How to Get Your First Promotion this Year

I waited until after the avalanche of resolutions had abated, because this is not a resolution. It’s the next step in a progression to reaching the pinnacle of your career. I know, very dramatic of me. But seriously, the time to work toward a promotion is at the beginning of the year. The thing about promotions is that they don’t just happen. Real promotions that mean title changes, increased responsibility, and big raises require a plan. And if you are newly out of school where things kind of happen automatically, figuring out how to get to the next level is a whole new game. So I have some tips on how to get your first promotion this year.

Ask what you need to do specifically.

You can think you know all about what the next level entails, and you might, but there might things that you need to do to make yourself more marketable. The job might require five things and you are perfectly qualified in four, but is the last one a deal-breaker? Or maybe one of your other skills makes up for it and you can learn that last piece once you’re in the role. But you can’t make assumptions, so ask the question and be sure before you set yourself up for disappointment. There’s also the added bonus of your management knowing that you are interested.

Pay attention to your end of the year feedback.

This one is so important for two reasons. The first is that you now know your weaknesses. These are the skills that you will have to prove you have mastered over the six to nine months. If you haven’t bothered to fix what someone has told you is deficient, then why should they promote you? The second reason this important is that you also learn your strengths. Over the next several months these are the skills you cultivate. Someone has already seen value in it so it’s not a hard sell if you keep it up. At the end of the year, if you have mastered the areas you were weak in and cultivated that areas you were already skilled in, you have specific skills you can point to when you are making the big ask.

Ask for stretch assignments and special projects.

The whole concept behind a promotion is that you will be doing more complex work and have more responsibility. The best way to prove you can handle it is to actually test it out. And do the work well. Stretch assignments and special projects are a great way to try out work that you might be doing if you get the promotion. When you are at the point that you have to justify why you deserve the responsibility and the raise, these will be specific projects that you can point out as an indicator of the quality of your work.

Check in periodically.

Once you’ve made it clear that a promotion is something you are working toward, don’t let management forget. I’m not saving to check in every week, but definitely two or three times in between when you notify them of your intentions and when you bring it up at the end of the year. This is also a chance to remind them of the types of assignments you are looking to experience, since they are the ones most likely to give you the opportunity.

Don’t volunteer for non-promotable work.

This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but it is one to keep in mind. Doing things like planning happy hours and leading volunteer teams for the big fundraiser can be very rewarding and they do look good to management, but they aren’t what will get you promoted. They also take up valuable time. When you’re trying to add in work on top of the responsibilities of your current role, there isn’t a lot of time for other non-work-related things. So before you put your name at the top of the sign-up sheet, ask yourself if you are in a good place in working toward your goal.

Talk to whomever has the title/responsibilities you’ll take on.

In some careers, there are opportunities to do rotations that are technically promotions or to specialize in areas that will pay more. Usually, these are within the unit you already work in or are tangential to your current job. That makes it very easy to ask about their experiences before they were in that role, what it took to get promoted, and what exactly their job entails. In most offices, because you aren’t trying to jump ship, this isn’t a problem. But definitely try to be aware of your work environment. Some offices are just less open or more competitive than others.

If it’s a specific promotion, get the job description, learn it and become it.

The job description is your starting point, but it’s not set in stone. Men will apply for things that they are only kind of qualified for while women generally feel the need to check off every box. Don’t let that get in your way, but keep the job description in mind. You have almost a whole year to gain the skills on the job, and if you come up short, go back to my first tip. Ask and see if some of your other skills might make up for it.