Never have I ever demanded, asked, plotted, been dramatic and asked for a promotion.
If we were playing a game of never-have-I-ever, I will quietly take a sip and then chunk the shot all in.š
Like who is telling you all this. How to ask for promotion? When to do it? What to say? What to do when you donāt get it? Is it okay to crib and quiet-quit?
I would loved to know an honest, messy, rollercoaster-y journey of progressing to next level set against the usual humdrum of startupy /corporate world. Not a glossy LinkedIn profile.
Sharing some things I wish I knew.
š§ Get to the next level in your head
You canāt convince other people if you are not convinced.
When I first started these conversations, I would almost like get people to convince me I am ready to be a senior designer.š
And yes agree, sometimes you need that push from outside. And sometimes you are lucky enough to find those kind of cheerleaders in your manager and colleagues.
But even if you donāt have that kinda support - you can back yourself you know!
If you feel you have been doing great work, and you might be ready for the next step - do your research, talk around, and get their mentally. If you are not there in your head, you canāt get there in reality.
š® You can ask for a promotion - you donāt have to wait
Okay this might be very obvious to you, but I thought I had to wait for it. Like wait certain number of years. Wait for my manager to bring it up. Wait for my turn to be promoted.
But if thereās one thing I learned quite early was no one cares about your career as much you do.
If you want to start/ continue a conversation around career progression hereās what I would suggest. Give a heads-up to your manager that this topic is on your mind and you would love a chat.
š¬ āHey I have been thinking about my career progression goals and would love to set up some dedicated time to talk about them with youā
Set up a 1:1 with them, ideally trying to keep it focused just on career talks and not work updates.
š Start talking about it 6-7 months earlier
It shouldnāt be a surprise for your manager during performance cycle that you were expecting a promotion.
Itās always better to be in a continuous dialogue with your manager on your career goals. If you are looking to get promoted in a review cycle in January, start talking about it in May-June.
Even if you are not looking for a promotion, you should be aligned with your longer term goal.
š¬ āIn next 2-3 years, I see myself leading a team. I am hoping to work on a plan together to make sure I am readyā
If you are hoping for a promotion, you can go
š¬ āI would like to be considered for a promotion in coming cycle, and I would like to actively work on a plan together.ā
š¬ āAs my manager you have the best visibility in my areas on improvements and business gaps. I would love your guidance and support to reach this goal.ā
š¤ Keep a track
Align on a plan or set of goals with your manager. Ensure itās not a conversation you have start of year - and then the next one is during performance review.
Set up monthly check-ins, and have frank conversations on how you are doing with your goals.
These check-ins can help you
- identify areas you need to focus more on
- showcase your impact in structured manner
- help your manager identify projects/opportunities to support you
- leave a trail that you can use to write your end-of-year reviews
Or as one of my colleague put it - I donāt let my manager forget what I want lol.
š Learn to sell yourself
I had a manager who was really good at framing the work through lens of business impact.
I resisted talking about myself for the longest time - but then I realized itās a hard truth. You need to be able to sell yourself. Talk about the value you bring to the table.
Simple hack I use. Ask yourself - āSo what, how did that matter?ā
Before: I am the Figma-pro in the team.
After: I am exceptionally good at Figma and have helped upskill the team, contribute to design systems, and promote best file practices. This has led the team to be more efficient and deliver higher quality projects.
š Have empathy for your manager
Itās hard to have empathy when you feel the situation has been unfair for you. Give grace to the person on other side.
Sometimes itās beyond your managerās capabilities to get you a promotion.
I like to imagine them having similar conversations with their managers. You never know, they might share same set of frustrations as you do!
Approach I like to take is, I am objective and firm about my career goals, yet collaborative and flexible on how I get there.
šµ tea this week
I have a 6 am flight tomorrow - it always sounds like a good idea while booking, not so much when setting a 3 am alarm. š„²
I celebrated Rakhi with my fam today. Itās an Indian festival celebrating the bond between sibling, usually sisters tying a āthread of protectionā on brotherās wrist. Growing up as two sisters, Iāve always tied a rakhi on my Dad and my sister. Hope you all have a wholesome, loved rakhi.š
before you goā¦
If youāve been a regular reader, I would love if you consider joining the first design tea club session. Itās my excuse to form a really tight-knit community to share raw, relatable stories. Itās a bit unnerving but I am very excited to build it out with you all. š¤
More details and way to register šµ design tea club - first edition šµ