How does one get a promotion?

[daimbar]

Just wondering how people go about it?

Often receive emails at work about internal promotions 'congratulations to so and so on their new position' and I am wondering did they request the promotion themselves? Or was it discussed and offered by management due to good performance?

If a promotion is deserved but a more senior role doesn't exist can a person scope out the job themselves and present it to management? For example an exec wishing to become a manager or a manager wishing to become a 'head of'.

All our jobs are advertised on our internal site. You apply from there. If you want a promotion you apply for a job higher up.

Everyone also has a persobal development plan so you can work towards getting the skills you need and ensuring your manager knows what you want from you career.

You speak with you line manager, tell them what your aspirations are, ask how you can achieve the skills you need for the job you want. Might mean extra work on projects, a couple of sideways moves for more experience, personal development (dealing with conflict, pressure, a mentor is good for this) etc. Map out with you manager how you will get there.

Ours are advertised nationally and you apply. There are internal interim posts and secondments that give people higher level experience for up to a year.
Each staff member has an individual development plan that should consider their aspirations and plan how to gain the necessary competency and experience.

Depends on your company! I used to work in the public sector and you could only get promoted if a job became available at a higher level, you applied for it and were successful at interview. If no higher level job existed (or your application was unsuccessful) then you couldn't get promoted no matter how brilliant you were at current job.

I now work in the private sector and it's very different - promotion is a reward for already working at a higher level than your existing grade. In my case my manager suggested going for promotion but I imagine some people raise it with their manager if it hasn't been mentioned.

Any internal promotions should always be advertised so all staff members have the opportunity to apply.

It would be unlawful to create a vacancy specifically for a candidate and then not advertise it publicly.

You should also discuss how you want to progress / develop in your annual appraisal and be proactive in putting yourself forward for any relevant training courses that will aide with moving up the ladder.

Any internal promotions should always be advertised so all staff members have the opportunity to apply.

Never happens at ours..,

You prove you can do the job, then maybe, if there's a business need and they have budget, you get promoted.

Thanks all. As you can probably guess I fancy getting myself a promotion, I have been performing well and I have a nice and supportive boss. The only problem would be moving up a level would be moving into her territory so not sure quite how to raise it with her.

Well. You have your next check in and you say something like

"Boss, id like your advice and support in something. I'm really enjoying my work and I feel the next logical step for me is a move up to... so how can I do this? Is there a stretch project or role I can take on, or something that would let me show I'm capable of moving up to...? What skills do I currently lack, and how can I go about filling that gap?'

Then you have a discussion about it. Good luck!

In the NHS it is seemingly impossible. Much easier in the private sector if you are good at your job. If I'd known that, I'd have never left the private sector to take a public sector job. I'd never heard of 'bandings' for roles before. It's bonkers.

It would be unlawful to create a vacancy specifically for a candidate and then not advertise it publicly

I think this is the case in the public sector but the private sector can do what it likes, within reason.

I'm NHS and find it's hard in admin as that is level expected of you, I am doing an OU degree part time and asked for time off to complete course, I have to make time up and pay for course myself as it not considered anything to do with my job. It's a social science course but tbh no one is interested as long as I keep turning up to do admin job.

Been in present post 2 years and had to ask for a Personal Development Review as boss never arranged it, Outwards supportive boss but very ineffective and as I am only part time doesn't seem to value any ideas I have as I am not a professional, so I decided to retrain but still work as I no hope of extra hours never mind promotion.

Depends on your organisation - I had to put to the justifications myself as my manager wasn't doing any favours on that point, put together all my achievements and why I deserved it. Got it lol but left a year later to lower post 😏

It depends massively on the organisation:

I'm in consulting at present - promotions are not position based at most consulting firms but depend on a slot system. You're automatically eligible after X amount of time and there's a standardised process for distributing slots among candidates.

At my previous employer, the position into which I was promoted was advertised internally - but I was asked to submit an application by the HOD. Unofficially, she'd decided who was going to get the job the moment my predecessor left.

My employer before that also practised sort of a slot-based model but without much of a standardised process. I was passed over twice but promoted almost immediately after I ended up on the team of a boss I got along well with on a personal level. Very intransparent altogether.

All other companies I've ever worked for advertised internally and then treated it like any other job application, AFAIK, never applied, though, so that's about the extent of my knowledge.

I wondered about this recently. A colleague was promoted into a position which had not existed ever before and nobody else was given the opportunity. Don't begrudge her it and I wasn't interested anyway but it feels a bit underhand.

I work in the public sector and there a job has to be fairly advertised so anyone who chooses to can apply. You can't "be promoted" just because you do great work or whatever, there has to be a role that is advertised then you decide if you want to apply and the recruitment procedure begins.

OP: The only problem would be moving up a level would be moving into her territory so not sure quite how to raise it with her.

You have got to be careful about raising this with your boss. Realistically, how do you think this could work? Is it just a pay rise you want. Can you create a grade between yours and her role. Does she have the clout and motivation to do this. Can you move out of this role? Can you ask for more responsibilities to position yourself for the next step sideways and up or out of this company and up.

If you cannot see how she can make this work without your usurping her role, then keep your head down until an opening comes up whether internally or outside.