The most common question I get and the answer I give from the people I have mentored

I’ve mentored hundreds of people in my career and by far the most common question i get is ‘How do I increase the chances of getting promoted’ ? Let me offer a few suggestions (the answer part) if that’s a question that you also have.

First and foremost, let your direct management team (first line, second line, etc) know that a tactical career goal of your is that you want to get promoted. Early on in my career i learned a valuable lesson when i had my yearly performance review, was not thrilled with the outcome, and noted the feedback given to me was ‘I had no idea you were expecting a promotion this year’. Key lesson learned: Individual Managers (one or just a few) promote people, so if you want to get promoted you most likely will have to have a very close working relationship with the management team (in addition to your co-workers), understand and exceed their expectations, and of course everyone has to be ‘on the same page’ that you definitely want and expect that next promotion. If you pride yourself on the fact that ‘i never hear from my manager’ then i would offer you shouldn’t be surprised if you don’t get a promotion.

Second, you may need to polish your image. When other people at work hear your name, do they immediately have the impressions of someone who is smart, an expert, really good at what they do, dedicated to providing great customer service, reliable, a great team player, willing to take on new challenges, a leader, a person who ‘gets it done’, or maybe some potentially negative impressions ? Polishing up your image will help you in the promotion process because many time a key components of the criteria for a promotion often is ‘how convinced are we that this person will do well in a new/different and/or expanded role’. If negative impressions exist about you in your current role than it may be difficult for others (Managers, HR, etc) to imagine you will do well in a new or expanded role. Even if you may not want an expanded role it’s my opinion that time is well spent on polishing your image at work.

Third, be ready, willing and able to clearly articulate your Top 2–3 accomplishments in the last year. What are your ‘Home Runs’, ie the completed projects, tasks, engagements, etc that you (you personally, not ‘The Team’) created, pioneered, led, owned, drove etc. etc. The really big stuff you accomplished, not the small stuff. Properly addressing this questions can often help ‘seal the deal’ or ‘push you over the edge’ to achieving the next promotion, especially in environments where there may be multiple competing candidates for a Promotion. Showcasing a few Top accomplishments also helps create a kind of ‘upward trend line’ association with your image, which fits in nicely with the goal of getting a promotion.

One final note — if you are doing all of the above, and a year or two has gone by and you have not gotten that promotion, then maybe it’s time to look at a new job or a different role. I say this because it’s clear by then that you are either not learning or not growing, in either of those two cases it’s time for a change.

Please note that all opinions are my own, and that i suggest you follow this guidance only if it works for you.