You’ve been at your current job as developer team lead for an established software firm, coming up on 3 years now. Current management leaves you full of doubt about your role and future.
You’re up for a promotion from team lead, but are continuously seeing signs that you will be passed over yet again. After all, It’s been 2 years since your last promotion.
You want to know where you stand. If you don’t soon, you’ll have no choice but to start looking elsewhere.
Below we compiled 7 signs that you won’t be promoted. By the end of this post, you’ll have a pretty good read on your role and your future at your current job.
1. Relationship with your boss isn’t the healthiest
Since your last promotion 18 months ago, the relationship with your boss has beyond soured. You feel all sense of trust is lost, as he openly plays favorite and blocks your visibility into areas of management and other departments.
Your boss doesn’t treat you with respect nor does he seem to care about your career development. This isn’t such a difficult sign to gauge. It should be very clear if your relationship with your boss is subpar and that you shouldn’t see a promotion happening.
2. Harassment
No one needs to go through any type of harassment anywhere, especially in the workplace. If you get the feeling that you are being harassed or picked on at work, talk to HR. If they let it go on, you need to realize that 1. You will probably not getting promoted and 2. start looking elsewhere where you are appreciated and will not be subjected to harassment.
3. No Room for Growth
You don’t just want a job. You want a job that doesn’t leave you stagnated. One where you can grow, for either your next position at this company or a future role at another.
When a company doesn’t help you grow professionally, what are they going to promote you to?
Lack of professional growth is a sure sign you are not getting promoted.
4. It’s Been a While Since Your Last Promotion
You need to be proactive. Ask your manager why others are getting promoted and why you aren’t. If they don’t give you a straight answer, then it might be time to start looking elsewhere. You can’t afford to stand still. You need to grow.
So, if it’s been a few years since promotion to your mid-level position, then you need to get answers or move out.
5. Poor Treatment
There is absolutely no reason why anyone should be subject to poor treatment by their co-workers, boss or both. You need to be respected. If you aren’t being respected, this is a sign you won’t be getting promoted. And it may be time to start looking elsewhere where you will be respected and appreciated.
There is no reason for poor treatment or just being ignored. Don’t stand for it! You want to be sure you’re in an environment that will allow you to succeed professionally.
6. Incommunicado
Has there been a sense that all communication between you, your boss and everyone on your team? Did you check in with your boss on something and received no response, or even worse a snotty response?
You try to communicate with your team and they just aren’t giving you the time of day.
When communication dies, so does usually any chance of promotion. It might also mean they are looking to replace you, possibly someone you once managed? You might want to think to look, run and not look back.
7. Blah Assignments
Recently, you see plumb assignments going to other members on your team, where you just get grunt work.
If you are, bring it up with your manager. It might just be an oversight, but if it continues and your peers continue to get all the serious assignments, then it could be a sign that your time isn’t appreciated and could definitely be a sign that you won’t be getting a promotion.
You should have a gut feeling that you won’t be promoted, and even further, may get replaced. So, it is probably best to keep your eyes open for another job at another company.
Hope you didn’t cringe, wince or smirk while reading this, but just thought we’d give it to you straight. No great employee wants to hear these things. But, reality needs to set in sooner rather than later.
You don’t want to be caught with no promotion, or even worse. No job.
Know where you stand. NOW.
