How To Get Promoted in Tech (or Anywhere Else)

No matter what job you have or how much you’re getting paid, one thing is certain: Your paycheck would be bigger if you got promoted.

But how do you get promoted? Why are some people promoted while others are passed by — even when they work as hard as everyone else? Does it really have anything to do with how hard you work (performance), or is it more about who you know (politics)?

To answer these questions and more, I spoke with promotions expert B.J. Schone. As a veteran in human resources and career development, Schone has spent two decades helping people grow their careers, and is the author of The Essential Guide to Getting Promoted at Work.

How to convince your boss that you deserve a promotion

According to Schone, the trick is to make your manager want to promote you. That may sound simple, but how do you convince someone that they’d be foolish not to promote you?

According to Schone, there are 3 key areas that you’ll want to put in maximum effort, starting now:

• Become more valuable to your manager, your team, and your company. Schone calls this “increasing your impact at work.” For example if your manager sees that you’re doing a great job and making people around you more productive, they’ll want to give you more responsibility, so you can have even more positive impact.
• Build your expertise. As you increase the breadth and depth of your own knowledge and skills, something interesting happens: people start viewing you as an expert. When that happens, leadership will also start to view you as an indispensable employee that deserves more. And they know if they don’t promote you, you might just quit for a new, higher-paying job at a competitor.
• Build key relationships. As the super-cheesy (but super-true) saying goes: There’s no “i” in “teamwork.” Even if you’re a rock star at doing your job, there’s only so much you can accomplish on your own. To make a really big impression, you need to expand your impact beyond your cubicle. Build trusting and productive working relationships with people in other teams and other departments, and you’ll have a whole tribe of coworkers enthusiastically supporting your next promotion.

“If you do all of those things consistently over a period of time, your manager will want to promote you, so they can see how much more impact you can have,” says Schone. “This is the ultimate, best-case scenario!”

Getting promoted in a small company or startup

While larger companies (500+ employees) are likely to have a formal, documented process for getting promoted, smaller companies usually don’t. In fact, many small companies don’t have well-defined job levels, and could even lack an HR department.

If you find yourself at such a company, it may take a little more work to get promoted. You may need to take your career into your own hands, and figure it out the best you can based on the information you have around you. It will be a little more work, but it’s definitely possible.

Schone offers some advice on how to navigate the murky waters of getting promoted at a small company, by doing some on-the-job research. For starters, look for the types of behaviors that get rewarded at your company. Schone suggests, “Chat with people who have been promoted in the past 6 months. What themes can you identify that lead to promotions?”

For example, do people seem to get promoted after helping to ship a big project? Then try to get placed on a bigger, higher-profile project next time. Do people get promoted for building new processes or tools that benefit the whole company? Then think about how you can develop such a tool, alone or with coworkers.

And remember, even in a small company that lacks a path for career development, your manager is still your best resource for growing your career. “I recommend that you have an open and honest conversation with your manager about your interest in being promoted.”

But that conversation can be difficult, or at least a little awkward. If you need some help, check out Schone’s book, The Essential Guide to Getting Promoted at Work. You’ll find a detailed conversation guide to help you through it, step by step.

Advantages of getting promoted

Besides the obvious benefit of a bigger paycheck, getting promoted at your job can help you in many other ways.

As a step higher on the career ladder, a promotion will almost always come with new job responsibilities, which will stretch and challenge you to learn new areas and build new skills. It can also open up new opportunities, like working in a new area of your field, or getting to know the more senior (and influential) leaders in your company.

And while not everyone is motivated by an increase in social status, most of us would enjoy the positive attention from coworkers, friends, and family that comes with a workplace promotion.

“Different people find motivation and personal value in different ways,” says Schone, “so ultimately it’s up to the individual to figure out the advantages that feel best for them.”

If nothing else, you’re sure to enjoy bringing home that extra stack of cash every month.

How long does it take to get a promotion?

One of the hardest parts of getting promoted might just be that it can take a lot of time. This is one area of frustration that Schone sees regularly. “Some people expect to be promoted within the first 6-12 months, which is highly unlikely at most companies.” So, how long does it usually take?

According to Schone, “Your first promotion could take place after you’ve been working at the same job for at least 1-2 years. Any sooner than that is unlikely, unless there are special circumstances.”

But one thing is for sure: The longer you wait to start working toward a promotion, the longer it will take to get there. Treat every day like it’s a chance to move yourself that much closer to a promotion by following Schone’s recipe: Make yourself more valuable, build your expertise, and build your relationships.

Getting a promotion can be faster, or take a little longer, depending on your company and your current situation. Some of the biggest factors that affect how fast you can get a promotion are:

Your company’s promotion cycle: Many companies only do promotions once per year, at a set time each year. So if you just missed that window, then you’ll have to wait up to a year before getting a promotion. But companies often have a loophole that they don’t normally discuss — it’s called an “off cycle” promotion. So if you think you’re very close to being promoted, but still have a long time until the annual promotion period, ask your manager whether they could do an off-cycle promotion.

