So You Want to Be Promoted, Pt. 1

Early in a career many engineers expect promotions to appear automatically after a few years of solid work. The reality is that you are 100% accountable for driving the process, even if you aren't the final decision maker. The first step is to locate the document that spells out the expectations for your current level, ideally the full ladder, because word-of-mouth explanations often miss critical nuances. Knowing exactly what the company expects lets you match your accomplishments to the rubric instead of guessing.

The piece outlines five forces that routinely sabotage clear promotion paths: rapid growth that outpaces level definitions, managers with limited experience or poor communication, risk-averse legal concerns that simplify review forms, budget constraints that get cited as excuses, and power holders who hoard the promotion criteria. Each of these forces shows up as vague rubrics, minimal feedback, or last-minute budget blame, leaving engineers in the dark about what they need to achieve.

Practical advice centers on two pieces of critical information: a written job expectations table and a promotion schedule. Get the expectations doc for your level and, if possible, for the next level up. Then map out the promotion cycle dates-when it opens, deadlines, decision points, and when changes take effect. If the information isn't readily available, push your manager or HR for it, note which oppositional force they cite, and keep asking until you have a concrete timeline. Armed with the rubric and schedule you can align your work, gather evidence, and proactively manage the conversation that leads to a promotion.