How to ask for a promotion?

Do you know what's obvious and people still don't do it? Ask for a promotion.

Asking for a promotion triggers a primal "Fear of rejection", and thus not a lot of professionals get around to doing it.

Let's say you've been in a position for a while. You are aware of your potential, and you want to grow to a key position.

So you perhaps do one or more of these things:

• You believe that your work should speak for itself. Your manager will see how hard you're working. (btw, his is an outdated idea)
• You may also be keeping a notebook of your contributions, waiting for that conversation to happen someday. Because you don't "feel ready".
• You ask your boss and your team indirect questions like "How am I doing in my current role. What can I improve? And they say, "You're great, meeting all expectations. Good Job!". You know this stock response doesn't add any value, because you're still not getting promoted.

You don't want to come across as 'greedy' or 'entitled' and be rejected for it. So you wait for the magic to happen somehow.

But the waiting game is a guessing game. You always keep guessing what more you could work on. You keep doing extra with an expectation of a reward. Only to find out that you're not even on the radar of your leadership.

This can be frustrating because many wait for a whole year before they find out that they'll not be considered for a promotion.

You don't deserve to waste another year in your career figuring things out.

So a far better, and the only alternative I know that works is: Ask Directly. Even though you don't feel fully ready yet. Even though you might get rejected.

Something like: "I believe I'm ready to handle bigger responsibilities. I am a great choice for this next role. What would it take for me to get there?"

Asking directly may trigger one of the few responses:

#1 The ask seems weird to them (aka they laugh about it)

That means they weren't considering you for it in the first place. Or they don't have room for you to grow. Or perhaps they are conservative in their approach, and promotions only happen with time, not because of merit and skills.

In such a case, it is better to look for roles outside. Honestly, in 2022, it's so easy. You can do it without having to relocate too. When you have an offer outside, it's likely your current company will match the offer and responsibilities to retain you.

#2 You're just not ready yet

They may say you're not ready yet, or that they have to see your performance in XYZ areas. This is not a rejection. Just an honest reflection of improvement areas. At least now you know a general direction to work on, and they are watching you closely too.

If it's unclear still what areas to work on, then you can ask them "What are some traits you'd like to see in an ideal candidate?"

If you are in Engineering Management, I can bet that improvement areas are in some way related to your communication in a broad sense. Given that you're decent on the technical side. It could be that in the eyes of your leadership:

• You're not effectively getting your point across
• You're not seen as someone who can command a big project
• You need to learn how to deal with tough stakeholders or high-profile clients

And thus your leadership can't trust you with bigger responsibilities just yet. It's not rocket science. And I can bet that because I've worked with several of them, every time there's something to do with the soft skills.

Don't believe me? Consider this for a second:

If you think you are capable but your leadership does not see it, then are you really getting your point across effectively?

As long as this problem is not fixed, you will consistently fail to make any meaningful career progress. The market is competitive, there's always someone who's less qualified than you but will get the role that YOU deserve. Simply because they are good talkers.

DON'T LET THAT HAPPEN!

And don't worry either. Influence and effective communication are skills, and one of the easier ones to learn...

...depending on who you talk to. Because there's a ton of general advice on the internet about improving communication. And just casually browsing through that or watching a quick youtube video as you're having lunch will not help because:

• It's not tailored to you, it's general. You need to know what to work on before you work on it.
• Most of the advice is good to hear, but there's no clear practical step you can take.
• There's no accountability that you'll execute on it.

What you need is a system. A system that teaches you the soft skills in a tailored and practical manner. That holds you accountable so you actually make this your second nature.

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Shameless Plug: If you're ready to make the next move but you lack the recognition of your leadership, then I can help you fix that problem.

How? I will assess your case on what skills need to be developed and what's the best way to navigate your organization's politics. If we're a good fit, then I can work with you 1:1 to land you that position that you deserve.

To get started for a free assessment, DM me the word "Promotion" on Linkedin.