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Asking for a promotion at work: How soon is too soon?
8 min read | Hays Experts | Article | Career development | Asking for a promotion
Work promotions are a great way to further your career – but how soon is too soon?
So, you’ve been in your current role for a little while. You might be starting to feel like you’re ready for a new challenge. Even if you’re relatively new to your role, you can sometimes feel like you are ready to take on more responsibility.
The only problem is, you’re not sure if it’s too early to ask for a promotion. But when is it really too soon to ask for a promotion?
The answer to this isn’t black and white. There isn’t a set period before you can ask for a promotion, and there’s no magic formula to tell you when the time is right. After all, promotions should link to your performance, not length of tenure, and every new starter will perform differently.
The answer to this question requires you to carefully assess whether you are ready for a promotion. So how can you make this judgement call?
Before talking to your boss, it’s important to stop and think. Consider:
With these answers in mind, you can then start to think about the bigger picture. While getting a promotion at work seems great, getting promoted too soon can actually damage a career in the long run.
To help you decide, consider the following points.
Before you ask for a promotion, check you truly are ready. After all, there may be areas of your current position which you are yet to master. Revisit your job description and check you are fully competent in each area. You should also reflect on any feedback your boss gave you in your annual review and any other more regular check-ins that you have.
Then, ask yourself if you are mentally prepared. You only joined relatively recently, and settling into a new environment can take a while — are you really ready for more change? Consider the extra responsibility, the changes in work routine, and the people you will need to interact with on a daily basis, such as more senior stakeholders. Are you comfortable with this?
At this point, you may feel out of your depth. You could still be getting to grips with your new role. This is fine, and you simply need more time to find your feet. On the other hand, you may feel up to the challenge, because right now you aren’t being pushed to your full potential. If so, get ready to ask for what you want.
As you’ve been with the company a little while, you will have hopefully built up a good relationship with your boss. Hopefully you feel comfortable sharing your future career ambitions and aspirations.
Therefore, I would advise meeting with your boss one-on-one to clearly communicate your ambitions. But remember to be both tactful and professional, after all, you don’t want your manager to think you’re presumptuous, entitled or already disengaged with your current role.
State that you have fully enjoyed getting to grips with your job, but that you feel that you are now ready for the next challenge. Give your reasons, and ask them for their thoughts and feedback.
Your organisation should have a clear career progression policy in place. This outlines what you’ll need to achieve to be considered promotion ready. Your boss will likely identify skills gaps you need to overcome in order to qualify for promotion. Stretch opportunities are a good way to develop these skills on-the-job, so volunteer for relevant tasks or projects.
Finally, set some timeframes, a date to review your progress so far, and keep your boss looped in with your development in the meantime. Ideally, you’ll walk out of this discussion feeling motivated and ready for the next step.
Now it’s time to put your money where your mouth is.
Firstly, your days are about to become a lot busier as you begin taking on stretch opportunities on top of your existing responsibilities. Effective time management and organisation is key if you want to avoid falling behind; from setting a clear deadline for every task, to planning the next day’s to-do list the night before.
Secondly, remember to maintain your work/life balance when working towards this promotion. Yes, you have goals to achieve. But you won’t get there if you run yourself into the ground. It is essential for everyone, regardless of seniority, to switch off and recharge their batteries. Try to leave the office on time, don’t check work emails late into the night, and ensure you have plenty of downtime in the evenings and weekends.
Lastly, record your progress. As you start working towards goals, track these and any measurable results. Have regular one-on-ones with your boss to relay this information, asking for their support or feedback where necessary.
A mentor can also be of great value when trying to reach that next level of your career. This should be somebody other than your boss, someone credible and senior to you, who can objectively advise you as you strive towards success.
Remember, a promotion is based on merit not tenure. Just because you’re new to the company doesn’t mean that you can’t ask for a promotion. By matching your ambition with a realistic view of what you must achieve, you’ll set yourself up with a stronger chance of reaching your career aspirations.
You also shouldn’t lose heart if you are met with a “no” when it comes to asking for that promotion. Use this as an opportunity to further self-improve, and get some feedback which pinpoints exactly why you weren’t successful this time round.
Looking for career support? Contact your local office to discuss potential opportunities that match your skills and experience. You can also read further career advice on our website.
