Key Considerations Before Requesting a Promotion

As a junior lawyer, I had to piece together information on how to get promoted. In case it helps somebody going through the process for the first time, here’s what I’ve learned going through 4 rounds of promotion cycles (most successful, some not): 1️⃣ Most people start the promotion process too late. The best time is 6-12 months before the application date. This gives you enough time to gather evidence of your achievements, work on any shortcomings in your promotion application and align with your manager / stakeholders before budgets and resourcing are locked in. 2️⃣ Promotion policies can contain 10+ criteria to meet, but trying to address them all in an application with a word limit will dilute your message. Instead, choose 3-5 criteria that you can craft a strong narrative around. 3️⃣ It's hard to remember and quantify your accomplishments if you aren't tracking them throughout the year. Setting up an ongoing tracker early is helpful (I use Microsoft Planner), especially around those 3-5 criteria you've chosen. 4️⃣ It’s okay to try for a promotion before you feel completely ready. Even if your first attempt is unsuccessful, you'll learn things from the experience that will make it harder for them to say no the second time (like I did). Better to apply a year early than a year late. 5️⃣ Understand that there are things outside of your control in determining whether your promotion will be successful or not (e.g. budget and resourcing constraints, stakeholders who aren’t fond of you for non-work reasons, economic conditions etc). The goal is to focus on the things that are within your control and maximise your chances as much as possible. Here’s what the timeline / process can look like using these principles: 🔹 1 year out- Learn about your organisation’s promotion process (deadlines, forms to submit, promotion criteria, stakeholders in the approval process) 🔹 6-12 months out - Have a discussion with your manager to let them know that you intend to apply for the promotion, identify any areas you may need to improve on, and agree on goals to achieve that would maximise your chance of success in the application. 🔹 6 - 12 months out - Choose a few promotion criteria to focus on and set up a system to track and quantify your contributions towards those criteria in your current work. 🔹 1 month out - Write up a draft promotion application (ask your colleagues if they can share theirs) 🔹 2-4 weeks out - Remind your manager and ask if they could review and provide feedback on your draft application. 🔹 Submission before the deadline. 🔹 If unsuccessful, follow up for feedback and agree on a plan for improving your application for next time. Anything else you’d add? ----- Next week, I’ll be sending out a step-by-step guide on how to apply for a promotion with practical examples to the 7,782 people on my mailing list. If you're interested, I hope you'll subscribe via my website or the link in my profile and give it a read.

Most people ask for a promotion wrong. Here's what I learned from the other side of the table. When I was leading large teams, I sat through dozens of these conversations. Most started the same way: "I want to be promoted." Full stop. No context. No questions. Just the ask. They hadn't done the homework. A promotion isn't a reward for loyalty. It's recognition that you're already operating at the next level. But it also needs to structurally exist. If the role doesn't exist, you can't be promoted into it. Full stop. That leaves only two paths: the company creates a new position (which means headcount and budget in the next planning cycle), or you step into a role that opens up because someone leaves. Most people never ask about this. They assume the path exists. It often doesn't. So here's how to have the conversation: Frame it around clarity, not entitlement. Say: "I'd like to understand what the pathway looks like for me to progress to [next role]. Could you share when the promotion cycle starts, how the process works, and what's expected at that level?" Then follow up: "What are the non-negotiables for this role? What will those approving the promotion look for that's not optional in their eyes?" If your manager gives you something vague, e.g., "you need to be more visible", or "you need to speak up more" don't leave it there. Make it objective. Ask: "How would that look in practice? How would you know when someone is delivering that?" What to cover in the conversation: 👉 Timing: When the process starts and ends. 👉 Criteria: What they'll measure you against. 👉 Stakeholders: Who needs to see your impact. 👉 Structure: Does the role you're aiming for even exist today? 👉 Objectivity: Is the feedback measurable and specific, or just vague words? If your manager isn't forthcoming, talk to peers who've been promoted recently. Ask them: Who influenced the decision? What did they wish they'd known? That intelligence is often more useful than anything your manager will tell you. I'm walking through exactly how to navigate this on Feb 26: https://lnkd.in/gSWuhjxg ❌ The old assumption: Ask for the promotion and hope for the best. ✅ The reality: Understand the game, ask the right questions, and build your case before you ever walk into the room. What's the one thing you wish you'd known before your last promotion conversation?

