The Promotion You've Been Waiting For (Without The Wait)

You’ve been busting your butt at your job for a few years now.

Maybe you’re doing more than what is asked of you, tackling projects that should really fall within someone else's job description. You’re the first one in the office (or signed in) and the last one out. But you haven’t received a promotion yet, much less a pat on the back for the job you’re doing.

So what gives? 

Here’s the thing.

A promotion won’t always just fall into your lap. Sometimes it’s simply not enough to let your hard work speak for itself. It’s time to grab the reins and show your boss you are promotion-ready and stop waiting for her to catch on. 

If you have your eyes set on a better title and bigger salary, there are some things you can do to set yourself up for a promotion. 

Keep Your Boss In The Loop 

If you’re a remote worker or even an employee that does not have much face time with their boss, you’ve got to bring your accomplishments and progress to them. This doesn’t mean you need to be pinging her about your every move (in fact, don’t do this). 

Here are some ways you can keep your boss in the loop without being super annoying. 

1. Offer proactive updates about clients or internal projects you are working on to show what you’ve accomplished and that you’re keeping busy.
2. Ask questions and share anything that’s keeping you from moving forward to show that you’re being proactive. A good approach is giving a recap of what happened last week, discussing this week’s projects, and then asking questions to be sure you’re set up for next week.

Something really important to note, be honest when it comes to your workload and concerns around a project. I’ve seen even the brightest, most skilled people shrink under pressure and get bombarded with tasks because they are too scared to speak up.

The worst thing you can do is turn in something that is incomplete or ask questions way too late in the process. To overcome this, you can CC your boss on client comms when you are asking for updates for outstanding tasks/action items (and on the follow-up).  

Your input matters. If you are constantly saying “yes” (or even worse, nothing at all) then nothing will change. Speak up in a professional manner when you need something or when a process has to be changed. 

Seek Feedback And Offer Input 

It may seem awesome to never receive any negative feedback but never hearing anything is never a good thing. Feedback is vital to your development. It can help clarify expectations and allow you to learn from your mistakes. Plus, if it’s positive feedback, who doesn’t love a good pat on the back every once in a while? 

It’s human nature to put off difficult things. You don’t have to ask for a formal performance review! A quick message on Slack or a short email can do the trick. You can say something like: 

“I wanted to follow up on my project or presentation that was shared in the meeting the other day. How did you feel I hit the mark and what could have been done better next time?” 

Don’t ask for feedback after completing every project or item. No boss wants to hear, “So, how’d I do?” every single time you complete a task. Instead, ask for a quarterly touch-base (if you don’t already have a 1:1 established). Some kind of consistent touch-base is critical for anyone to continue to grow and develop, no matter your industry or position. 

Another tip? If you come across a problem or miscommunication, don’t just bring it to your boss's attention. You want to offer a solution to the problem you are bringing them. Think: what would my boss do in this situation? 

Be A Proactive (And Curious) Employee

Try to anticipate things that may come up that you can take on rather than waiting for your boss to delegate them to you.

Ask about what else you can do or if you can be of any more help when you have some downtime. Get to know a little about what’s on your boss’s plate. Even if it’s not something you can actually help with, asking how a project they are working on is coming along during a casual conversation could be refreshing. 

Whatever you do, hold yourself accountable.  If you say you are going to do something - especially if you volunteer for it - you better see it through.

Follow up on your commitments and you will shine bright every time. 

Create Value Wherever You Can 

It’s no secret that the first person to get promoted is usually the one who brings more value to the company (aka more revenue). And, let’s be real, most companies care about their bottom line first and foremost. 

But there are a variety of ways to show off how much value you’ve created for a company, like:

• Streamlining processes to make the company more efficient
• Developing your skill set by taking courses or enrolling in training
• Submitting high-quality work that surpasses expectations
• Thinking of unique products or offers the company can offer their clients
• Finding ways to increase productivity
• Asking the right questions at the right time
• Researching new tech ideas to keep the company up-to-date
• Joining professional groups in your area of expertise to build community and share best practices

By doing all of these things, you can set yourself up to land that dream promotion in no time at all!  

Sometimes all it takes is some proper planning to get ahead.

If you’re asking for a promotion, you need to be able to speak about yourself. Yet so many people have a fear of doing that or simply don’t know where to start. I have just what you need! Check out my Pivot with Purpose podcast episode with Meredith Fineman, CEO of FinePoint Media and author of Brag Better: Master the Art of Fearless Self-Promotion to learn how to talk about yourself in a way that is both professional and inspiring. It’s time to brag about yourself and finally find your voice.