4 ms·

Yes, my biggest problem with how promotion processes work at big companies is this. How you're supposed to perform at your currently level is pretty well spell

Yes, my biggest problem with how promotion processes work at big companies is this. How you're supposed to perform at your currently level is pretty well spelled out by your manager - exactly what your expectations are, etc. However, you're supposed to perform at the "next level" prior to being promoted. Expectations are less clear here. This leads to you doing a lot of things you think will get you a promotion (most of which is very valuable to the company). However, it gives the company an easy opportunity to say - oh, all that extra work you did was great and much appreciated it - but that is not "next level" work. No promotion. Try again next time. Also, no, we won't tell you what will get you promoted. Keep guessing. Hopefully you guess better next time. Sorry for your loss and our gain. Goodbye. It is orders of magnitude easier to just get hired at the next level at a competing company. And, on top of that, you'll likely get paid much more, too.

yieldcrv 4y ago
successfully get someone to agree with your performance at current job: 5% raise and more than 5% more responsibility successfully get another job: 30% raise and no increase in responsibility anybody married to their current management is contributing to the wage gap
electrondood 4y ago
If a company won't promote me, and I'm clearly exceeding the standard for the next role, I take that experience, and describe myself as that level on my resume for the next job. Seriously. If you're doing the job, you're doing the job even if they won't officially give you the title.
- saagarjha 4y ago
  Do you put down "staff engineer" if you're not officially a staff engineer?
  - devoutsalsa 4y ago
    Titles don’t mean much. I used to be a “Test Associate” and put “QA Engineer” on my resume. Whenever I get a title like Software Engineer IV, I just put Sr. Software Engineer on my resume. If I was leading a team as a developer, I’d have no problem calling myself Lead Developer, regardless of what my title was. As long as your experience maps to what you’re selling yourself as, there shouldn’t be much of a problem. The only time I’d be mildly concerned would be in reference checks and background checks. I just tell my reference what I’ve been calling myself so it’s not a surprise and put my official title in the background check. If your grossly misrepresenting yourself, make it through a subpar interview process, and you manage to get the job, you’ll simply be miserable & stressed out because your underperforming & worried about getting fired.
  - electrondood 4y ago
    If you're meeting or exceeding the company's criteria for that position, absolutely.
- jrib 4y ago
  I find titles not that meaningful since they can have wildly different responsibilities depending on the organization.
ttoks 4y ago
chasd00 4y ago
promotion gets progressively harder the further up the org chart you go. There's just fewer and fewer slots and better and better people trying to get them. I'm at a level now where the next level up just looks miserable. The people I know one level up are the most intelligent productive people I know but almost every single one of them has some bizarre unexplained health issue likely related to stress. The things my boss, her boss, and their peers are able to accomplish is amazing to me but, man, i just don't think that level of suffering is worth the increase in pay.
- ipaddr 4y ago
  Let me guess you work at Amazon.

yieldcrv 4y ago

successfully get someone to agree with your performance at current job: 5% raise and more than 5% more responsibility successfully get another job: 30% raise and no increase in responsibility anybody married to their current management is contributing to the wage gap

electrondood 4y ago

If a company won't promote me, and I'm clearly exceeding the standard for the next role, I take that experience, and describe myself as that level on my resume for the next job. Seriously. If you're doing the job, you're doing the job even if they won't officially give you the title.

saagarjha 4y ago
Do you put down "staff engineer" if you're not officially a staff engineer?
- devoutsalsa 4y ago
  Titles don’t mean much. I used to be a “Test Associate” and put “QA Engineer” on my resume. Whenever I get a title like Software Engineer IV, I just put Sr. Software Engineer on my resume. If I was leading a team as a developer, I’d have no problem calling myself Lead Developer, regardless of what my title was. As long as your experience maps to what you’re selling yourself as, there shouldn’t be much of a problem. The only time I’d be mildly concerned would be in reference checks and background checks. I just tell my reference what I’ve been calling myself so it’s not a surprise and put my official title in the background check. If your grossly misrepresenting yourself, make it through a subpar interview process, and you manage to get the job, you’ll simply be miserable & stressed out because your underperforming & worried about getting fired.
- electrondood 4y ago
  If you're meeting or exceeding the company's criteria for that position, absolutely.
jrib 4y ago
I find titles not that meaningful since they can have wildly different responsibilities depending on the organization.

ttoks 4y ago

chasd00 4y ago

promotion gets progressively harder the further up the org chart you go. There's just fewer and fewer slots and better and better people trying to get them. I'm at a level now where the next level up just looks miserable. The people I know one level up are the most intelligent productive people I know but almost every single one of them has some bizarre unexplained health issue likely related to stress. The things my boss, her boss, and their peers are able to accomplish is amazing to me but, man, i just don't think that level of suffering is worth the increase in pay.

ipaddr 4y ago
Let me guess you work at Amazon.