Weddingbee boards

Wait, are you asking for a promotion or a job reclassification?  Because, technically, you should be doing things outside your job decription for only very limited periods of time (like 5% of your daily work load).  If she expects you to do a bunch of stuff outside your job description, that would be considered a reclassification of your position, which is a lot messier/takes a lot more time (i.e. she probably doesn't want to get into that process).

If you are asking for a promotion, I think it really depends on how you're asking.  You should bring in a copy of the job description for the position you're currently in and the position you want to be in.  Then show her how you qualify for the new position (i.e. I have these certifcations, I have these skills, etc... that are required for this new job).  Plus, I would let her know what you're bringing to the table in regards to improving the company more from the new position than you can currently do from the old position.  I also think it's helpful to bring in past evaluations, memos from co-workers commenting on your work, training/achievement certifications, etc... proving that you are ready to move on.

Honestly, like ejs said, there might be a lot more reasons why your boss can't promote you right now.  There might be limitations on how many people can be in that position, they might not be able to afford the pay raise, or maybe she just really doesn't think you are ready yet. 

If it were me, I wouldn't give up.  I would go back into that office totally prepared with all of my research and materials.  If she still turns you down for the promotion, ask her for a detailed performance improvement plan.  You two should sit down together to create a plan that will allow you to move up in a year or so by making specific improvements in performance or skill.  If she still puts up a fuss, then I might reconsider going to HR to complain or quitting.  But it's hard to get a job in this economy, so I think I would put in a lot of effort first before quitting.

Huh, has she given you specific performance-based reasons on what you can do to improve/prepare for the higher position?  Like moderndaisy said, promotions are political.  If she isn't willing to help you prepare to move up to the next level, it sounds like there is a problem with the company, not with you.  Sometimes companies promote an employee because of political reasons, but it becomes really messy unless they give everyone the same treatment.  On the other hand, "senior" typically denotes the leadership position in the department, so even if 3 other people have moved up that position lately they might not be able to move you up because of limitations on how many people can actually have as a "senior asscoiate" at one time.  I would ask her how many openings there are for "senior associate" in your department because she might be telling you the truth about why she can't promote you.

If your boss can't or won't help you create a plan on how to move up, I would consider talking to your HR department.  Depending on the size of your company, you might even have a compensation and classification analyst you can go talk to, maybe even an analyst specifically for your department.  HR would be able to give you concrete reasons on why you haven't been moved up, or they'll be able to do an investigation in order to determine whether you should move up or not.  Don't give up yet, though! You still have a lot of options to try out before quitting!

Oh, I should add that I use standard comp & class terms in my posts, but like ejs said, different companies word things differently.  So you might have a little variation in terms and ideas, but the general processes should be the same.

ETA:  I changed my first part a little after reading your latest post.