To listen to the blog post “10 Likely Reasons You’re Not Getting Promoted At Work” over reading it then click the play button below.
In this post I want to talk about why you are not getting promoted at work and why. I have seen and have been at jobs where no matter how great of a job you do the best performers do not get promoted because perhaps the culture in the company is to promote those they know or favor and are not based on merit. Which I have a video on down below on my actual workplace experiance.
That type of company is NOT what I am talking about. I am talking about you getting promoted based on working for companies that promote based on merit. If after practicing the following tips you notice that you are still not getting promoted at work then it would best for you just move on to somewhere else where you talents and skills are appreciated. But as a rule of thumb in a fair work environment, these rules will apply.
1. Why You Are Not Getting A Promotion At Work ~ Time for some self reflection on your workplace behavior.
If you read my blog then know that this is a faith based blog if you are new here then welcome this is a faith based blog. Even if you are not a believer it does not matter, what I want to point out will apply to anyone and these are behaviors that anyone should be doing as an employee. And I believe that as long as you displaying these behavior then your talents will always be recognized. So first, start here on what type of employee you are.
First let’s start with the behaviors with the fruits of the spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23 and these are behaviors that you should always display in your workplace.
- Love [unselfish concern for others]- In work terms that means be nice to people.
- Joy, [inner] peace – In work terms that means be an overall happy person when you come to work. You do not have to do the most when it comes to having joy to the point that it is unrealistic but do not be Debbie Downer.
- Patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting]- In work terms do not work for a company for a month or two and think that you deserve a promotion. Wait for the right time.
- Kindness – In work terms do not be a jerk or talk to people any kind of way.
- Faithfulness – In work terms means that you come to work on time, be consistent at your job, and be consistent as an employee.
- Self-control – In work terms do not cause all this drama, be all over the place, gossip, etc.
I have found that some people are not honest in their workplace behavior. Some people are higher in their own minds then how other people really see them and they think they are a better employee then their actual jobs sees them. So the baseline in getting a promotion would be to practice these the above behaviors first. Also check out my video down below on how to be on your grown woman status so you can learn how to check out behavior and don’t forget to subscribe to my Youtube Channel by clicking here.
2. Not Getting A Promotion At Work ~ You Are Not getting promoted at work because You are Lazy
Yeah I know this is a hard reason to digest. It does not matter if you think you are not lazy but you have to look at your work ethic through your supervisor’s eyes. Some things that show you are lazy in your bosses eyes is putting forth bad quality or sloppy work, not doing your job, or under performing.
If you are lazy on your job then why would a company promote you to take on more responsibilities when you are not good at your job now. Some signs that you are lazy is that you are always putting your work on someone else. Whenever you are asked to do something you always feel that it is other people responsibility to help you and/or do it for you. Also known as being entitled.
Not Getting A Promotion At Work True story: I legit had a boss that was a lazy as lazy could be. And I am not sure she even knew she was lazy. Every time you ask her a question she would turn it back on you and want you to do it. She expected you to do her job and if she did not know something she would not lift a finger to actually look a policy up to save her life.
She would either guess, give the wrong answer, or reach out to someone else to find it for her. Do you know one day because she did not feel like getting up she emailed me and asked me to walk to someone’s office to see if they were in it! YES! That really happened. Lazy.
You may not know you are lazy, but you need to reflect on if you have some of the behaviors of my boss. Is your work is sloppy, are you are guessing at your job, do you know your job, and are you relaying on other people do your work for you or making excuses as to why your job is not done. LAZY. Do you spend most of your time randomly doing things at work being on social media, YouTube, or whatever that you do not get anything done. You are LAZY.
