Try to take my position: The best promotion advice I ever got • Hacker News Board

Re: Try to take my position: The best promotion advice I ever got

#241

Post by mikeryan » Tue, Jan 06, 2026, 2:01 PM UTC

amflare wrote: post #5

Taking on extra responsibility is all well and good until someone figures out that they can just get you to do more work for the same amount of money. At that point your only option is to move on, because if you stop performing at the "expected" level due to lack of reciprocation, suddenly you have "performance issues".

Without a doubt there are toxic work environments and bosses that think the way you’ve stated.

That said my point of view as a manager was to try to hire people who could take my job someday. Those were the people that would make me look good by having a great team. I don’t need to steal their thunder because the higher you go in a healthy organization the more it’s about having people that can execute your strategy then about your individual contributions.

The best analogy for this I see is in the NFL when new, young head coaches seem to be afraid to hire experienced coordinators who have been fired as head coaches because they’re afraid of hiring their replacement if they fail. The thing is those ex head coaches were undoubtedly successful in their previous coordinator roles which is why they got a head coach gig to begin with and are likely the best option for making the new head coach successful.

Long story short it’s up to you to determine which type of leader you’re working for and and take ownership of moving on when in a toxic situation as opposed to a healthy one.

Re: Try to take my position: The best promotion advice I ever got

#242

Post by pc86 » Tue, Jan 06, 2026, 2:05 PM UTC

wiseowise wrote: post #215

pc86 wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That doesn't make the promotion more about grinding because the company doesn't care about how much work you get done in a set unit of time compared to other employees in the same set unit of time. The company cares about how much you get done, period. If the only differentiating factor between Amy and Jim is quantity of work done (this is never the case in real life), most companies will prefer a Jim that works 60 h…

> most companies will prefer a Jim that works 60 hours to an Amy that works 40 if Jim is producing 5% more. What happens in reality is that Amy produces 10% more in 40 hours than Jim in 60 hours, but she's not a team player because she leaves at 5.

In software development, sure (maybe). Most jobs aren't software development.

The vast majority of jobs your production slows as hours increase but there isn't a tipping point where you're less productive, even after accounting for errors or rework. There's a reason CPAs don't clock out at 37.5 hours during tax season, or warehouses or service desks or any number of things other than the specific thing most of us do often work more than 40 hours a week, especially when actively working to get a promotion.

Re: Try to take my position: The best promotion advice I ever got

#243

Post by jamesnorden » Tue, Jan 06, 2026, 2:11 PM UTC

spiderice wrote: post #161

crazygringo wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or don't? Because the other company may hire you at the higher level anyways , that's the point. Because you're getting multiple companies to compete for the experience you already have. It's your task to demonstrate in interviews that you have the skills for that higher level. Which is a huge shortcut. And "maybe your current company will surprise you" just sounds like being taken advantage of to me. Because the rea…

You seem way too concerned with "nickle-and-diming" your employer. Which is just as sad as an employer who nickle-and-dimes their employees.

Found the manager.

Re: Try to take my position: The best promotion advice I ever got

#244

Post by dec0dedab0de » Tue, Jan 06, 2026, 2:18 PM UTC

My best advice is to be likeable and just barely incompetent. You will get more money and less work.

Re: Try to take my position: The best promotion advice I ever got

#245

Post by baggachipz » Tue, Jan 06, 2026, 2:27 PM UTC

halls-940 wrote: post #225

ryanjshaw wrote: post #209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Felt like AI slop. I used to do what it recommends, and it got me nowhere other than more stress and higher expectations from senior management.

I was reprimanded at three different software companies for doing exactly this, and not "staying in my lane" or "trying to do the senior person's job". So it only applies if you're already ahead of schedule on all your assigned work (difficult if they keep increasing your backlog), and the manager likes you but sees you as non-threatening, and people aren't territorial about RFCs.

The number of times I've been praised for going "above and beyond" has been absolutely dwarfed by "stay in your lane". Turns out, a lot of people don't appreciate you trying to prove you could do their job.

Re: Try to take my position: The best promotion advice I ever got

#246

Post by Shalomboy » Tue, Jan 06, 2026, 2:31 PM UTC

ManlyBread wrote: post #202

Ah, the classic "work even harder and do things you're not paid for with zero guarantee that someone will appreciate what you're doing while the company reaps the benefits". What a novel thought, I am so glad I clicked the article, especially since the author isn't even speaking from experience so he has nothing to back up his blogpost with.

