Something to readGetting ahead
So You Want to Be Promoted, Pt. 1
A 5-minute essay on the first job in getting promoted: getting your level's expectations in writing and learning when decisions get made
Why it’s worth your time
Promotions don't always arrive on their own, and assuming your manager has it handled can cost you a cycle or two. Michael Lopp, an engineering leader who writes as Rands, argues that you don't make the call on your promotion but you do own pushing it forward, starting with two pieces of information. It's short and specific, and it works whether your company's process is clear or murky.
How to start working toward a promotion
The essay · 5 min · Free
How to get it
Opens their site. We don’t copy it here; we’d rather they get the read.
- Read the essay.
He opens with his own early assumption that promotions simply show up. The heart of it is three questions about your company, and his list of the forces that keep promotion processes murky, from fast growth to budgets. It ends by pointing to Part 2 for the work itself.
- Ask your manager for the level description and the calendar.
Send a short note, or raise it at your next 1:1. If your manager does not have them, ask who does, and ask HR too.
You“I'd like to understand how promotions work here. Could you share the written expectations for my level and the next one, and the promotion calendar: when the cycle starts, when decisions get made, and when they're announced?”
Good moments for this: a few months before review seasonwhen you start a new jobafter a promotion that didn't happen
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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
If the level description or the dates don't exist or can't be shared, he suggests noticing which reason you're given and whether it makes sense. The reason tends to tell you a lot about how decisions get made where you work.
What might make this harder
He names this as something that happens in fast-growing startups. You may need to propose a role yourself: write down what the next job would look like and how it serves the team's goals, and take it to your manager.
Questions people ask
How do I ask my manager about a promotion?
Start by asking for the written expectations for your level and the timeline of the promotion cycle. That gives you something concrete to discuss before you ask whether you're on track.
What is a promotion rubric?
A written description of what each job level expects, often laid out as a table. Lopp treats it as one of two critical pieces of information, along with the schedule of the promotion process.
When do companies decide promotions?
Lopp says it's usually tied to the annual budget, which is why it often happens in early fall in the United States, sometimes with a smaller second round. Your company's calendar is the one that counts, so ask for it.
What it says, and how it holds up
The first mistake Michael Lopp describes is his own: for years he assumed promotions would show up if he worked hard and got along with his team, and he admits it went on longer than he likes to say. You don't decide your promotion, he argues, but you're the one responsible for pushing it forward. The essay is about the first part of that push, which is getting the facts.
The useful part is diagnostic. He asks three questions: is there a public description of your company's job levels, is there a regular process for promotions, and do you understand both? Then he names the forces that keep those answers fuzzy: fast growth, inexperienced managers, legal caution at big companies, budgets, and people holding on to information.
This is Part 1 of two, and it's mostly setup; the advice on specific work waits for Part 2. He writes from engineering organizations, and he says every company's process has something he has never seen.
Having the level description and the dates and still being passed over is a different problem, and more information won't close it. That calls for a direct conversation about what specifically stands between you and the next level, and sometimes for an honest look at whether that level exists for you where you are.
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Picked by Truest and described in our own words. The original belongs to its creator. Last updated October 9, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.