Should you be promoted? - MAC026

As we approach the end of the calendar year, it's the time of year when many employees are evaluated against their goals and considered for merit increases and potentially promotions.  Have you positioned yourself to be one of the ones to be promoted this year?  Let's take a look.

The first question you have to ask yourself is whether you are ready for a promotion.  Early in your career, this primarily means mastering your current role and having "paid your dues" in terms of time.  Later in your career, you will need to continue to exhibit mastery of your current role, but also begin to show signs of leadership and eventually to show that you are capable of the next role.  Review Episode 017 - The Corporate Ladder for more details on this progression.

If you've mastered your current role and are starting to take on projects with a larger scope and a bigger impact to the company, you may feel like you've done everything you need to do to be promoted.  If your promotion is solely within the control of your manager, this may even be enough.  As I mentioned in Episode 17, being in a specific level (junior, mid-level, or senior) may have multiple titles such as "Analyst 1" and "Analyst 2".  These "in-level" types of promotion are often solely at the discretion of your manager.  If that is the case, just by doing "more" you can often justify the promotion.  But, when the promotion is across levels, the decisions are often considered by a larger committee.

Moving between levels becomes a harder task.  Think of the levels as a pyramid.  There is one CEO.  There are a handful of Chief "something" Officers that report to the CEO.  There are slightly more Presidents and Vice-Presidents.  And so forth and so on.  Transitioning between levels often means competing against all of the other candidates.  And the higher the level, there are more candidates competing for fewer roles.  You may even need someone ahead of you to leave a role -- either through promotion or leaving the company -- to even have an opportunity for a promotion.

So, when the next promotion is one that moves you from one tier to another, the next question you have to ask yourself is whether you've done enough to be promoted.  Beyond just mastering your role and taking on larger projects, you need help your manager make a strong case.  When there are ten people competing for two promotions, you need to be the "obvious" choice.

What does it mean to do "enough" to be promoted?  How can you help your manager make a strong case?  I think there are six things to consider.

Are you visible?  Have you engaged with other teams in your organization in such a way that the other members of the committee know who you are?  Do you attend and participate in corporate events and work on your networking?  If your name is brought up to the committee, you don't want them saying "Who?" you want them saying "Oh!  Them!".  Having multiple champions in the room increase the chances that you receive the promotion over the other candidates.

Have you shown value?  Most companies are for-profit entities.  Have you shown how your work contributes to this profit either by increasing revenue or decreasing expenses?  Project assignments plays some part in this, but if you are performing well, you will typically be assigned more and more valuable projects.  And if you are specifically trying for a promotion, you should be requesting those projects that allow you to provide the most value.

Do you bring something unique?  As I mentioned, you're competing against others in a similar position.  What makes you a stronger candidate than them?  Have you brought something unique to the role?  New approaches?  Stronger decision making skills?  Better leadership?  What sets you apart from everyone else?

Have you expressed interest in the next level?  This may seem simple, but have you communicated with your leader that you feel like you are ready for a promotion?  When the leader has to make a case before a committee, it may feel to them like a lot of work.  If they aren't being pressed for a promotion, even if they submit your name, they may not put the same level of effort into making a case before the committee.  By expressing your desire, they are more likely to put together a stronger statement for why you should be considered for a promotion.

Is your company or group growing or shrinking?  It's far easier to receive a promotion during times of growth than it is during tougher times.  If your company is growing, there is often higher budgets for promotions; there are also often more projects needing more leaders.  If your company is stagnant or struggling, projects are cancelled and there will be fewer positions making competition harder.  Just because your company is growing or shrinking, your group could be doing the opposite, which also needs to be taken into consideration.

In addition to the points I've made here, review Episode 018 - Selling Yourself for ways that you can increase your chances of a promotion.  So, if you're ready for a promotion and you've done enough to be promoted, one thing you can do to help you manager is to help them prepare for the committee.  Go back to Episode 024 - Preparing for the end of the year and make sure that everything is properly documented so that when your manager presents your case, it's all organized and nothing is forgotten.

Has Managing A Career helped you be in position for a promotion this year?  I'd love to hear about it.  As I mentioned in Episode 002 - Individual Development Plan, it's important to celebrate success.  I would love it if you go to the Contact form at ManagingACareer.com and let me know how this podcast helped you get ahead so that I can celebrate those successes with you.