How to Speak Up and Get Promoted in an IT Company
While every company operates differently, the overall mechanics of career growth and salary increases in the IT industry tend to follow similar patterns.
At some point, almost every professional — from junior developers to seasoned tech leads — faces the same question:
How do I speak up and get recognized if I want to grow or earn more?
To move forward successfully, it's important to understand not only your personal goals but also the company's motivations.
📌 What Drives Companies: Why They Hire and Promote
🔹 When Hiring Employees
When a company opens a new position, the primary goal is usually the same: improve business efficiency and profitability. Common reasons include:
- Filling a specific team role.
- Increasing team productivity and delivery speed.
- Reducing pressure on key individuals.
- Improving product quality and development processes.
- Ultimately — driving revenue growth.
🔹 When Promoting Existing Employees
Promotions are rarely just a "thank you for staying." More often, they're tied to increased scope and impact, such as:
- Broader technical or cross-functional skills.
- Taking on more complex projects and architecture.
- Greater ownership in processes, people, and products.
- Mentorship and raising team performance.
These steps are often supported by a growth plan, which outlines your progress and the steps needed to reach the next level.
❗ Promotion isn’t about working more hours — it’s about creating more value through impact and ownership.
🚀 How to Communicate Your Career Ambitions Effectively
To ensure a productive conversation with your manager, it's worth preparing in advance. Here's a step-by-step approach:
Define your growth direction
Decide whether you want to go deeper technically, move into team leadership, architecture, product, etc.Summarize your current contributions
Highlight your results: what projects you completed, your personal impact, and how the team or product benefited.State what you want to do next
Be specific about your goals — e.g., leading architecture, mentoring juniors, taking ownership of a product area.Write a message to your manager
Keep it clear and professional. Avoid emotional appeals. Politely ask for a conversation about your future and development path.
⚠️ Common Challenges You Might Face
After interviewing hundreds of IT professionals, one of the most frequent reasons for leaving a job is the perceived lack of growth opportunities. Let’s explore why that happens.
1. Your manager ignores your request
One of the most frustrating situations:
you hear "not now," "maybe later," or get no response at all.
What to do:
- Politely follow up again.
- Avoid threats or ultimatums — they rarely help.
- Even a clear "not in the next few months" is better than vague promises.
2. Your manager doesn’t know how to help you grow
This is more common than you'd expect, especially at mid to senior levels. Often the company simply lacks a clear development structure.
What to do:
- Try initiating a conversation about your growth.
- If there’s no support system in place, it’s unlikely to appear soon.
- You may need to consider other companies that invest more in employee development.
⏳ If Nothing Changes
If you've taken initiative — had conversations, sent emails, made proposals — and still see no progress, this is a clear signal.
- You might have already outgrown your current role.
- The company may not be ready or willing to help you grow.
- Don’t get stuck waiting endlessly for change that may never come.
Remember: your career growth is your responsibility. Sometimes the right move is to move on.
🔄 Performance Reviews: What to Expect and How to Prepare
Many companies hold biannual or annual performance reviews. These formal check-ins are meant to:
- Reevaluate your salary;
- Confirm or revise your title;
- Discuss accomplishments and areas for growth.
But don’t rely on these moments alone. Don’t wait for the "magic date" to speak up.
If you're serious about growing — initiate the conversation early, ideally 1–2 months before a review cycle begins.
📌 If you want to grow — say it clearly. You might not be noticed, but you can definitely be heard.
✅ In Closing
Career advancement isn't just about being "a good employee." It's about:
- Having clarity about your goals;
- Communicating your value and achievements;
- Taking initiative and leading your own development.
📣 Speak up about your goals. Express what you want. Ask for feedback.
That’s professional. That’s mature. That’s an investment in yourself.
💬 Share your own stories or experiences in the comments — we’d love to hear them.
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