Want to get promoted? Read this.

The job market headlines are no fun to look at these days. Mass layoffs and rescinded offers are all over the place.

If you have been impacted, here’s a free guide on staying focused in between jobs. I am also offering free mini-sessions for career support. Email me: carolyn @ thewildlight.co

If you are still employed, it likely means you are working for a relatively healthy company, and you are valued. And if that’s the case, you might be thinking about asking for a well-deserved promotion. Before you do, here are some things to consider.

Promotions are not just about hard work and performance.

You have to be politically savvy and good at networking. Being friendly with coworkers is not enough. This has to be done with key stakeholders. You have to know how to build social capital and exude executive presence around them.

The truth is, most BIPOC women and especially those from immigrant or working-class backgrounds were not taught any of this. Meanwhile, our more privileged peers were born into this type of knowledge and have been groomed on how to navigate the professional workplace from the beginning.

How to increase your chances of a promotion.

Look around. Who has been promoted recently? What are their roles? What did they do for the business? Who do they spend time with? How do they show up? This will give you an honest picture of who your company values. You might feel aligned or you might think “no thanks, not for me.”

Do your research. What is the structure of your org/team? Has there been a promotion to your next level in the past few years? Who makes the decisions? When you can identify them, you can figure out how to influence them. For example, you can start to make certain parts of your work that matter the most to them more visible.

What’s your reputation? Figure out how decision-makers perceive you and your work. When it comes to some of the key areas of feedback, such as self-awareness, external awareness, strategic thinking, executive presence, and thought leadership, how do you do? You can also reach out to peers to get their honest feedback.

Become visible. Those who get promoted are highly visible to stakeholders. Sign up to work on projects with them. Reach out to get their advice. Speak up to share your thoughts and perspectives. Strong networking will help you create supporters and allies.

How to effectively ask for a promotion.

Do not beat around the bush, be argumentative or defensive. Instead, be straightforward, show your commitment, and share your contributions. It might sound something like this:

“I really enjoy working on this team and see a future for myself at this company and I am ready to increase my responsibilities. I would love for you to support my growth to the next level. I’m happy to provide evidence of my contributions to the team and the value I have added to the company.”

Be realistic.

Whether you’ll get promoted might not have anything to do with you. It might be that the company isn’t meeting performance goals or is maxed out on the number of people it can hire. While a budget can always be created if there’s a strong enough case, it can take a lot of time and effort to get approved.

If you have explored all the options above and feel like you’re going nowhere, you have a few options left:

• Consider a lateral move into another part of the company

• Look at other companies who will hire you for your next level

• Wait for a promotion

I would say to trust your gut and read the writing on the wall. It could be your time to move on (to another team or company) and while that might feel daunting, a new start could be more refreshing than you think.

If you need guidance to level up…

The Wildlight 12-week Course + 1:1 Coaching provides support every step of the way.

• The mindfulness work and mindset training will help you get clear on what you are meant to do next.

• Sales and communications training will give you the strategy and confidence to go for it.

• And with authenticity at the core of it, we will ensure that you stay true to your values the whole way through.

Book a free discovery call to see if this could be a good fit for you.