How to be promoted... FAST!
During the last months, you worked really hard, hit all the deadlines, and had an impact on your company! You feel that now you’re ready for a promotion but… you have no idea how it works!
Today I’ll tell you exactly how promotions usually work and how you can do your homework to maximize the probabilities of success.
First of all, keep in mind that the promotion process changes a lot based on your company policies and culture. The Google promotion process will be completely different from the MoneyPenShop promotion process.
Usually, if the company is big enough you will find some useful documents in the internal wiki.
The first document you need to read is the Promotion Policy.
Inside this policy, you will find all the info that you need regarding being promoted in the company.
What if my company doesn’t have a well-defined Promotion Policy? This can happen if you’re in a startup or in a smaller company. That’s not a problem, the promotion process in this case will be more informal.
Personally, a mature enough company must make explicit the promotion process, so that everyone interested can read what needs to be done.
The normal promotion process happens right after a Performance Review. Also in this case, in your company’s wiki, you should find how the performance review works. You will probably find some information like:
How many times per year the company will run a Performance Review (usually, once or twice per year)
What people are involved? For example, in my perf review, I will be involved since I’ll create a self-assessment, but also my peers and my manager as well will give me feedback about my work
What artifacts will be generated? A perf review usually generates a few artifacts. First of all, you will create a self-assessment. Then you will receive feedback of your manager and at the end you will create a growth plan
If you’re not able to find any of these documents, for me that’s a red flag. Stay with me until the end to know what to do in case you find too many red flags!
If you want to be promoted, you will probably need to create a Promotion Package. The promotion package is a document that outlines all the reasons why you deserve a promotion. You will add for example all the things you did that had a measurable impact on the project you’re working on. The promotion package is always created with your manager.
Then, a committee will review your promotion package and they will come back to you with feedback. In this case, two things can happen:
You will be promoted. In this case, congrats! Or…
You will not be promoted, but the committee will tell you what you need to work on to reach your goal on the next performance review
In case you don’t receive any feedback, that’s a red flag!
Alright, now that you know more or less how it works, let’s dive into practice!
The first thing to do is to make your manager aware of your goal. In your next 1:1 with your line manager explain to her that your goal is to be promoted during the next performance review and ask for feedback.
Your manager usually has way more context than you and can give open and honest feedback about your job in the organization.
Timing is everything when it comes to discussing promotions. Ideally, you want to initiate these conversations when your contributions are most visible and valuable to the company. A prime opportunity is right after you've successfully completed a significant project, where your efforts have had a measurable impact on the company's success.
Another opportune moment is during strategic planning periods when the company is looking ahead and determining its future needs. Engaging in discussions about your career advancement during these times aligns your aspirations with the company's growth.
Once your manager is aware of your goal there are a few possibilities:
Your manager is happy with your decision and will help you during the process of being promoted. This is the best case. Your manager trusts you and believes you have all the right cards in your hands to be promoted.
What normally happens in this case is that your manager will give you more information about how promotions usually work in the company. You will start preparing together a Promotion Package and your manager will advocate for you!
Your manager gives you honest feedback: you’re not ready yet to be promoted. That’s also fine. Maybe you overestimated your skills, or you don’t have a clear enough vision of the company’s requirements. It is not ideal when someone tells you that you’re not ready. I know that sensation. But trust me, at that moment your manager did you a big favor.
What you have to do in this case, as a follow-up to this feedback, is to create together a growth plan. You will set together SMART goals that help you go in the direction of promotion in one year or more. It all depends on your starting point and your speed of improvement
The worst thing that can happen is receiving less or no feedback from your manager. If she is not engaged with you for a long period, if she doesn’t seem to care about your career growth, that’s a huge red flag. Without the support of your manager, the chances of being promoted are way lower.
Hey! Before we continue, this newsletter is sponsored by…. Myself! (yes, my Ego is bigger than you can think). If you liked this post, please invest a few minutes in sending me a message on LinkedIn, so that I know I’m going in the right direction :D
To summarize, in a healthy environment, what should happen is either you have a career growth plan to reach your goal in a specific timeframe, or you will try to go for promotion in the next performance review cycle.
Something else you should do is evaluate at what frequency people are promoted in your organization. For example, in my company, every time people are promoted there is an announcement. Also, by checking on LinkedIn you can see if your colleagues changed roles during the years. If you’re not able to find any info about people being promoted, this can be a sign that the company is stagnant.
Alright, now it’s time for the tough question: “What if I recognize multiple red flags?”
I know we both know the answer, but is slightly more complex than that.
There are two possible problems:
Your manager doesn’t advocate for you - around there are bad managers
Your organization doesn’t provide a way to progress in your career
Let’s say that you are in the first case but you really like your company. You’re happy with what you do, your colleagues are fantastic, and you want to work on the same problem or product. If the company is big enough, you can evaluate a team change, and so, a manager change. Sometimes you’re just working with the wrong manager and since she can have a huge impact on your career growth, don’t hesitate too much if you notice that she doesn’t care about you.
The second option, in case your company is unhealthy from this point of view, is looking around for other opportunities. In case you want to be promoted to a more senior role, you may want to find a company that is looking for someone like you.
Being promoted in your company, or joining a new company at a higher level are both valid ways to progress in your career.
Now that you have all the knowledge you need to be promoted, the time to act is now. Don't wait for the perfect moment. Schedule that 1:1 meeting with your manager as soon as you can. Remember, every step you take, from drafting your promotion package to timing your conversations, is a step closer to realizing your ambitions.
P.s. this is the first newsletter I’m sending, so sorry folks in case something is odd or misconfigured. I feel like a boomer at this moment trying to use a new tool. In case you notice anything weird, please let me know :)