I am working from last 12 years in software.During this time I have worked with couple of startups and some fortune 100 companies.When I started my career, during my 1:1 it was always told to me that I have to do something extra to be promoted, which indirectly meant work on something extra other than your usual day to day job. Now I am an EM and during my conversation with my peers it's same. They don't want to promote a person who is doing their job effectively. They want someone with that extra edge. Why is it like this? Why can't I just do my work go home and enjoy my free time.Why do I have to put in extra work over the weekends or in my free time to build something extra to get promoted. I am fed up of this.
Ask HN: Why do you have to do something extra to get promoted?
1–10 of 13 posts
Re: Ask HN: Why do you have to do something extra to get promoted?
#2Promotions are overrated. They only lead to more BS and less interesting work duties.
Re: Ask HN: Why do you have to do something extra to get promoted?
#3[deleted]
Re: Ask HN: Why do you have to do something extra to get promoted?
#4The true cost of anything is the opportunity cost.
If the cost of you being promoted is higher than the cost of you staying where you are, you will stay where you are.
> Why can't I just do my work go home and enjoy my free time.
You can.
Re: Ask HN: Why do you have to do something extra to get promoted?
#5It took me a while to realize, but after a couple of experiences, it became very clear that promotions were often used as a carrot on a stick to make me do extra work or achieve tasks that my boss wanted done but didn't have resources for. I'm now very wary of any manager who tells me I'm performing beyond expectations, but that I need to do X to get a promotion.
From my personal experience, I have found that it's easier to get a promotion and raise by moving to a new job. I really wish this wasn't true. I would love to find a place where I'm completely happy with the work and can stay for many years, being paid fair compensation without the need for job-hopping.
Re: Ask HN: Why do you have to do something extra to get promoted?
#6You need to embrace the bullshit.
You have someone who is decent? That person is now not decent, but he is an amazing individual that inspires others and knocks the KPIs off the chart.
There, it is this easy
Promotions without leaving a company are 90% of the time just a token effort to keep an employee around anyway. Don't overthink it
Re: Ask HN: Why do you have to do something extra to get promoted?
#7best way to get a promotion is to switch jobs. Be job-jumping ready and make your manager aware that staying in you current position is an invitation to leave
Re: Ask HN: Why do you have to do something extra to get promoted?
#8"Why can't I just do my work go home and enjoy my free time."
You can, at your current level.
Promotions are all political. You just have to find people who like you.
Re: Ask HN: Why do you have to do something extra to get promoted?
#9Promotions are for schmucks. One can easily get a promotion from the free market when their boss refuses to give it to them
Re: Ask HN: Why do you have to do something extra to get promoted?
#10It's fairly straightforward but widely misunderstood (or misapplied), hence the level of cynicism in these comments. Every level carries with it a certain set of expectations. Once you get promoted, you're now subject to those expectations. If I, as your manager, promote you to the next level without having evidence of your ability to perform at the next level, and you then bomb, it's bad news for everyone. For you (you get a bad review after previously doing quite well presumably), for your peers (they're seeing someone promoted above their ability, potentially impacting others around), and for me (it's my failure as a manager). There's always going to be some amount of luck involved in whether a promotion is successful or not, and it's my job as your manager to derisk it as much as possible. Doing your job at your level well is only evidence of just that, there needs to be some consistency of operating at the next level to the extent reasonable.
To be clear, I'm not saying you should be working extra hours to do this. If that's required, either your manager is not reasonable or you're likely not there yet and if I were to promote you, you might burn out soon.