Have you ever found yourself thinking that your manager would surely recognize your exceptional work and promote you, only to be surprised when that didn't happen after your performance review? It's a common scenario, especially if you're not familiar with the dynamics at play.
Take a moment to think who has the best interest in your career. Is it your company or your manager ? Well, yes for some cases. But for 100% of time, it is YOU. It is your life, it is your career, it is you who has the responsibility to manage your career. No matter how outstanding your performance is at what you do, you need to articulate your achievement and advocate for what you deserve whether it is salary raise or promotion. You get what you ask for, and do not get if you do not ask for.
It comes back to this point that I mentioned in another article and tips that I address - understanding your capabilities and aspirations while managing your expectations and asserting your worth.
To know your capability, proactively seek for feedback from your manager and your colleagues and align it with concrete action plans you should achieve. Self-reflection is the key. Observe those people who excel in areas where you seek improvement, and ask for advice or model what their behaviour.
To know your aspiration, widen your horizon by further reading books, extending your networking and engaging in discussions with peers in similar roles. Explore the potential career paths with your manager.
To manage expectation, open conversations with your manager about job responsibilities and what going the extra mile entails. Document these discussions as a source of reference and conduct regular check-ins to ensure alignment with initial expectations.
To ask for what you deserve, gather feedback from stakeholders, backed by qualitative and quantitative evidence of your achievements. Demonstrate how you have achieved improvement areas. Confidently establish the boundaries for what you ask for. Most likely you will get push back, but you should have enough evidence to claim your achievement.
At the end of the day, you must have confidence and trust in yourself as you navigate this process. Remember nobody else is more interested in your career development than you are. It is your journey, and it's your responsibility to find satisfaction and happiness in it.