What do you do if your past successes and achievements aren't getting you promoted in software development?

This is very cultural-specific. make sure to understand that what you think you have done is not necessarily what your company perceive. Either because you did not share your results or because you just assumed they did understand what you have done. Or, sadly, because in the end your contribution has been average. Whatever it is the reason a careful assessment can help you to move on. Look at the people successful in your group. Are they your role-models? If not is probably time to move on....

Constant improvement of your self is long term process, do not expect success over the night. Understanding business needs on high level could give huge advantage in this area. Your code could be perfect but if it is not presented correctly... creating perfect code doesn't guarantee success, sometimes those who created better presentation takes 1st place. Conclusion is that nothing is pure black and white and that you should think out off the box.

Promotions and progression are never guarenteed. Sometimes there's simply no path forward in the role/department/organisation you are in. Its also not always clear what you actually have to do to be promoted. The systems and culture could be against you. What this means is that promotions many simply be impossible. Either for economic reasons, company structural reasons, or just not ticking the boxes required.

Reflect Deeply. Seek Feedback. Enhance Skills. Network Internally. Set Goals. Document Success. Be the first to add your personal experience. Here's what else to consider. Be the first to add your personal experience.

To assess your reality at work, objectively evaluate if your expectations match your company's policies on growth and promotions. Ensure your skills and efforts are visible to key decision-makers. Remember, promotions may not only depend on achievements but also on leadership qualities, team dynamics, and the overall needs of the company. It's crucial to understand this alignment to gauge your career progress accurately.

Be clear about your intentions and ambitions when having a conversation like this. Don't expect your manager or company to map out your career path for you. If you have ambitions for future roles or salary targets, be vocal about them and ask whether they will be possible at your company and, if so, what criteria you need to meet to get there. If you are certain about your ambitions and the company cannot provide that, it might be time to move on. If they can accommodate you, it should be clear what steps you need to take to get there.

To learn about your promotion opportunities, it is vital to have a conversation with your boss or mentor. It takes effort and a dedication to self-improvement to ask for criticism. Take criticism in stride and use it to grow as a professional by showing that you can adapt and improve. Always keep in mind that talking openly about your work helps everyone involved and opens the door to better opportunities.

Seek Feedback: Actively solicit feedback from peers, mentors, supervisors, and other stakeholders. Be open to constructive criticism and use it as a tool for growth. Regularly evaluate your performance and seek ways to improve.

When my manager asks me "what can I do for you?" I always say the same thing. "Give me honest and direct feedback." For me, honest and direct feedback is a gift. That's why I give it and that's why I ask for it. I am direct with my manager. I will ask, "what are the things that I can do this year to be considered for a promotion to level X?" I will discuss the feedback point-by-point to understand the recommendations. I will also ask "is there a reason why you feel I'm not ready for level X?" If you have cultivated an open and honest relationship with your manager, you will get good results from this conversation. If you don't get good results, you need to work on your relationship with your manager first.

Seek feedback from your peers, supervisors, and mentors. Ask for constructive criticism regarding your performance and areas where you could improve. This feedback can provide valuable insights into how others perceive your work and identify blind spots you may have missed.

One thing I've found helpful is constantly upskilling yourself. In this dynamic tech landscape broadening your skill set is always a sound strategy. Here is a tip to get started now????: Look beyond your current role: Upskilling dosen't have to always be linked with your role, the industry is vast and there are lot of opportunity in various skills and responsibilites.Look beyond your current scope and explore into newer and emerging topics. For instance: One of my collegues was into Full Stack and was looking for a change in his career, and started exploring topics out of his domain such as Dockerization, and Cloud Services like AWS. Due to constant upskilling she was able to advance her career as a Cloud Developer specialist

Be ready to take responsibilites. Bigger role will come with challanges and responsibilites. Expand your skills not only technical but working with team too.

En el mundo de IT es importante seguir capacitandose, traigo a memoria el dicho de "camaron que se duerme.....se lo lleva la corriente". Esa corriente son las nuevas tendencias en desarrollo y el mundo seguirá evolucionando y nosotros necesitamos evolucionar con el.