Looking for a promotion? There are three things that need to be true... Most people (my younger self included) focus on just one. --- Early in my career, I believed if I worked hard, delivered results, and “earned it,” the promotion would come. When it didn’t, I was frustrated - maybe even resentful. I didn’t get it. But since then I’ve learned a hard truth: ✅ Being ready for a promotion isn’t enough. It’s just the first of three requirements. ✅ --- In order to grow within an organization three things must be true: 1️⃣ You’re Ready You’re performing at a high level and showing you can take on more. But "readiness" isn’t just about what you think - your supervisor has to see it too. Use your 1:1s and reviews to calibrate expectations and align on what “readiness” looks like. 2️⃣ The Business Has a Need Even if you're ready, there may not be a need for someone in a bigger role. You might hit a ceiling - not because of your talent, but due to org structure or stage. When that happens, external growth may be the right next move. 3️⃣ The Business Has the Ability Budget freezes, internal rules, or financial constraints may prevent the business from acting - even if the need is real and everyone agrees you deserve it. --- So what can you do? ➡️ Crush your current role. ➡️ Keep your manager in the loop as your readiness builds. ➡️ Start a deeper conversation about business need and ability. That last step is the one I missed for much of my career. Because the truth is: ➡️ You might be ready before the business is. ➡️ And even when it’s ready, it might not be able to act. Knowing that early lets you make the best decision for you. Stay and align your timeline - or seek out a place that’s ready for you now.

Waiting for a promotion is a losing strategy. I have seen talented project controls professionals sit in the same role for years. Same title. Same paycheck. Same frustration. The difference between them and the people who advance? A plan. Promotions do not happen by accident. They happen because someone made them happen. Here is the exact playbook I have used and taught others to land promotions in project controls: 1. Know The Process Every company promotes differently. Your first job is to understand how it actually works at yours. Ask HR or your manager about criteria, timelines, and what decision makers value. If no formal process exists, create one. That is often an advantage. 2. Start Early Well before you want the promotion, ask your manager what advancing looks like. What skills are needed? Who has been promoted and why? This signals ambition and gives your manager time to advocate for you. 3. Build A Roadmap Master your current role first. You cannot skip ahead without proving you earned it. Then identify what the next level requires. Study people who have been promoted. Build a list of skills to develop and experiences to gain. 4. Build Relationships You need more than technical skill. You need people in your corner. Find a mentor slightly ahead of you. Build cross functional peer relationships. Create visibility with your manager's manager. These relationships turn into sponsorship when decisions are made. 5. Show Impact This is where promotions are won or lost. Completing tasks is expected. Creating impact is what stands out. Translate your work into time saved, money protected, or risks avoided. Then communicate it clearly. Do not assume anyone noticed. 6. Ask Directly Once you have done the work, it is time to ask. State your accomplishments and how they align with next level expectations. Then say it plainly: I would like to be considered for a promotion. Stop talking. Let your manager respond. 7. When The Answer Is No A no is not the end. One of my coworkers went for promotion three times before getting it. Find out why. Use the feedback. Keep pushing. And if growth is impossible, consider finding a place that will promote you. Talent alone does not get you promoted. Strategy does. If you want to go deeper on career advancement in project controls, check out The Critical Path Career on Amazon. ♻️ Repost to help someone you know land their next promotion. .

(I get tons of messages every week from aspiring workers on LinkedIn seeking career advice. In response, I’ll start posting, on a weekly basis, lessons from my career to help others navigate their careers)  Often, deserving employees struggle to make the case for their promotions. Promotions have always been hard, but more so in the age of efficiency, GenAI and controversies around remote work. Too many employees believe that if they do great work, promotion(s) will follow. This naive belief is right up there with “The check is in the mail” and “Santa Claus will bring you presents for Chriistmas” Candidly, the good times - the dotcom boom, the Covid-era hiring boom - created precedents that were unsustainable. The current belt-tightening requires you to be realistic but also proactive. In most companies, your manager cannot just unilaterally promote you. Your promotion will need approval from others who are already at the level you aspire to. Out of a combination of keeping the bar high and smug self-righteousness, these stakeholders will want to make sure you meet/exceed the bar they had to. Plus, there is a finite budget that has to account for existing employees, new hires and promotions. So, no matter what the company tells you, there is always, always, always a quota on how many employees can get promoted in any given cycle. Making the case for promotion is, in some ways, harder than applying for a new job. Unlike when you apply for a new job, for a promotion you need to not only make the case that you deserve the job, but also that the job itself is needed. You may have built, for example, a tool that took non-trivial amounts of effort and upskilling, but a case for promotion will require answers to some key questions: 1) Does this new tool add value to the business?  2) Will your company be able to serve more customers and/or make more money per customer because of this tool?  3) Was your contribution critical for this work to land?  4) Do you now have a special skill that will be hard to hire for if you were to quit?  5) Will there be a sustained need for your skill-set at the next level?   Rather than making the case for your promotion based on your effort, you need to make it based on demonstrable, measurable and sustainable impact. Otherwise, your case for promotion will feel like a Kevin Costner movie: takes a lot of effort to make, but the audience will lose interest.