To remedy being lazy then you need to not be lazy. When you do a project or complete a job at work then do not give the bare minimal effort but go above and beyond to ensure that you put off good qualify work. Do the job that you were hired to do and do it well. Remember the following verse:
Whatever you do [whatever your task may be], work from the soul [that is, put in your very best effort], as [something done] for the Lord and not for men. Colossians 3:23 (AMP)
3. How To Get A Promotion At Work Be Reliable ~ You Are Not getting promoted at work because You Are Not Reliable
Not being reliable comes in the form of saying you are going to do something but you don’t (check out my blog on how your word is your bond). If a boss gives you a deadline to complete something and you don’t do it on time then you are proving yourself to be an unreliable person. If you are supposed to be at work at a certain time but you are late most days then you are proving yourself to be an unreliable person.
If your company cannot rely on you to come to work on time and meet your deadlines on time then why would they give you a promotion? If, you are calling out most days and they do not know when you are going to be in the office versus when you are, then you are not reliable.
A good way to gauge on if your workplace sees you as reliable or not is if they are willing to ask you important task or if they would much rather give those task to someone else. For example, at a job I used to work at I was asked to sit in an important meeting with higher level management and government officials to answer any questions about the program I worked for in which I was the only person that was not a government or managerial level person that was in that meeting and I was requested by the government themselves. No one else in my department was asked to do this task. This is an indicator of your reputation and the faith that your company has in you.
To gauge your reliability see how much responsibility your company is able to trust you. If you notice that you are not high on their reliability radar then to reverse the past unreliable behavior you need to go above and beyond. Meaning finish things before they are scheduled and do a great job.
I do not care if one of your job duties is mopping the floor. It should be the best mopped floor in the history of man and it should take you a fraction of the time it normally takes you do to it. When an agency relies on you then they start to feel they cannot lose you and when they feel they cannot lose you then they will want to reward you, hence the promotion.
4. You Are Not getting promoted at work because Your attitude sucks
You can be a hard worker and a reliable person but if people do not like being around you that could be the reason you are not being promoted. Some signs of a bad attitude is that you are always catching an attitude with someone, you are always complaining, no one likes to talk to you, you are always gossiping, and starting drama at work.
This is not the Devil Wears Prada and being a jerk at work only works in Hollywood not at the everyday job. You do not have to make friends with people at work but you should be friendly. People should feel comfortable coming to you, speaking to you, and asking you questions.
I think that women tend to suffer from this and do not even know it. They think that being a career woman means being complete mean girl around the work place. That is not assertive that is called aggressive. No matter how good of a worker you are no one wants to be around nightmare.
A way to remedy a bad attitude is to just fix it, be friendly to everyone even when you don’t feel like it (check out my blog here on how to deal with difficult co-workers and bosses), and stop the work place drama. Even if the other employees are the sources of the drama and causing you to have a bad attitude a real leader knows how to rise above all of that and still be positive. Also check out my video below on how to become the woman God wants to to be so you can learn to check your behavior.
5. You Are Not getting promoted at work because You Are Not an Assertive communicator
There is a difference between assertive communication and aggressive communication (see my blog here). When I say be assertive I do not mean be mean and bully people at the workplace. When I say be assertive you need to communicate in a clear and concise way that is able to get things done. The opposite of assertive communication is being scared to talk to people or to make your point known. It is hard to get a promotion if you do not know how to communicate effectively with other people, especially if you are looking to be a supervisor.
Time for another story. I had a bad boss and their communication was TERRIBLE. I mean LEGIT TERRIBLE. They were not an assertive communicator. Spoke in circles, expect you to read their mind, they were not decisive, and the end result of that was that they caused a lot of confusion in the workplace. A lot of people confuse being wishy washy with their communication as a good thing but no it is horrible, it is confusing, and it is a nightmare to deal with. When you are not able to communicate effectively people see this as a weakness.
6. You Are Not getting promoted at work because You Do Not Go Above and Beyond
I know most people do not want to do things that are not within their job description. But if you want a promotion that is exactly what you have to do. Go above and beyond to prove that you are ready for additional responsibilities. So no more that is not my job or I do not want to do that if you want to get a promotion then you need to make those things your job and you better figure out a way to do it and be happy about it.
