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4 Steps to give yourself a promotion

May 02, 2024β€’3 min read

4 Steps to Give Yourself a Promotion

People glorify getting promoted.

Suddenly, there's an opening 😯

🌀 "The clouds have parted!"
πŸ₯‡ "Who will be chosen for greatness?"

But at that point, it's too late.

If you're waiting for a "gold opening," you'll be behind.

Instead, do this: (short summary)

1. Research job titles above you.

Find out what skills you already have, and what skills you still need.

2. Make incremental JD gains.

Update your job description as you gain more responsibilities.

3. Confirm your updated JD.

Once your job has changed enough, submit a new JD to your boss.

Get them to confirm that they agree with it.

4. Propose a new job title.

Get your title adjusted to fit your actual role & responsibilities.


Stop here if you're satisfied.
The rest of this email is a full guide.

🍎 You might want to save it and come back later.


- - - - - -


Step 1: Research.

1. Google:
"Job titles above [insert your title]."

2. Choose 1-2 of them you'd like.

3. Look at job postings for them.

4. Write down any duties/skills that you already have.

Example:
You're an SEO Analyst.

You want to be promoted to Data Analyst.

You already do some of the stuff in "Data Analyst" job postings.

That's good. Write those down.


- - - - -


2. Incremental JD gains.

Update your job description using language from the job titles you saw.

Example:
1. Look at Data Analyst job postings.

2. Flag any keywords that keep showing up.

3. Add them to your JD where they fit.

Take on new tasks that'll give you even more keywords to stack in your JD.


- - - - -


3. Update your JD.

Once you have enough "Data Analyst" bullets stacked together, you can submit a new JD to your boss.

Ask them to confirm if they agree with your additions, or if they have feedback.

Now you ⭐️Are⭐️ a Data Analyst.

Your title just hasn't been adjusted yet.


- - - - -


4. Propose your title adjustment.

Here's a script:
"I've looked at lots of job descriptions, and I've found that my current duties align with the title of Data Analyst."

Note: Make sure you can back it up.

Have at least 3 Data Analyst job postings that have significant overlap with your current duties.

You might not need to show your sources, but you need to have them for your own confidence.


- - - - -


Next step?
New titles deserve new salaries.

If you haven't picked up the extremely low cost
pay raise template, now might be the time.


SUMMARY

Here are the steps again to get a promotion without waiting for a "gold opening":

1. Research job titles above you.
2. Make incremental JD gains.
3. Confirm your updated JD.
4. Propose your new title.

Here's to incremental gains that shock people later,

Dave Wolovsky
Your Career Growth Engineer

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Dave Wolovsky

Dave Wolovsky is a Career Growth Engineer, turning Talented Introverts into Pay Raise Prodigies, and sharing the secrets of empathy driven salary negotiation.

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