Not to diminish your skepticism, but your reply comes off jaded in a way that might be hurting you. The author's suggestion for employees seeking promotion is to operate on a higher level than they're asked to and keep operating in that fashion for a sustained window of time. Show growth, in other words.

Re: Try to take my position: The best promotion advice I ever got

#247

Post by f1shy » Tue, Jan 06, 2026, 2:33 PM UTC

marcinzm wrote: post #239

f1shy wrote: post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I tested both. None worked. It is a little bit like “it’s not what you know, is what you can prove”: I mean: “it’s not what you do, is what the boss of your boss sees”. And I emphasize “boss of your boss” because him is who you have to impress (or somebody 2 levels above, anyway). Also in moderately big to big companies, is all about contacts and personal marketing, which could (and typically is) orthogonal to your a…

> Also in moderately big to big companies, is all about contacts and personal marketing, which could (and typically is) orthogonal to your actual work. As you go up the levels that is exactly the job (for better or worse) so doing that is doing the work at the next level. You are organizational glue that connects people and ensures your team has proper visibility. If you didn't see it that way then that may explain y…

It does not have to be so, and in some companies is not so, notably the ones which thrive and meritocracy rules. Is a big fallacy to think all is politics, IMHO.

Between the most junior developer and the CTO, and all in between, is about taking good decisions, communicating clearly, and owning errors. If it is a healthy company with competent management, there is no need to make a powerpoint of every fart you shoot. Now the reality is, big companies are run typically by incompetent people with "cover your ass" mentality, with lots of internal and external corruption and nepotism. See Dilbert. It doesn't mean is the only model.

> If you didn't see it that way then that may explain your problems with promotions.

Big no. I totally knew and saw that, clear as day. But if when the position is open the nephew of the boss'es boss is looking for a job, you are just out of luck. Also if your boss is constantly talking bad of you anytime anyone internally asks for you.

Re: Try to take my position: The best promotion advice I ever got

#248

Post by HumblyTossed » Tue, Jan 06, 2026, 2:35 PM UTC

If you want to get promoted, you need a succession plan. You need to train up the person who will be the new you. If you're important enough to be promoted, you're too important to replace, so you'll be stuck where you are until you have a successor in place. By doing this you automatically demonstrate leadership.

Re: Try to take my position: The best promotion advice I ever got

#249

Post by jagged-chisel » Tue, Jan 06, 2026, 2:42 PM UTC

Shalomboy wrote: post #246

ManlyBread wrote: post #202

Ah, the classic "work even harder and do things you're not paid for with zero guarantee that someone will appreciate what you're doing while the company reaps the benefits". What a novel thought, I am so glad I clicked the article, especially since the author isn't even speaking from experience so he has nothing to back up his blogpost with.

Not to diminish your skepticism, but your reply comes off jaded in a way that might be hurting you. The author's suggestion for employees seeking promotion is to operate on a higher level than they're asked to and keep operating in that fashion for a sustained window of time. Show growth, in other words.

This reads to me like you translated GP’s cynical post into something more palatable to the politically-minded. You’ve said the same thing.

Re: Try to take my position: The best promotion advice I ever got

#250

Post by wombat-man » Tue, Jan 06, 2026, 2:42 PM UTC

jonny_eh wrote: post #114

wombat-man wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This was talked about in The Hard Thing about Hard Things by Ben Horowitz, iirc, but from the other side. It advises to not offer a raise to keep an employee planning to leave. This is because the implication is that you were underpaying them before or that you're willing to overpay them now for threatening to quit. This encourages employees to follow suit instead of working towards promo. So pay what you're willing…

Sounds to me like it's the employer that should dislike counter-offers, not the employee. This advice is also made through an "employer is always right" lens. Is it really so bad to send a signal to an employee that they were underpaid?

To one employee? No. But other employees will probably find out. Now how will they try to get a raise? By working hard, or getting an offer letter and threatening to leave?

As an individual, if you fully intend to leave, and find your current employer trying to keep you that's a personal decision for sure. For me, I figure if I already put in all the effort to find a better job, I might as well take it. Maybe irrational, but at that point I've already weighed the decision on whether to go. My decisions to leave have usually not been purely about comp but other issues I have with the job.