How to Get Promoted
Getting promoted from within your company can be very difficult. Some companies have the attitude that since they already know you and your performance, it is easy to think an external candidate will have some kind of magic that you don’t have. Also, some companies see someone doing well in a job, but can’t see them outside of that role. Not because they can’t do it, but because they are only looking through one lens with a limited perspective. Then, of course, there are so many political reasons companies don’t promote.
Many of these things you cannot control, and/or you can only slightly influence. I find it best for my mental health to focus on what I can control in my job, which begins with my own performance. Here are my suggestions for getting promoted that have worked for me.
First, this seems obvious, but it has not always been in the past, master your role. Do your job well, completely, and on-time. Get the best results, anticipate problems, and manage everything with as little drama as possible. Be someone your boss can rely on to turn in everything on time, with complete information, and a high degree of quality. If this is still a struggle for you, focus on it. Ask for feedback, get some additional training, and/or spend more time mastering the work. Some people don’t want to hear this. Work harder? What about the soft life? What about work-life balance? You don’t have to put in 80 hours a week for 10 years. Just add what you can for a short period of time. The extra time will allow you to go slow, get the quality you need, and build skills to do the work faster over the coming weeks.
Next, this one is going to be unpopular, brag. Talk about your great results. Post them on your company’s shared online spaces. Write a case study about yourself for other people to use. Ask if you can present your results on a team meeting or a quarterly business review or to the Senior Management Team. No one knows the great work you are doing better than you, and unfortunately, we cannot always rely on our managers or friends to talk about us positively behind our back.
Bragging and self-promotion is an art, and it can ruffle feathers in multiple ways. First of all, as women (especially with an old school, religious upbringing like mine), we are taught from birth to be humble and support others instead of focusing on ourselves. Humility is an important value. I would encourage you to shift your perspective on this. Humility does not mean self-flagellation or putting yourself at the bottom of the priority list. You can talk about your results in a way that acknowledges you still have much to learn and just because you did a great job on this project doesn’t mean that you are Queen of the Universe with no flaws. Some tangible ways to do this are: be honest about your contribution but also recognize the team effort. For example: “I saw the opportunity to grow revenue, and I organized the project to make it happen. I couldn’t have done it without the help of the marketing team. They did a great job too!” Another way is to acknowledge that there is still room for improvement. “I grew revenue by 22% which is great, and that is just a small piece of what we can still do as a team.”
Warning: Putting your good results out there will also likely draw attention from the haters. Some people will be jealous of the attention and praise that you are getting. I have seen grown men throw fits and say that “bragging” about great results should not be allowed. I have had an employee ask me to not to share what a good job he is doing because other associates were teasing him about it. Insane. Don’t let the haters deter you and keep shining.
My next recommendation for getting promoted is: be easy to work with. Please note that I did not say: be a doormat, do what everyone else wants you to do, do other peoples’ work. What I am referring to is consideration of others, not being a doormat. Sometimes we, as women who were raised to please others, think being a team player means never saying no, taking notes in all the meetings, being in charge of picking up the donuts, and generally doing everything no one wants to do. That is not what I am referring to here.
Being easy to work with is about having the highest respect for others (while respecting yourself). This involves showing up on time to meetings, staying positive, listening, and considering others. If you are called to a meeting, show up on time and prepared. Have your research with you and your opinions on the matter organized. If you call a meeting, start the meeting on time and end the meeting on time. If you call a meeting, have an agenda and stick to it. If someone gives you a deadline, meet the deadline or communicate in advance that you will not meet it and why. When someone has new ideas, listen to them and consider them without dismissing them. When working on a project, ask all stakeholders involved what they think and how they will be impacted.
I have many more thoughts on this matter, and will likely write about this topic again. Comment below: what actions have you taken to get promoted? What worked and didn’t work? I would love your feedback.
This is a photo of my graduation from a 2 year training program at Coca-Cola. After completing the program, I interviewed and was selected for a promotion from Sales Associate to District Sales Manager. These are my colleagues who also completed the program in 2012.