How do promotions work at your company?

[countthestars]

Please don't quote, I will likely DD.

I was under the impression from my boss and my 2nd up in command that I was doing well and was on track for promotion soon and expected that I would be promoted in Q4 this year. I just asked boss the status of my promotion and she said that she didn't know and she would follow up, but that in their meeting in Sept she recommended that I be promoted. She then mentioned that she "has heard" that there is a list of people who are ready or almost ready to be promoted but that people are only promoted when spots are open/available. So in theory, I would have to wait for someone at the level above me to leave or get promoted.

I am surprised by this because of how our roles are currently set up. Let's say I am at position D while a VP would be A. I started at F (does that make sense?). VPs typically have a variety of B, C, D reporting in to them, or Ds can report into B or C and then A. Since we are in consulting the work of B, C, D is fairly similar but with slightly different focus.

Anyway, my boss and I are going to meet with our VP in early Q1 to see what I need to do but something about this just feels off to me. Maybe because the last time "we" as a company talked about promotions it was strictly merit based and that they don't look at the roles in terms of needing 5 As, 4 Bs, 8 Cs, 10Ds, etc.

How does your company do it? Anything I should consider when talking to VP about this if this is true?  

[cheezer]

We have a pretty lock step promotion system for the first few years and then it's all about how much revenue you bring into the firm. There are a very select few who are promoted early. So it doesn't matter how many people are the level above me for me to get promoted.

[redredwine]

Short answer? There are no guaranteed promotions. Just because you're "next in line" for a position, we're uber competitive and you have to interview for even a "sure thing" job. Automatic promotions rarely happen.

[spunkarella]

They don't.

It's a small company with a fairly flat organizational structure.

[zoidberg]

I suckle from the government teat and our promotions are guaranteed as long as you demonstrate competency, at a specific level and for specific tasks, for predetermined period of time leading up to the desired promotion date. If your supervisor can check all the boxes, you get your promotion.

[delawarejen]

In previous levels, I couldn't get promoted unless there was a job open, in addition to meeting the requirements. I'm now at a level where I could get promoted to a better title (and a different pay scale, I don't know how much they overlap). It appears to only happen if you kiss up to a particular member of management or you try to quit. (I only know one person who managed to move up just because they gave it to her). Unfortunately, I've had problems with the second option, and I don't think the first is going to work, so I'm stuck seeing if I can wait out this member of management until she retires, which is probably 10 years away.

[tine]

It's really hard to get promoted unless a job is open at my company. And there is also little communications to managers on how to get your staff promotions/raises so it's a ton of work for your manager to get you a promotion and some times the promotion is not approved after all their work. I was lucky to get an "unnecessary" promotion from staff to senior but 2 years later when we tried to promote my coworker it was denied. Now I'm waiting for my director to retire so I can move up again... He's moved back the date twice already. It was originally the end of the year, then spring 2015 and now it's "at least another year". ugh.

[L]

At my company, you have to apply for an open position and interview. It's only slightly less formal than the process of hiring an outsider.

If there are no open positions above you, then you can't get a promotion, no matter how awesome you are.

[Deleted]

It's all about the budget. And executives change their minds a lot about what they want to spend.

[mccallister84]

We have 1"a" 2"bs" 5"cs" so in order to be promoted someone needs to vacate a spot higher than you. In rare situations (like 1 in the 9plus years I've been here) new roles are created but that is never due to wanting to promote someone but rather a new need of the organization.

[starlily]

Dec 18, 2014 15:11:24 GMT -5 L said:

At my company, you have to apply for an open position and interview. It's only slightly less formal than the process of hiring an outsider.

If there are no open positions above you, then you can't get a promotion, no matter how awesome you are.

I work for a government agency and it's the same at my office.

[LoveTrains]

Dec 18, 2014 15:11:24 GMT -5 L said:

At my company, you have to apply for an open position and interview. It's only slightly less formal than the process of hiring an outsider.

If there are no open positions above you, then you can't get a promotion, no matter how awesome you are.

This is how it has generally been wherever I have worked. I am completely unfamiliar with a system where someone gets a promotion just because they have progressed in their work. I have only been at places where promotions were only available when there were open positions above you. You apply and interview just like external candidates might. 

[rubytue]

Dec 18, 2014 13:37:53 GMT -5 zoidberg said:

I suckle from the government teat and our promotions are guaranteed as long as you demonstrate competency, at a specific level and for specific tasks, for predetermined period of time leading up to the desired promotion date. If your supervisor can check all the boxes, you get your promotion.

This, until you hit the top of your promotion potential.

And then you sit and wait and wait and wait and wait for someone to retire or something to open up somewhere.

I hit the top of my grade this week. So, I haven't had a promotion in 10 years, and it's pretty obvious I won't have one anytime soon.

It's kind of like the OP mentioned at the end. Supervisors are 15s. Each 15 can have two 14s and the rest need to be 13s or below.

[zoidberg]

Dec 18, 2014 23:07:06 GMT -5 rubytue said:

Dec 18, 2014 13:37:53 GMT -5 zoidberg said:

I suckle from the government teat and our promotions are guaranteed as long as you demonstrate competency, at a specific level and for specific tasks, for predetermined period of time leading up to the desired promotion date. If your supervisor can check all the boxes, you get your promotion.

This, until you hit the top of your promotion potential.

And then you sit and wait and wait and wait and wait for someone to retire or something to open up somewhere.

I hit the top of my grade this week. So, I haven't had a promotion in 10 years, and it's pretty obvious I won't have one anytime soon.

It's kind of like the OP mentioned at the end. Supervisors are 15s. Each 15 can have two 14s and the rest need to be 13s or below.

True. I still have a couple to go before I top out at 14, so I'm not thinking about that yet. At my agency, in my particular job, you can actually get to be a 15 without becoming a supervisor under certain circumstances. You either have to pass a program and also take on a bunch of extra work, or if you have a phd you can do some huge project to prove your worth (unsure of the details, but I know it takes a while) and get it. But that's it unless you go the supervisor route and get promoted from there.

[rubytue]

zoidberg - that's awesome! Sorry, I'm just in a job funk right now. 10 years ago, when I got my grade, I thought I could be happy there forever. But alas, turns out I have career ambitions I never knew I had.

[zoidberg]

Dec 19, 2014 1:04:14 GMT -5 rubytue said:

zoidberg - that's awesome! Sorry, I'm just in a job funk right now. 10 years ago, when I got my grade, I thought I could be happy there forever. But alas, turns out I have career ambitions I never knew I had.

I can totally see that. Right now I feel like I could do this forever, but that is a really long time. I'll actually hit the promotion ceiling (at a step 1, so there will be step increases at least) in 4-5 years. And then......

And for me, job duties change very little with promotions. You just have to do a few new tasks and more work overall. So I will be doing the same thing, just more of it. Which is why I don't spend a lot of time thinking about that stage.

[Deleted]

My organization is AWFUL at recognizing employers. That's why my H jumped ship, even though he'd just been promoted. He'd had to fight to be promoted to the level of work he was already doing.

I'm in a different department and we don't get promoted unless a position above us opens up. Then they advertise it and we have to apply/ interview. It's awful.

[cosmos]

Dec 18, 2014 13:16:51 GMT -5 redredwine said:

Short answer? There are no guaranteed promotions. Just because you're "next in line" for a position, we're uber competitive and you have to interview for even a "sure thing" job. Automatic promotions rarely happen.

This is how it is here. You need to apply and interview for every promotion, at least in mid level management. Not sure how it works on the senior level.