Recently when completing my annual review paperwork for my company I came across a section I have never encountered in 25+ years of…
Recently when completing my annual review paperwork for my company I came across a section I have never encountered in 25+ years of professional employment. Annual reviews typically include your goals, your achievements, successes, challenges, and other metric and soft measures for the year. This form included a page whose title was, and I am paraphrasing a bit, “Do you deserve a promotion this year?”. I’ll admit, this stopped me in my tracks.
I’ve never thought about things from this perspective. It wasn’t looking for a particular position nor was it a response to an available opening; no this just felt like how you justify being qualified for an open job as a new hire. When you go through the year at most companies you work against (or towards if you’d prefer to phrase it that way) a set of agreed goals. How often are those goals written with the objective of promoting you out of your current role?
Prep for your review
When preparing for an annual review we commonly are asked to complete how successful we have been in relation to our goals as defined by our managers. Rarely is there a point in the conversation or in the HR tool addressing the desire and readiness for a promotion. First though I needed to answer “the question.”
Obvious and not so obvious
You would think the answer would be as obvious as as the proverbial nose-on-face combination. “Of course I’m ready!” jumps to mind, with visions of pay raises and titles dancing in our heads. But then your mind turns to wander in the realities of the question:
“Am I really ready for more responsibility?”
“Can I manage a team for this company?”
“Can I justify my answer?”
“Would I be happy continuing doing what I am now or is the promotion a way up and out?”
Next the fear, uncertainty, and doubt questions kick in:
“What if I get the promotion and I’m not ready?”
“What if I say I’m ready but don’t get the promotion?”
“Could saying yes too soon reflect poorly on me?
“How do I know when they think I’m ready?”
Planning for “the question”
To begin preparing for the question you have to know what the criteria are for promotion. I was fortunate in that regard because my company has clear guidelines for roles and responsibilities for each level of the organization (thank you, management!) Using that as the template I was able to work through each responsibility of my current position (which is the basic expectation of an annual review anyway) but also compare my work to the expectations of the next higher position in the organization. This dual comparison allowed for not only how I did to date but did I exceed the requirements to the next level higher objectives.
Gathering the evidence
Any claim of readiness for promotion needs to be supported by evidence. Gathering said evidence is made much simpler if some prep work is done prior to the review. Keeping copies of success emails, acknowledgements, and other direct evidence from others (especially management) can go a long way in justifying your claims for promotion readiness. I recommend creating a folder (mine is called Accolades) and placing copies of emails, “atta-boys”, etc. in the folder for later reference. Confirmations of goal completions, actions above and beyond, as well as communications from coworkers showing assistance and leadership all qualify for the accolades folder in my book.
Crafting the response
This is the part that took the most time. You want to be careful how you write your response; confident but not arrogant, capable but not bragging. Give yourself time for multiple edits over a few days; this is not something you want to rush through. Look at the requirements for the promotion and then explain how you either have already or can meet those requirements. If you have met them already providing supporting evidence to that fact if you have it.
Pulling the trigger
Don’t send in the response right away. When you’re done, give it a day and then go back and look it over one more time. Look not only for editing fixes but also improvements in the flow and message of your responses. Remember, this document will act as your initial representative and should be crafted as such.
The wait begins
Once you have submitted your response this is your chance to take note of a few things. First, you now know what your strengths and weaknesses are related to the promotion you are looking for and as such can plan your goals accordingly. Second, you have a much deeper understanding of the role the position plays in the organization and can make sure you have a much higher level of initial success than if you were promoted into the role unplanned. Finally, if you don’t get the promotion, you can ask as to why based on your submission to help you strengthen it for the next time.
The question of “do you deserve a promotion” is one we should be asking ourselves all the time. Don’t wait to be asked, ask yourself and then take the steps necessary to make the answer an unqualified yes.