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More Responsibility at Work But No Promotion

More Responsibility at Work But No Promotion

You’ve been an incredibly diligent employee ever since being hired. You’ve been keeping your nose to a grindstone and never allowed letting your management or colleagues down. It’s not that you’re interested exceptionally in rising through the ranks, however, not getting promoted at work for a long time may well rise some questions in your head. Especially, if you’re easily awarded new responsibilities but not career growth or salary increase. What might be the reasons for that? Does it mean that it’s time to look for a new job? And what do constructive feedback and work relationships have to do with your promotion? Keen on reading our article to crack down on the issue and find feasible ways how to actually get the ball rolling and receive the longed-for promotion.

Why Do High Performers Fail to Get Promoted?

Only the lazy didn’t face the situation at work when their management tried to load employees with more responsibility serving it under the guise of “preparation for the new role”, “boosting the skill set that we’ll pay off in the long run”, or “an opportunity to walk in different shoes and try yourself out for a next role”. Whatever the excuse is, you shouldn’t buy into it unless new responsibilities are accompanied by a respective financial award or a bonus. In case you had to experience such a situation or are experiencing it right now, you’re in the right place! For one, let’s work out what this situation might be rooted in. It will help us to develop an action plan on how to break the deadlock in your career and get promoted to your desired position.

Lack of Recognition from Superiors

To get a new job title, you have to gain recognition from your management. How are you supposed to make a splash without them being aware of your accomplishments? So, the secret is: work smart, not hard. You may keep yourself burning the midnight oil and going the extra mile every now and then, but it will hardly bring you anything else but mental health issues and a disrupted work-life balance. We don’t mean that you should seek every opportunity not to pull your weight, however, you shouldn’t be too submissive either.

The thing is that gaining recognition from your higher-ups depends on both hard and soft skills. And one of the crucial ones is being self-confident. Employees who lack self-confidence and belief in their abilities have fewer chances to grow and develop professionally. They are less likely to make decisions and shoulder advanced-level responsibility. They rarely realize their worth and can’t stand up for themselves if their boss throws more responsibilities without giving them a new title and a pay rise. It’s just not the portrait of an employee who is ready to climb the career ladder and lead others.

Other Soft Skills Gaps

As we’ve mentioned, a higher position requires a bit more than just possessing deep knowledge of the industry. It’s a set of specific soft skills that will bring your job prospects to a brand new level, whether in your company or beyond it. For instance, bosses are real superheroes sometimes, but they still can’t read minds. If they don’t initiate your promotion for some reason, you can simply negotiate it. But for that, one does need to possess negotiation skills. Other game-changing soft skills are undoubtedly leadership and conflict management. Promotion often includes managing other people, and it is often far from being a piece of cake, especially when it comes to getting people’s wires crossed. Should you demonstrate no potential to handle this duty, the game is over for you.

Finally, are you always open to hearing constructive feedback about your performance without giving excuses or blaming everything and everybody around you? Are you prone to becoming defensive while listening to constructive criticism or take it as an opportunity to work on your downsides? Being open-minded and flexible is an indispensable part of working your way up so you’d better develop those for the sake of your brilliant professional future.

Insufficient Qualifications or Experience for Promotion

This is a pretty fair and logical explanation of why your career advancement is barely visible on the horizon. Good for you if you are ambitious and determined, however, being realistic won’t harm you either. Promotions and pay rise hardly ever fall out of nowhere, one has to meet the expertise requirements. So, for starters, do your research. Browse what other companies require for the position you’ve set your sights on, make a list of common job requirements, and check if you live up to it. We do recommend being objective, as recognizing your gaps and finding ways how to fill them up will only bring you closer to your aim.

Company Policies and Procedures in Place That Prevent Promotions

Sometimes it happens that despite the great willingness of your employer to get you promoted, the company has no possibility to do so. You should resort to strategic thinking in this case – analyze whether your organization is facing any obstacles or even going through a rough patch, and what priorities it has at the moment. Now think if the company will somehow benefit from your promotion or vice versa. In the same way as people, companies can also be on a budget and have no opportunity to allocate money for promotions. Or if being brutally honest, your company may just be unwilling to create a new role. However, you never know until you ask. If there’s really a dead end, as a decent alternative, you may be offered a role with a similar set of skills in other departments. There, your promotion might be more realistic to hope for.

You Don’t Need it and Your Boss Feels it

Do you genuinely want to get promoted or you’re being affected by common stereotypes stating that success is measured by progress in your career? First, you have to reflect upon it and identify your real goals. Trace if new responsibilities make you feel more excited or rather more stressed out. What if you’re happy with your current job description and getting promoted is just an imposed urge? Your boss may have already realized it and decided not to put your promotion on their agenda.

Ideas to Enhance your Chances of Achieving Career Goals

Even if any of the aforementioned reasons prevent you from reaching your goal, remember that when God closes a door, he opens a window. Take your rejection as a self-growth opportunity. Accept the fact that your promotion is mainly your own responsibility. With the combination of your strong will and our pieces of advice, you’ll get a better understanding of what steps should be taken to enhance your chances of getting promoted.

Network and Make Connections

You should know that a friend in court is better than a penny in a purse. All the opportunities we have in our lives are provided by people. The more people you get along with, the more opportunities you come across. Keep in mind this rule, and you’ll never find yourself at the broken trough. There are numerous meet-ups, seminars, or professional development courses where you can bump into people from your sphere and establish meaningful connections with them based on your common passion for the same field. Furthermore, a fair number of employers prefer hiring people who have already won a certain credit of trust, and usually, these people come through a referral program.

Take Initiative and Request Opportunities to Advance

Not to confuse you completely, we’re not against taking initiative or extra responsibilities. We call for a reasonable approach when doing so. For instance, if you do want to shoulder some additional responsibilities, pick those tasks that require demonstrating different abilities and talents from those that you demonstrate on a daily basis. Your task is to let your superiors see you from a brand new side and, therefore, induce them into thinking that you’ve grown out of your current position and are ready for a promotion.

Ask for Feedback from Supervisors

Another way to demonstrate your readiness to grow professionally is being able to face any feedback with dignity and tranquility. To reach such a level of maturity, you should clarify first and foremost for yourself that feedback is always a bit subjective and doesn’t always reflect reality. It’s somebody’s overview of your performance, and its point is not feeding your impostor syndrome. Instead, it serves as an alternative view of your performance that could help you identify both weaknesses and strengths. In both cases it’s helpful, so don’t hesitate to ask your manager for their feedback. Therefore, you’ll create a pretext to show them your open-mindedness.

Improve Qualifications or Experience

This tip will play into your hands in every scenario. Even if you get completely tired of knocking on the same door in your current company, improved qualifications will only get your star shine brighter among other candidates when searching for a new job. Consider enrolling in a further training course or working on your soft skills gaps. Your aspiration to grow is bound to serve as a big green flag for your management to award you with a new title!

Conclusion

So, the most important idea you have to grasp is that being a high performer doesn’t necessarily equate to being the first candidate for a promotion. If you strive for career growth, don’t try to impress your management by taking on mountains of work. Instead, focus on developing skills and qualities particularly essential for the next role. Do research on what expertise you need to possess and compare it to yours. Don’t be afraid to find our gaps – they are here to help you identify what you lack to get career advancement. By acknowledging and improving them, you only take yourself closer to the desired position. And finally, don’t hesitate to advocate for yourself! Your bosses might not be aware of your performance or achievements, especially in giant companies due to their wild workload. Let them discover your talent and award you with what you want so much!

Date: 27 March 2023
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