How to Get Promoted at Work

If you want to advance your career, take on more responsibility, and improve your income, you might be thinking about pursuing a promotion. In this article, we outline everything you need to know about getting ahead, including practical strategies for improving your chances of a successful promotion bid, and advice on handling a disappointing outcome.

Key Trends in Workplace Promotions

Promotions are a mainstay of the career-development conversation, but the landscape isn't always consistent. A wide range of internal and external factors – the financial performance of the organization, the state of the economy, and other geopolitical factors – can influence the appetite for promotions among organizations.

For instance, a 2024 study examined data from over 50 million U.S. employees between January 2019 and February 2024. It showed an upward trend in managerial promotions in 2021 and 2022 – years in which the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a surge in jobseeking known as The Great Resignation. The study indicates, however, that the volume of managerial promotions had returned to pre-pandemic levels by 2023.

Analysis of the career histories of nearly 20,000 employees in the U.K. and U.S.’s largest corporations in 2024 revealed that it took an average of 30.4 months to get promoted, and 43.1 percent of current employees had been promoted from within the company.

Further research indicates a consistently strong desire for career development and growth among today's workers. In 2023, the APD Research Institute's People at Work report revealed that 78 percent of workers believed they had the skills to advance their careers to the next level within the next three years.

The same report revealed that workers rated management (38 percent of respondents), people skills (33 percent) and data analysis (31 percent) as the top three career skills to develop in the next five years.

What Are the Different Types of Promotion?

There are several different types of promotion opportunities in today's organizations. Click the headings below to discover more about the most common types.

This is the most traditional type of promotion, where you move into a more senior role in the organization's hierarchy. It means a new job title, more responsibility, and a salary increase. But it can also mean more pressure as the organization's expectations of you increase.

This involves moving "sideways" into a different role at a similar level. There's no salary increase but you get the opportunity to diversify your skill set and gain new experience without the additional pressure that can come with a vertical promotion.

This means being given a new job title and more responsibility – but no salary increase. While dry promotion doesn't appeal to everyone, some view it as an opportunity to gain experience at a more senior level and improve their future earning potential.

In an open promotion, any employee who meets the requirements of the role is invited to apply. It means there are plenty of opportunities to get promoted, but there's also a great deal of competition.

In a closed promotion, opportunities are only made available to certain employees. As a result, there's little competition from other candidates, but only a limited number of opportunities.

Eight Ways to Get Yourself Promoted

While the outcome of any promotion bid will be influenced by various factors, there are several steps that you can take to set yourself up for success. The following strategies are all excellent ways to get ready for promotion:

1. Find out what's required

If you don't already know the promotions process in your organization, be sure to familiarize yourself with it. It might involve a formal application and interview, or it may be part of your organization's regular performance-management process. There's also the possibility that there's no formal route to follow – which will make the next step even more important.

2. Make your intentions known

Once you've familiarized yourself with the process for promotions in your organization, take the proper steps to express your interest in being promoted. This might involve completing an application or submitting a formal request through an HR system. Or it could be as simple as having an informal conversation with your line manager about your desire to progress.

3. Ask your line manager for feedback

When you're preparing to make a bid for promotion, it's important to have some up-to-date feedback on your performance. If you feel comfortable doing so, ask your line manager which specific areas you'd need to develop to be considered for a promotion. If they're open to having a more detailed conversation, try asking them what outcomes you'd need to achieve or what evidence you'd need to demonstrate.

4. Keep a record of your achievements

When you're being considered for promotion, the results you've helped the company achieve, along with your other successes – such as colleague feedback, endorsements, accredited qualifications, and award nominations – will all be taken into account. It's important to ensure that the decision makers are aware of all your achievements, so be sure to record a note of each "win" as it happens. Remember to record measurable outcomes, wherever possible, to show the impact of your work.

5. Exceed expectations in your current role

It goes without saying that your level of performance in your current role will be taken into account when you're being considered for promotion. So ensure that you're exceeding all expectations, and that you can back this up with evidence, such as results you've achieved in your project work or written feedback you've received from senior stakeholders.

6. Seek out relevant learning and development

If there are specific areas that you know you need to brush up on or become more familiar with to strengthen your bid for promotion, seek out opportunities to fill those skills gaps. There might be relevant workshops you can join, webinars you can attend, or e-learning courses you can take.

7. Volunteer for opportunities to "level up" your experience

If it's hands-on experience you need, look out for opportunities to get involved with relevant projects and initiatives outside of your current role. There may be committees you can serve on, events you can help organize, or opportunities to help train new colleagues. This kind of proactivity can also help with raising your profile at work and getting noticed – both of which can be very helpful when you're being considered for promotion.

8. Seek the support of a mentor

As you navigate the promotion process, you might want to consider finding a mentor who can provide some friendly support and guidance. Someone who's familiar with the promotion process – either as an employee or a manager – and has no connection to your promotion bid is likely to be a good choice.

What happens if you don't land the promotion?

If you receive disappointing news following a bid for promotion, try not to be too disheartened. Instead of ruminating on the outcome, it's a good idea to focus on what you can learn from the experience, and on how you want to move forward.

Be sure to ask for feedback about the decision. Were there aspects of your skills, experience, or past performance that contributed to the outcome? What might you be able to improve on to be in a stronger position for promotion in the future?

Once you understand the reasons behind the outcome, consider your next steps carefully. You might start thinking about pursuing opportunities elsewhere. But it's good practice to avoid making hasty decisions in this situation.

If the prospect of more-meaningful work or greater responsibility had felt particularly motivating, options like job crafting – where you shape your current role to suit your skills, strengths and interests – might be worth exploring.

If the promotion itself was truly important to you, take the time to do some goal setting and create a plan of action to ensure that you're able to demonstrate all the relevant skills, experience and competencies in the future.

Let’s Act

Plan the next steps in your personal promotion strategy, by using our handy Promotions Planner template. Download it here to get started.