Here’s what you should do if you want a promotion

Once upon a time, putting your head down, doing good work, and staying loyal to a company may have been enough to get a promotion. But these days, that’s no longer the case. In today’s constantly changing workforce, companies reward employees who can bring results and aren’t afraid to be vocal about it.

Some companies do have a system for advancement, but many don’t. That’s why it’s often on the individual to devise their own strategies and sometimes even design their own path. As Adobe’s chief human resources officer Donna Morris tells us in this episode of Secrets Of The Most Productive People, laying the groundwork and cultivating the right relationships are extremely crucial to securing a promotion. And sometimes, that preparation may take longer than you think.

At some point, you will need to initiate the conversation. Here are three signs that it’s time to ask your boss for a promotion:

1. You’ve been doing your current job for more than six months. It’s always good to do more than what’s expected of you in a job, but when you’re performing at a level above what you were hired to do, it’s a good time to have a check-in with your manager to set new expectations.

2. Your work has made a visibly positive difference in the company. Every employee’s work should have an impact on the team that they are a part of, but when it reaches a company-wide level, then that’s the time to chat about your advancement. Whether it’s a policy you proposed that the higher-ups instituted, or a new source of revenue you implemented, you’re in a good place to ask for a promotion when you have hard evidence that you’ve improved something for the company.

3. You’ve made significant progress on the areas you and your boss previously identified. If you’ve already had the talk with your manager about what you need to do to get to the next level, make sure you’re tracking your progress against what you’ve discussed. When you have reached that level, then it’s time to bring up the promotion conversation again.