Staying in current role in the hope of getting promoted or leaving for a better job

pauliebdub

Bit of background, I'm in my current role for 5 years, have performed very well and exceeded expectations in my annual review each year and was promoted early on, within the first two years. Despite exceeding expectations, getting qualifications etc I have failed to be promoted since (in the past three years) and other less experienced colleagues are being promoted ahead of me - which annoys me.

Coming into the new year I have two options: I can stay and continue to work hard in the hope of getting promoted or I can look for another job that is a step up from what I'm currently doing. I'm annoyed that the promotion process appears to be arbitrary and could be wasting my time staying.

A couple of questions: how easy is it to secure a position that is a step up from a current role? Would I need to embellish my experience in order to do so? Does it look bad on my CV to be doing the same role for 3 to 4 years if I decide to stay? I'm worried that having the same role for many years will make me look like a poor to average performer and damage my chances. Many thanks

redlad12

To be honest I don't think we have enough information to give you helpful advice. What's the industry? What level is your current role is it mid level? It can be often tough to move up a role by changing jobs , usually tend to be able to get more money but in a similar role. And then it's just comes down to the natural stick and twist question , how close do you think you are to a promotion? Vs obviously a yr or 2 minimum away from a promotion in a new job.

pauliebdub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118384831#Comment_118384831

I work in IT. I'm senior in the position I'm in and the next step is team leader. I'm experienced and have relevant qualifications for the next step. A couple of my colleagues resigned in the past and secured more senior positions but I'm not sure how they went about it.

redlad12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118384881#Comment_118384881

Okay I'm never worked in the IT industry, but maybe check out all the jobs websites now , see if there is a demand for it , if they need team leaders then firms will more than likely hire people who are nearly there experience wise. I'd be trying to secure an offer for a higher up role and then go back to your current company explaining the opportunity and see if they try counter it.

retalivity

In IT its generally easier to get more money by moving jobs. However, getting 'promoted' is a different story, you said the next level in your current job is TL, is that what you actually want, or do you want to keep doing what youre doing for more money without the people management overhead?

Jim2007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118384947#Comment_118384947

Very good advice. The reality is the many people in IT lack the political and people skills to make a good career in management. It's easy enough to get to a team leader position, but many get stuck there still trying to do the technical stuff they loved while not demonstrating the skills needed to move higher... Luckily IT is an area that offer very well paying positions for senior technical people as an alternative.

JimmyVik

Always leave to get higher salary.

You never get the same by staying.

Also when you hand in your notice they take notice and might offer you a much higher salary than they normally would have and you can stay then if you want.

Ive asked for raises and been refused or offered less than I wanted several times. The minute you hand in your notice they wake up and offer what other companies would be willing to pay for you.

This is a game of brinkmanship played out every day in HR departments. They know most people want to stay so wont take it seriously until the notice has been given.

And in IT you always have contracting to fall back on. Never take the promotion :) In my experience its more work for not enough more money.

Tech_Head

+1 on looking elsewhere. I’d start by looking around and then having a frank/direct conversation with your manager where you are.

Do they feel that you are in the right role currently? It seems it based on getting good annual reviews.

Do they feel that you have the people / coaching skills to move to TL?

Do you talk to them often about it? Do they know that’s where you want to progress to? (Mentioning it once doesn’t mean much)

Last question, if you get the promo and stay, do you think you will be happy or still frustrated?

Why are other less senior people getting promoted and to what positions with what skillsets?

I know we dont have a lot of info here but it does sound a bit like you have made sure to get better at what you do but perhaps you haven't proven nor gained the skills necessary to demonstrate what might be required at a more senior role with very different requirements

I think the advice to think about what you want to be doing is good, the step into project or team management is a very different game thane being an expert practitioner, in any discipline

KeithTS

Why are you treating this as an OR situation?

Stay where you are, work hard, apply for promotions etc.

Then in the background keep an eye out on roles which are at the level and salary you want and apply for them. I'm in a similar sector and it's so so easy for us to do this. A recruiter often does 99% of the work, so reach out to some and tell them what you're looking for. If something comes of it great, if it doesn't, you haven't lost anything other than a few calls/emails to recruiters.

It's unfortunate that team leader and management positions are viewed as the logical next step for technical staff. I know far too many engineers who are amazing at what they do but end up feeling forced into a leadership role where they have no experience, ability or interest just because that's the next rung on the ladder as opposed to being valued for what they're good at. Do you have an aptitude for a team leader role, some of us do, some of us don't and it requires a different skill set, perhaps that something you can look at?

Also, don't be afraid to talk to your current team lead about these things. If you feel like you're being overtaken by less experienced people, ask why that might be the case. If you ask the right questions, in the right way, the worst that can happen is they view it as you wanting to be bumped up and willing to take the right steps to get there.

daheff

Is there actually a vacant Team Leader position in your current company? If not, then its hard to understand why you should be promoted to such a role.

If you are looking for a promotion and feel you are up to the job, then I would suggest you look outside your company.

If you can not be easily replaced your Managers will not promote you. Make sure your position can be back-filled. Develop a replacement for your role.