to those you already had or that may not drive you to success and yet you can learn a lot where. It is best to first think hard about it, is this what I want? Does the income match the efforts I will use? Or am I going to potentially reach somewhere in this position?” she says.

When to take the promotion without a raise

It can be hard to accept a promotion when the income is very little and yet maybe you had dreams of an income increment. There are always reasons to accept a promotion without a raise, let’s explore them:

According to Yanna Uwase, a senior manager, accepting a new promotion means that you will be attending important meetings, and interacting a lot with your boss.

"Important meetings are where you get to showcase your ideas, it is a place to let other staff know that you are capable and have potential, and also being able to interact with your boss a lot is a chance to learn from them and sell yourself if you are aiming higher,” she says.

Lauren McGoodwin’s article also implies that with a new title comes new responsibilities. As you take on new tasks and projects, you will gain new skills or even sharpen skills you already had.

"For example, if your promotion comes with a team that now works under you, you are most likely learning new leadership, delegation, and management skills that are great assets to your long-term career. By having additional responsibilities, you are exercising new skills and learning more about your strengths and weaknesses in the process,” the article notes.

When not to accept the promotion without a raise

Victorio the Associate SEO Director at RingCentral, a global leader in cloud-based communications and collaboration solutions, shared some reasons not to accept a promotion without a raise:

When you don't want to spend any extra time at work.

When you don’t want to take on extra travel.

When you like your current job and don't want to climb that career ladder.

When you want to spend more time on your side hustle or start-up.

When you're not ready.