How to Get a Promotion (5 Secrets High Performers Know)

If you’re reading this article, you might be frustrated in your current job. You’re craving more responsibility, influence and fulfillment at work. You’re the kind of person who’s got their eyes fixed on the next goal, and I’m all about it.

If this is you, it’s likely you want a promotion, but you don’t know how to go about getting one. After all, in a competitive job market, it can be hard to rise to the top. To demonstrate you’re ready for the next level of responsibility and pay, you must communicate (and prove through your growth) that being promoted is a goal of yours. That said, here are five secrets that high performers know about how to get a promotion.

How to Get a Promotion: 5 Steps to Start Taking Today

Bottom line: To earn a promotion, you must go above and beyond your current responsibilities. As long as you’re not overstepping boundaries with coworkers or leadership, try to start doing the work of your next role before you get the job title, and find ways to make your leaders aware of your extra effort.

Here are five steps you can start taking immediately to position yourself for a promotion.

1. Have a clear growth plan in your current role.

When you’re gunning for a promotion, you and your leader need to be unified on the results you’re expected to deliver. That way, getting promoted won’t be a matter of opinion—you’ll have data to back up why you deserve a promotion. Use these two tips to know your role and how to grow in it:

Get crystal clear on your responsibilities.

The first step to advancing in your job is knowing—and taking radical responsibility for—your current role (and that includes not comparing yourself to other people in other roles). You need to know exactly what’s currently expected of you so you can grow beyond those expectations. Hopefully, you’ve been given a job description with clear details of your responsibilities and growth areas. Whether you have that documented or not, ask your leader, “What does it look like for me to win in this role?” And then go do it!

Hone your craft.

Whatever your job is—engineer, nurse, chef, developer, marketer, fill in the blank—commit to being the absolute best at it that you can be. You should know your craft backward and forward and see each day as an opportunity to practice. Read books, listen to podcasts, or take online courses to continue learning about your profession.

2. Develop your personal brand.

In addition to improving your hard skills (things like programming, writing or sales), you need to focus on improving your personal brand and becoming the kind of person who deserves more responsibility. We’re talking about developing your character—especially when it comes to interacting with others.

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Relationships are the most important factor in determining how quickly and effectively you move forward. Period. Dive deep with your leaders and your teammates. Practically speaking, this means being present and interactive in your organization. Go to lunch, grab coffee, attend fun events, and get to know your coworkers outside of work hours. Make yourself valuable and visible by contributing to the community where you work. And if you’re more on the introverted side, you could also send regular email updates to your leader about your progress.

Here are three ways to improve your personal brand and therefore your relationships at work:

Be likable.

People should smile when they cross paths with you at the coffee station or walking down the hall. Be kind. Now, this isn’t an expectation for you to be perfect, but you should do your best to engage with others in a positive and productive way.

Being likeable is all about your attitude. Are you positive? Do you bring a spark of motivation to everything you do? Where you are today might not be your dream role, but there’s no next if you don’t crush the now.

Be coachable.

Two specific areas come to mind when I think about coaching:

1. The first is instruction. When a new opportunity, piece of technology or policy gets put on your plate, soak it up like a sponge. Be an A-plus student. Find a mentor who’s an expert in that topic to pour into you.
2. The second area is correction. Don’t get defensive when your leader notices an area that needs improvement. Choose humility and embrace the opportunity to learn.

Be honorable.

This is all about integrity. Consistently treat people the way you want to be treated and respect their needs and their ideas.

Spend some time reflecting on these three qualities. Ask your family and a trustworthy friend at work to give you honest input on what you’re doing well and where you need to grow.

3. Ask for—and implement—constructive feedback.

Asking for your leader’s thoughts about your growth will develop rapport and give you valuable information to help you keep improving. But remember, your leader is probably busy with their own responsibilities, so don’t wait for your six-month or annual check-in to ask how you’re doing and make sure you’re on track.

If you’re going to ask for feedback, you’d better be ready to receive it and listen! Ask the question, then be quiet and hear what they have to say. You might need to swallow your pride to fully absorb and apply constructive criticism—but it’s the only way to improve and continue working toward a promotion.