Be proficient at your job and know what you are talking about. In fact, do not just know your job but know the job of the position that you are looking to get promoted into to. Another trick that I am famous for is that I will quote any policy and any and everything about my job off the top of my head simply because I go above and beyond to know these things. People would look at me like how do you know that off the top of your head, that is the difference between a regular employee and one that stands out.
7. You are Not getting promoted at work because you Are Fading Into The Background
You could be a great worker, be an effective communicator, and all of the above but for some reason your efforts are going unnoticed. And if your efforts are going unnoticed then no one is going to promote you because they do not see how awesome you are.
In this case you have to find a way to make yourself known. I am a huge advocate of being humble so don’t run around bragging about what you have done. That is a turn off. But if you are fading into the background you have to figure out why that is. If you are doing a lot of work but someone else is taking credit for it then that is why your efforts are going unnoticed. If you just come to work do your job within your little corner of the room and do not say anything to anyone not even a hi, that is why your efforts are going unnoticed. People don’t even realize you’re at work!
You have to find a way to stand out without being pushy. That could mean stepping up and doing a project that would put you more in the center of attention or simply being more social at work and friendlier to everyone. Most people who get a promotion get a promotion because they are noticed for doing a good job, if you are not noticed for even being an employee no one is going to want to promote you.
8. You Are Not getting promoted at work because of Your Appearance
Appearance can mean a lot. If you are in an office job and your clothes are always wrinkled or your clothing is way too tight then it is harder to get a promotion. If you want to be a leader on the workplace then you have to dress like a leader. A very poor appearance shows the lack of effort you put in when coming to work. And it will indicate that if you do not care how you show up for work then you do not care about the work you do.
If you want to get a promotion to a position that will require you to speak in front of a lot of people then you cannot walk around looking like a hot behind mess thinking that you are going to represent the company. Make sure that you are professional and put together looking. If you want ideas on what to wear in the workplace then consider downloading my 100% free capsule wardrobe ebook here.
9. You are Not getting promoted at work because You Are Not Qualified
It does not matter how long you have been in the company if you do not meet the criteria for the position then you will not get promoted. You could be in a company for 10 years and the position you want to move up to may require a Bachelor’s degree while you only have a high school diploma.
Or it may require a MBA while you have a Master’s in child hood education. Then you are not getting the job. I do not care how long you have been working at a law office or the fact that you know just as much as the other lawyers if you do not have a law degree you are not going to be promoted to partner of the firm.
A second way for you not to be qualified is for you not to be knowledgeable. Even in your current position you should be learning as much information that you can. Just because you work in a company already does not mean that you are the most qualified candidate if you are not knowledgeable. Working in a company that you want to get a promotion gives you an advantage. You should not only master your position but also the position you want to move up to. You can get some tips on my blog what to do when you are underemployed (click here). And you can watch my video below for more tips on how to apply for jobs.
10. You are Not getting promoted at work because You Did Not Apply
This may seem like the most common sense thing. But there are many companies that they have to post the job to everyone and even if you work in the company you need to apply for it. So thinking that someone is just going to come up to you and give you a promotion because you are you may not happen. You may laugh at this analogy but legit one of my co-workers wanted to be a supervisor and I asked her did she apply and she told me that no one came up to her and offered her the position or told her to apply. That is not how that works. If you are not getting promoted at work then you should at least apply for job you want to get. (click here for resume tips).
These are some common reason why you are not getting promoted at work. But more than anything self-awareness goes along way. And having self-awareness about how you are perceived in the workplace will tell you why you are not getting promoted at work more than anything else.
Not only should these tips tell you why you are not getting promoted at work but also these tips should help you learn how to get a promotion at work. If you know a career woman that has been working hard for that promotion but cannot seem to get it then share this post with her.
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