Your current scope of responsibility: When managers evaluate employees for a promotion, one of the biggest factors is called “scope of responsibility.” That means, if you are currently performing tasks and responsibilities that would normally be performed by a person at the next job level above you, then you might actually be overdue for a promotion. If you can make the case to your manager, you could be fast-tracked for promotion.

Your team’s vacancies: When you’re thinking about promotion opportunities at work, there’s a catch — many managers aren’t allowed to promote an employee unless there’s a “next level” job available for them to perform on the team. For example, a manager may not be able to promote you to a Team Lead role, if your team already has someone filling the Team Lead position. If that’s the case, you could speak with your manager or HR about any options for getting promoted then moving to lead a different team.

The importance of a “growth mindset” for promotions

A growth mindset is a concept proposed by Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck. Her research identified that people can adopt a “fixed” mindset, or its opposite — a “growth” mindset. Depending on which one you start out with, it can really impact your personality, attitude, and ability to improve and develop over time.

If you have a growth mindset, it means you approach your daily work as an opportunity to learn new things. You tend to view life’s challenges and setbacks not as “failures,” but as “lessons learned.”

If that doesn’t sound like you, then you might have more of a “fixed” mindset — at least for now. The good news is, if you work on it, you can change your mindset with practice.

“It can’t be superficial though,” says Schone. “Truly adopting the mindset and practicing it takes time and effort, and it’s easier for some people than others.”

But all that work to change your mindset can really pay off. “Having a growth mindset at work can affect the impact of your work, the effect you have on your team members, and much more. A growth mindset is a tremendous asset that can help you make huge strides toward a promotion.” In short, the effort to build a growth mindset can pay huge dividends now and in the future.

The challenge of workplace bias

In a perfect world, anybody would be able to earn a promotion through working hard and smart. But the world isn’t perfect, and some people might experience obstacles that make career growth more difficult.

“Gender bias, racial bias, and other types of bias show up in nearly every workplace, unintentionally or intentionally,” says Schone. “Whether it is bias within the promotion process, or bias from your manager, senior leaders, or others, it is a major cause for concern.”

Unfortunately, there isn’t a magic bullet that can fix bias overnight. However, you can discuss the topic with your manager and senior leaders, to help recognize and correct systemic issues that could lead to bias, now or in the future.

Schone recommends meeting with your manager or Human Resources (HR) representative, to ask specific questions about the promotion processes, including:

• How many promotion decisions are made based on opinion vs. clearly documented criteria?
• Is there a clear and documented description of how your performance is assessed?
• Is there clear documentation on how your performance impacts your compensation (salary, bonus, equity, etc.) and your opportunities for being promoted?

“Your goal is to find out what decisions are ‘hidden’ and see if you can shine a light there.” Having these conversations won’t always be comfortable, and it’s not a guaranteed solution. But it’s an important first step.

The Essential Guide to Getting Promoted at Work

Schone’s new book, The Essential Guide to Getting Promoted at Work, is a detailed and hands-on guide to help you understand the promotion process, and teach you the steps needed to get promoted at your job.

And while the advice is perfect for the game industry and other technology jobs, it also works well for nearly any job in any industry from restaurants, to finance, to construction.

“I aimed to create something that would apply across nearly every industry, not just one industry,” explains Schone. “Tech is unique for its faster-pace, rate of change, and engineering-first culture. But these ideas hold true in tech and non-tech environments.”

You can buy an e-book copy of The Essential Guide to Getting Promoted on Gumroad.com, with a generous discount for Game Industry Career Guide readers: enter the discount code gaming at checkout. Download it now, and take your first step to more career growth, more job satisfaction, and more money.

Additional reading

The following books come highly recommended from B.J. Schone for advancing your career:

• The First 90 Days by Michael D. Watkins
  “This is a wonderful book that I give to friends when they start a new job. It offers guidance to help you start on the right foot — but it’s also incredibly helpful if you want to “reset” things with your current job. It shows you how to learn the business you’re in, how to get clarity on your role expectations, and how to build a solid working relationships with your manager and coworkers. Invaluable advice!
• How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
  “Almost everything we do in our careers can be boiled down to relationships. This classic book offers so many simple, practical ideas for getting to know people, building trust, and making genuine connections.” [Note from Jason: This is one of my all-time favorites! I read it again every few years.]
• The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph by Ryan Holiday
  “It’s inevitable that we all run into challenges and blockers in our careers. This book helps you reframe how you perceive and react to these moments. Instead of getting frustrated, the author suggests we reframe these moments as training or preparation for future difficulties. I’ve had good luck adopting this mindset, and this book always gets a good reception when I share it with team members.”