6 Reasons You’re Not Getting Promoted in Your Creative Job
(And 6 Things You Can Do About It)
I see two really common thought patterns when it comes to people who are frustrated with their growth:
They assume it’s either their own personal failing, or that their boss is a jerk.
Listen, I can’t tell you what to think. But after more than 15 years of creating and managing teams, I know a LOT about the behind-the-scenes mechanics of promoting people.
There is a master game of chess afoot when it comes to managing the growth of teams. There’s usually NO WAY all the people who might be ready for growth can fit into the available budgetary slots…and that’s where things get tricky.
If you want to improve your odds of getting promoted, you have to do more than just be good at your job (although that’s obviously a requirement). You have to understand the right conditions for a promotion to take place. You have to put yourself in your boss’ shoes. You have to learn to play chess.
I’m going to offer you some reasons you might be “stuck” at your current level at your job that you may not have considered. Then, we’ll discuss what to do about it.
1. There’s no vacancies in the company for the level that you’re aspiring to.
The model of employment that agencies and brands follow tends to be hierarchical, with more spots at the lower levels and very few on top. The company doesn’t need zillions of Art Directors; it probably just needs a few, ever. Also, by the way: most companies WON’T do “skip-leveling”: that it, they won’t let you skip over a title even IF you might have the skills or experience necessary. It’s not impossible, but it’s not very likely.
👉 What you can do
Knowledge is power…research the job ladder of the team or company you work for. Knowing exactly where the vacancies are will give you a sense of when the timing is good for something to happen for you.
Remember that people above your level in your org getting promoted is actually a good thing. Why? Because it opens up space below….for you! Instead of being bummed out, maybe you can contribute to their growth in your own way by talking your boss or higher-level coworkers up to others.
2. The company can’t afford to promote to that level right now.
You might see someone lower than your level promoted in a more timely fashion while you are waiting for a longer time for your promotion. Yes, the higher you go, the longer the jumps between levels tend to get. HOWEVER, you might also want to consider that a more junior promotion costs the company less money and is therefore easier to approve. Your boss or boss’s boss might have been faced with a difficult decision of allowing NO promos, ONE promo at a high level, or a few promos at a slightly lower level. Or, the company might have reordered your boss’s promo list to push the lowest-cost promos through first. Perhaps it’s cold comfort, but I’m here to tell you that’s very much a real thing.
👉 What you can do
Stay the course and make sure you keep checking in on the subject of growth with your supervisor (not every day, obviously, but once or twice a year). The number one cause of not getting a promotion…is not asking about what it takes to get one. Not putting yourself in the running. You’re also going to get a clearer idea of what the hold up is if you are in communication with your boss about it directly. Don’t listen to rumors; get the skinny from someone who actually knows.
3. You might not be seen as a “superstar”, aka a “flight risk.”
In times of scarcity, your boss (depending on how high their rank is) will likely be asked to prioritize their team members in terms of who their “superstars” or “biggest flight risks” are. Essentially, the people are whose skills are most in demand, who would be hardest to replace, and who could easily get a job somewhere else if they wanted to. If you don’t tend to be vocal about your wants and needs, your boss may also assume you’d “hang in there” if your promo was delayed. It may not be fair, and your boss may hate having to do this as well, but it doesn’t change the situation.
👉 What you can do
"How to show up as a superstar at work" deserves more depth than this guide allows. However, here's the gist: find a critical task—one that's vital to your boss or their superior—that most people can't or won't do. Become the go-to expert for that task. Keep your eyes peeled for similar opportunities to shine. Don't shy away from asking to tackle the "big" projects.
Have a conversation with your boss about growth now — don’t wait for bad times to come. Be respectful, not demanding (i.e. DON’T threaten to quit or say you’re going to quit, because that will backfire), but let them know that you’re wondering about the future and how growth works. If you’re already in an ongoing conversation about growth, they’ll know it’s on your mind. They’ll naturally assume that if they don’t keep you happy, you’re going to split.
4. You don’t have anyone championing your cause.
Getting a promotion to go through is HARD. Your boss might have to make your case multiple times to multiple people, over and over again, for years. If it’s a big corporation, they likely have to submit extensive paperwork and extoll your virtues, with examples and references, to multiple people. If your boss doesn’t even KNOW you’re thinking about promotion, they can’t do this to begin with. But also if your boss isn’t your passionate advocate on this, it can be really hard and maybe even impossible for it to happen.
👉 What you can do
Help your boss be your advocate by saving positive emails. Keep a list of all the projects you worked on and describe the value you added. Have it ready to go at a moment’s notice.
It’s important that your coworkers like working with you — and say that. Get positive word of mouth by helping other people with the things they need to do. There’s a balance, of course; don’t tilt so far into this that your efforts are mostly being spent on helping others rather than doing what’s assigned to you. Also, make sure the people you’re helping are doing things your boss or organization view as priorities.
5. Performance issue, skillset gap, or lack of experience.
Hearing that you aren’t being considered for a promotion because of “you” thing — eg performance, skill level or experience — can be a bummer. But the GOOD news that if one of these is the case, this is EASIEST stuff to impact.
👉 What you can do
Be pragmatic. If the next job title up that’s available is a Motion Director job and you don’t have Motion experience, you probably aren’t a good fit right now. However, if you want to turn that around, take the initiative to get that training in your off time (and make sure your boss knows and can see examples).
Make a plan. Have that conversation with your boss about what you’d need to qualify, and think about how you can realistically achieve that thing. Come up with measurable next steps. It’s worth the awkward conversation.
6. Your boss doesn’t have enough organizational power to push your promotion through.
Despite whatever lofty title your boss, their boss, or even their boss’s boss may have, they may not have the right pull to push through a promotion. If they don’t have the power to approve it, it doesn’t matter how much they love you, it’s just not going to happen.
👉 What you can do
Analyze the value your team or your boss provides to the company as a whole by thinking about what the company sells to make money. How close is your job to that role? Can you work on projects that are closer to what brings in revenue? Can you go one further and help get the company a client or a new revenue stream? If you work for a startup, that might be easier than you think.
This is one of the ones on this list that it’s hard to work around. I would also examine your options for transferring to a different team within the company where you might be better positioned, or start looking for other jobs at the level you’re trying to get to.
Good luck with your journey! I’ll be rooting for you.
-Cathy
Great post, I'm not in the indistry and still found it helpful to read and I love the little images within!✨️