Getting ahead
Learn what the next level expects
A simple exercise to find out what growth actually looks like where you work
Find your company's written expectations for the level above yours, then ask your manager what someone at that level does differently.
- About 20 minutes
- You and your manager
- Once a year
- Go find it
Why this can work
It's hard to grow toward something you can only guess at. Many companies, especially larger ones, have some description of what each level expects, and it's easy to go years without reading yours closely. The written version plus one honest question to your manager usually gives you a far clearer picture than waiting to be noticed.
Read moreHow to find out what the next level expects
You’ll come away with a few plain lines on what the next level looks like at your company.
- Look for the written version.
Search your intranet or HR site for career ladder, levels, leveling guide or competency framework. If nothing turns up, ask HR or someone who was promoted recently whether one exists.
Tip: Smaller companies often don't have one. That's fine; the conversation matters more.
- Read your level and the next one side by side.
Skip the rest of the document. Find the places where the wording changes between the two levels. Words like independently, leads, shapes or across teams tend to mark the real differences.
- Ask your manager what someone one level up does differently.
The guide gives you the official version. Your manager knows how it plays out on your team, and what they'd need to see to make the case for you. Follow up by asking for a real example.
You“I've been reading about how levels work here, and I'd like to understand it the way you see it. What does someone one level up from me do differently, day to day?”Tip: If there's no written guide, the question works just as well on its own.
- Write down what you learned.
Three or four lines in your own words: what the next level does that you're not yet expected to do. Keep it somewhere you'll find it again before your next review.
Good times to repeat it: when you start a new rolea few months before review seasonwhen your company changes its levels
Making it work for you
Every workplace is different. Here’s what to think about before you start, and what might get in the way.
Things to think about
Guides are written to be fair across many teams, so they stay general. How yours gets applied, and what your manager weighs most, is usually only learnable by asking.
What might make this harder
Ask your manager the question anyway, and read a few job postings for the next level of your role, at your company or similar ones. Postings are rough, but they show what gets asked for.
Questions people ask
What is a career ladder or leveling guide?
A document that describes what's expected at each level of a role, usually in terms of scope, skills and impact. Many companies have one, sometimes under another name, such as a competency framework or career framework.
How do I find out what it takes to get promoted?
Read your company's expectations for your level and the next, then ask your manager what someone one level up does differently. Together they give you both the official version and the practical one.
How do I ask my manager about promotion without sounding pushy?
Ask to understand rather than to be promoted. What does someone at the next level do differently, and what would a good example look like? It opens the conversation without pressure on either of you.
Why this works, and where it comes from
Ask people what it takes to get to the next level at their company and you'll hear a lot of guesses. Work harder, be more visible, wait your turn. Many companies have written down what they expect at each level, and it's easy to go years without reading it closely. Even where nothing is written, the people deciding have a picture in their heads, and it's usually more specific than you'd think.
Leveling guides tend to describe the jump between levels in terms of reach. At one level you do good work on what you're given. At the next you shape what the work should be, or make the people around you better, or your work starts to matter beyond your own team. Reading two levels side by side and noticing which words change is often the quickest way to see it.
The written version only gets you part of the way, because every team applies it a little differently. That's why the question to your manager matters. Your manager usually has to make the case for a promotion, often to people who have never worked with you, and they know what evidence tends to land. Asking what someone one level up does differently lets them tell you what they'd need to see. It also tells them you're thinking about growth, which many managers wish more people would say out loud.
Hold what you learn loosely. Promotions depend on timing, budgets and what the company needs, not only on you, so knowing the expectations doesn't guarantee anything. What it does is replace a guess with a picture. And sometimes the picture shows you that the next level isn't what you want. That's worth knowing too.
Other simple things to consider
What to do next
More in Getting ahead
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An exercise written by Truest, based on our experience. Last updated September 25, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.