Want to get promoted? Ask for THIS, not THIS ❌ Most people ask: "What do I need to do to get promoted?" Smart people ask: "What problems keep you up at night that I could solve?" The difference? One is about YOU. The other is about VALUE. Early in my career, I took a job as an office manager for one of Egypt's most powerful CEOs. I was overqualified. Underpaid. Insulted, honestly. My ego said: Walk away. My dad said: Put your head down and prove your worth. I chose the latter. Instead of complaining about my title, I asked myself: → What does he need that nobody else is providing? → Where are the gaps I can fill? → How can I make myself indispensable? Within 2 years, I wasn't managing his office. I was traveling with him on corporate acquisitions, writing speeches, and building strategy. Here's what changed: -I stopped waiting for someone to hand me a better role. -I started creating value that demanded recognition. The promotion playbook: 1. Study the business, not just your job description – Understand the bigger picture 2. Solve problems before they're assigned – Initiative beats permission 3. Make your boss look good – Your success is tied to theirs 4. Document your impact – Keep receipts of the value you create 5. Ask the right question – What matters most to the business right now? Promotions don't come from doing your job well. They come from doing what others won't. Don't ask for opportunities. CREATE them.

The Unwritten Rules of Career Advancement After working with a number of executives and scaling a few companies, I've observed a clear pattern: the most talented people aren't always the ones who get promoted. The harsh truth? Merit only accounts for about 30% of advancement decisions. The rest comes down to understanding the invisible game being played around you. Here are 12 promotion principles most managers won't explicitly tell you: 1. Visibility trumps effort. Hard work in silence gets you nowhere. Document accomplishments and strategically communicate them in one-on-ones without appearing boastful. 2. Problem-solving creates more value than task completion. Anyone can follow instructions. Look for systemic issues that need addressing and proactively present solutions. 3. Act the part before you have it. Take on responsibilities slightly beyond your current role. This creates a natural path for your manager to formalize what you're already doing. 4. Perception management is critical. How others see you often matters more than your actual performance. Regularly ask for informal feedback to understand and shape your workplace reputation. 5. Strategic networking opens doors. Career advancement happens through relationships. Find authentic ways to connect with leaders by showing genuine interest in their challenges. 6. Make your manager successful. When your boss looks good, opportunities flow downward. Identify what keeps them up at night and solve those problems first. 7. Working on the right things beats working hard. Ask directly which projects will move the needle for company objectives, then focus your energy there. 8. Voice creates visibility. Silence is often misinterpreted as disengagement. Prepare thoughtful contributions for meetings, even when you're nervous. 9. Emotional intelligence becomes more valuable as you rise. Technical skills get you hired; people skills get you promoted. Invest in developing self-awareness and relationship management capabilities. 10. Direct asking accelerates advancement. Clearly express your career aspirations. Most managers aren't mind readers and won't offer what you don't request. 11. External options create internal leverage. Maintain market awareness even when satisfied. Sometimes the fastest path to advancement is having alternatives. 12. Learning from others shortcuts growth. Find recently promoted colleagues and ask specific questions about their journey. Most will gladly share insights. The promotion game isn't always fair, but it is learnable. What invisible advancement rules have you observed in your workplace? ------------------------------------------------- Follow me Dan Murray🧠 for more on habits and leadership. ♻️ Repost this if you think it can help someone in your network! 🖐️ P.S Join my newsletter The Science Of Success where I break down stories and studies of success to teach you how to turn it from probability to predictability here: https://lnkd.in/ecuRJtrr

If you want a promotion within the next six months—waiting around won’t get you there. It took me many years to learn this lesson. ➡️  80% of promotions go to those who are proactive, not just the hardest workers.  ⬅️ There are two types of HR professionals: those who wait for recognition and those who create opportunities. If you’re in the first group, you might be working tirelessly but still find yourself overlooked when promotions come around. 𝗪𝗵𝘆? Because promotions are not just about doing your job well—they’re about being seen doing it. Here’s what you can do to move into the second group and secure that promotion within the next six months: 1️⃣  𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵-𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀: Volunteer for projects that get you in front of leaders. This shows you’re ready to take on more responsibility. 2️⃣  𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆: Build relationships across departments. The more people know about your work, the better your chances of being considered for advancement. 3️⃣  𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: Document your successes and share them in meetings. If you don’t highlight your contributions, who will? 4️⃣   𝗨𝗽𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆: Take advantage of any learning opportunities. Whether it’s mastering a new tool or attending a workshop, continuous improvement makes you more valuable. 5️⃣  𝗔𝘀𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸: Don’t wait for annual reviews. Ask your manager for feedback often, then act on it. It shows you’re committed to growth. 6️⃣   𝗠𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀: Helping others succeed enhances your leadership skills and shows you’re a team player. 7️⃣   𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀: Let your manager know you’re interested in moving up. Don’t assume they’ll notice—make it clear. Remember, staying silent or waiting patiently won’t get you where you want to be. Take action, and you’ll see the results. ♻️ Share this post if you believe in creating your own opportunities. #Adamshr #Hrprofessionals #humanresources #HR Stephanie Adams, SPHR