4. Increase your visibility on the team.

Before you learn how to ask for a promotion (I’ll share a sample script in a minute), it pays for your team to know what you do. It doesn’t matter how hard you work if nobody knows what you’re up to. This is why I’m such an advocate for visibility—making yourself and your contributions known. I’m not suggesting you self-promote to the point of being obnoxious, but figure out a way to let other people know how you’re helping the team and solving problems.

Here are a few suggestions to increase your visibility and boost your chance of getting promoted:

Be collaborative.  

Begin to branch out and make connections with your teammates and even with the broader professional community in your area. Don’t hesitate to reach out across departments and disciplines. Think of yourself as a bridge that connects people across islands. This helps develop rapport with people who will help you continue to grow.

Help your teammates win.

If you want to advance personally, commit to being a key team player. When you look out for the good of your teammates, you’re advancing the good of the entire organization. And as you support and encourage other key players, they’ll open doors of opportunity for you. Over time, this will help you create a personal brand built on reliability.

Be reliable.

Being reliable is about building trust consistently over time. Ask yourself questions like these:

• Am I trustworthy?
• Will I do a good job with more on my plate?
• When my name is on a project, do my leader and teammates immediately know it’s in good hands?

To be reliable and help your teammates win, deliver on the promises you make—day in and day out.

Take initiative.

As you grow in your skill set, look for problems that can be solved. Offer up your solutions and ideas—instead of just complaining. If you see something, say something! Know what you bring to the table and then use your skills to contribute to the success of your entire team.

5. Learn how to ask for a promotion.

When planning to ask for a raise or take on more responsibility for a promotion, write out your goals clearly and put them on a timeline so you know when and how to execute them.

And don’t assume your leader knows you want a promotion. Talk to them about your desire to grow and earn more responsibility. Ask them what certifications, skills or qualities you should have to reach that destination. Then, let your leader know you’d like to follow up on your growth, and set a meeting in three to six months’ time to review your progress. That meeting is where you’ll want to float the idea of leveling up your job title.

Here are some things to keep in mind before you ask for a promotion:

• How has your communication improved, especially with managing your projects and keeping leadership updated on your work?
• Are you faster and more efficient at your tasks? Can you measure this?
• How have you influenced other areas of the company and projects outside of your direct team?
• What new certifications or trainings have you undertaken to sharpen your skills?
• How much money have you made or saved the company, and how?

Improving your skill set and growing professionally is a lifelong endeavor. Developing daily habits that will allow you to grow and communicating that growth are the first steps to getting promoted. Start thinking strategically about the big picture of your team or department, and leverage that to advance your position within the company!

A Sample Script to Ask for a Promotion

Now that you know how to prepare yourself to ask for a promotion, here’s an example of an in-person conversation script you can use with your leader:

Hi, [leader], thank you for meeting with me to talk about my growth plan and how I’ve been progressing toward my annual professional goals.

Last time we met, we outlined Key Results Areas around project ownership, team collaboration, and revenue generation. As you know based onfrom my monthly and quarterly updates, I’ve been recognized by the team for my reliability and resourcefulness on [name an importantX project].

I want to follow up on our previous conversation about a possible promotion. Based on theseLooking at my results, you can see that I’ve exceeded the expectations we laid out six -months ago.

Based on this growth and the value I’ve provided, I feel confident that I’m ready for the next level of responsibility. According to my growth plan, I’m contributing at a Senior level, and I want to confirm with you that my progress is on track for a promotion."

Adjust this script to fit your situation and your personality, and go for it!

Grow in Your Career Every Single Day

If you follow these five steps, before you know it, your leaders will be considering you for a promotion. You can’t always predict the exact moment this will happen, but when the time comes to raise your hand for the next level of responsibility, you can rest assured that you’ve done the work necessary to earn your spot.

The thing about professional growth is that it prepares you for the work you’re made for—so you can stop wasting time in the wrong job and get recognized for your skills. You can accelerate your job growth even more when you understand your top talents, passions and mission, which I lay out for you in my new book, Find the Work You’re Wired to Do. When you take the included Get Clear Career Assessment, you’ll get to the heart of who you are and how you’re wired. From there, you’ll be set to pursue the work you were born to do!