“But Claire, I asked for a promotion last year and nothing happened,” puts me in a full slump every time I hear it.
Of course it’s important to ask for a promotion. I remember reading an interview years ago where Sheryl Sandberg, Marissa Mayer and two other high powered women had a variety of different advice, but on one thing they all agreed:
How do you get a promotion? Ask for it. Ask for it. Ask for it. Ask for it. Four voices, identical advice.
But asking for it is only one piece. You can do that and still work like crazy, and still see an opportunity go to a co-worker instead of you.
What’s a better way?
Take lessons from the campaign trail.
Lesson 1: A request for promotion IS a campaign. Full stop. The people whose support you need have a lot on their plates. They may not know your intentions. They may also not want to spend their political capital where they don’t absolutely need to. For these reasons, one request is not enough.
From there, the lessons are clear:
- Have your stump speech — 3-5 clear, simple messages about what you bring to the table. This can be past successes, or intentions for the future.
- Repeat, repeat, repeat. It may seem boring to you, but as my colleague Rob Schultz says, “No one goes to a Fleetwood Mac concert to hear the new music; just the hits.”
- Earn it. Focus on the positive impact you’ll have in the new role. Years of service is unfortunately not enough of a reason.
- Know the key decision makers. Candidates appeal to different voters; you must know who will vote for you. Hopefully it’s your boss, but likely you need the support of people beyond that person. The key decision makers should know your key messages, and they should know you. If they don’t, find a way to gain exposure to them.
And finally, give yourself runway. One or two months is usually not enough time. Know the promotion cycles and your company’s financial year end. Both can influence when promotions are handed out.
Good luck! And if you want to know more about how to create messages for promotion, I talk about that in the first few chapters of “Confidence at Work.” Check it out.