Before getting into this topic, I would like to reiterate that what I write about is from my own experience. I’m sure there are companies out there who do things differently, but I think you will find that most companies follow the guidelines that I have written about at this site. This is because of the incestuous relationships all corporations have with each other; they constantly benchmark other companies and make sure they are in line with their peer group.
Sorry for the digression, now for the topic at hand. What I have generally noticed is that one of the key factors in obtaining a promotion is helping your boss to meet his/her own objectives or goals. This is also a Catch 22 because the better job you do, the more your manager/supervisor wants to retain your services. It does not benefit them to lose your services or skills through a major promotion. That’s also why you will probably see more moves early in your career. At this point, you can be promoted within the department and your relatively inexpensive compared to older employees; notice I said older and not necessarily more skilled.
A lot will also depend on how fast your company is growing. If there are no open positions, then there’s nowhere to go. You probably won’t get wealthy working for a highly established company, their high growth days are more than likely over. This means you will have a better chance at a smaller, younger company, but the risk is also higher because they are still trying to capture market share, meaning you could be out of a job if things start to go bad.
If you work at a company that actually gives out promotions for exceptional work, then you will need to perform exceptionally well. Most corporations don’t work this way, they tend to give out promotions to people with the most seniority or look to outside hires to fill gaps. You might be the most deserving within the company, but you also have to remember that they might be looking at external candidates. You should also ask yourself if this is a good time to leave and seek employment elsewhere (job hopping is very in vogue right now). As you work your way up, every company has a threshold grade/level/band that gets you in the door to middle management and/or executive level. Your goal early in your career is to reach this threshold.
Once you achieve this threshold, you should be aware that promotions will be harder to come by. Someone will have to retire for you to move up or your company will have to be growing rather quickly. Don’t believe all the rhetoric about opportunity; every place I’ve worked at has always told me about my future possibilities, none, as of yet, has actually delivered. But I digress again, back to the threshold meeting. Companies have a very important meeting at least once a year or twice a year, it’s a personnel meeting that involves succession planning. It is known by different names, but it’s basically a meeting held by the higher-ups to figure out who they’re going to promote, where they’re going to promote them, and when the promotion will take place. Your objective is to be one of the candidates that is actually discussed at this meeting.
This is far easier said than done. At this point in your career, the decision for a major promotion also depends less on your individual boss because the decision is really being made by a committee of higher-ups. However, you need to keep your boss happy to ensure that your profile is actually brought up at the meeting. If you’re not being discussed at this meeting, you’re not going to be promoted. Find out what it takes to get your name in the hat. Do what you can for the people who are on this committee. Your career depends on it.
If you’re not being discussed by the higher-ups, then you are not viewed as one of the core management personnel for the survival of the company. At this point, you’re somewhat expendable, just another cog in the machinery of profit. This may not have anything to do with your actual skill set or abilities, but it is the reality. People leave companies all the time and go on to great success because the system doesn’t necessarily identify the most capable person. It’s a flawed system and you need to realize when it’s time to stay and when it’s time to go. A good way to figure this out is to ask yourself a few questions:
- Are there any open positions or will there be any open positions?
- Is seniority a major criteria at your company?
- Would your boss recommend you for a promotion?
- Does your company hire a large number of external candidates?
- What’s the turnover in your department/location?
- Are you being (or will you be) discussed at the primary personnel meeting?
- What is the recent history for promotions in the department/location in which you currently work?
- Have you ever been transferred or relocated (this is usually a good thing; they’re trying to give you experience for additional responsibility later on)?
The answers to these questions are self-explanatory. Good luck in getting that promotion, you’re going to need it.