Expand Skills: Identify areas for skill development that are relevant to your goals and aspirations. Pursue continuous learning through courses, workshops, reading, and practical experiences. Seek opportunities to apply new skills in real-world settings.

Evaluate whether your current skill set aligns with the expectations for the next level of your career. Are there specific competencies or experiences you need to develop to be considered for promotion? Investing in continuous learning and professional development can enhance your qualifications and make you a stronger candidate for advancement.

For a while as a woman I thought the only way to go about this was to do everything right, outwork everyone and give 110%. Then I thought they know how hard I’m working they should just also know I want to be promoted. My perspective has changed in this drastically. It really comes down to who you know and also voicing and telling others what you’re doing. How can one expect your boss or others to know what you’re doing if you never mention it. As a woman software engineer I recommend the book “How women rise” by Sally Helgesen

Without a doubt, cultivating relationships within the organization is critical for professional advancement. Cross-departmental collaboration provides invaluable insights into a variety of perspectives and operations. Furthermore, the establishment of a support network amplifies one's professional prominence and fortifies one's credentials in pursuit of opportunities for progression. Establishing connections outside of one's immediate team highlights the importance of interpersonal abilities for professional advancement.

Increase your visibility within the company by talking to colleagues from other departments, participating in company events, and building relationships with people who may have a say in promotion decisions. This can help you become a well-rounded candidate and advocate for yourself.

Network Internally: Build relationships with colleagues, managers, and other professionals within your organization. Participate in company events, meetings, and committees to expand your network. Cultivate a reputation as a reliable and collaborative team member.

A really important factor to consider is the BLR. Your boot licking rate, or BLR, will determine how quickly you can get promotions. Networking internally will grow your network of boots, thus further increasing the opportunity for raising your BLR. Cross functional boots that are cleaned will lead to cross functional opportunities. Be a go-getter!

Stay abreast of the latest developments in software development and related technologies. Invest in ongoing learning and skill development to expand your knowledge base and expertise. Being a subject matter expert in your field demonstrates your dedication to personal growth and adds value to your contributions.

Exceed Expectations: Strive to go above and beyond in your role by delivering exceptional results. Set ambitious but achievable goals for yourself. Look for opportunities to add value and make meaningful contributions to projects and initiatives.

Indeed, adopting a planned approach to professional growth is crucial for achieving sustained success in the long run. Establishing explicit objectives and formulating a strategic plan guarantees congruence between ambitions and endeavors. Adaptability and a readiness to investigate alternative or external strategies might provide fresh prospects for expansion. Through maintaining concentration and taking initiative, people may effectively traverse their professional trajectories with assurance and intention.

Plan Strategically: Develop a clear vision for your personal and professional growth. Set short-term and long-term goals aligned with your vision. Create actionable plans with milestones and timelines to track progress.

Now, I will give you my biggest secret on how to get promoted. Contribute selflessly to the success of others and expect nothing in return. There's not enough space here to fully explain this. But, when you invest in the success of others selflessly, you build a network of support within your organization that, when called upon to do so, will support you. When this network becomes big enough, you will find that resistance to promotion tends to melt away quickly. It might take *years* to establish such a network, depending on the level you want to reach. But, it will comeback to you eventually.

If you've done all of the above and still no one in your organisation cares, then you should strongly consider finding other opportunities. In my opinion, there is no point in staying in one place when you don't feel appreciated. Move away and move one.

Software development world is massively dynamic, past successes never means you will last competently for long time, unless you keep adapted to new new technologies, approaches, and new development solutions you will not be capable to survive at the market.

Other Considerations: Stay adaptable and open to change in dynamic environments. Embrace challenges as opportunities for growth and learning. Foster a positive attitude and mindset to overcome obstacles and setbacks.

Early in your career be careful about staying at one single place for too long. Getting bumps in salary in one place that will keep up with the market is not likely. Especially, as early in your career you value in the market will go up the most quickly.