So, you want a promotion. No, you say? You deserve a promotion!? Ok then, why hasn’t it happened? Why is your hard work going unnoticed? Maybe you should… wait for it…
Short answer : ask your manager.
Longer answer: make sure you understand what opportunities for advancement exist in your role and what is required to get there. Your manager is the one who controls your career progression, so make sure you know what they want to see for you to advance to the next level.
Not much else matters since your manager will be the one recommending you for promotion. If your manager isn’t giving you clear direction on these requirements, you need to ask for the details if you want to make progress in your career.
Once you understand what you need to achieve to get to the next level, you should seek feedback from your manager when you have the opportunity. Typically this is done in weekly 1-1 meetings, but it may differ for you. If your manager is “super busy” and doesn’t schedule 1-1s, you need to make them happen, at least once per month. If your boss has an admin, get to know them and get their help getting on the schedule.
Seeking feedback is extremely important. Without direct, timely feedback, you’ll be left wondering if you are doing a good job. You won’t know if you are about to get fired, or promoted. I see a lot of people with anxiety due to this uncertainty. The good news is that there is a simple solution:
Ask Your Manager!
Me
The process is not you presenting a justification for your promotion to your manager during your annual performance review meeting. This discussion of requirements and progress towards them should start long before the annual appraisal / promotion period. Asking for a raise / promotion in your annual review is much too late. Those decisions have already been made, likely after long drawn-out battles over the scant promotions budget. It is very unlikely that you’ll change anything at that point.
Instead, you need to understand the requirements for the next level and deliver on what your manager wants to see. With regular check-ins on your progress, you should have a clear idea if/when your manager will promote you.