My Mid-Year Performance Review is Tuesday

One of my financial goals for 2008 is to obtain a promotion. To me a promotion equates to this equation promotion = more money = more savings = closer to financial freedom

My career goal was two years after my college graduation to obtain a promotion and by the end of this year it will have been two years. (And I will have worked for the company for over 6 years! – wow saying that makes me feel old even thought I’m not). To date I’ve only received one promotion and the event that prompted this promotion was graduating college since I had been verbally given a promotion a year before then contingent upon graduating college. Because of the company bureaucracy, I understood that I could not be “officially” promoted due to a lack of degree even thought I was very deserving of promotion based upon my contributions to the company. (I think there could have been a way around this but I was willing to follow the rules for the time being, since bucking the system would have meant possibility not having as much flexibility in my job like telecommuting two days a week so I could attend some classes only offered at specific times.)

In my company, promotions are typically given out in September following our end of fiscal year evaluations. Our mid-year evaluations are now in full swing, mine happens to be schedule for this coming Tuesday. The company norm for length between promotions for those of us lower on the corporate ladder occur between 2-3 years for each position, of course dependent upon an individual’s performance. People mid-ladder pole 4-5 years, and then upper ladder it really depends some are 1-2 years, while others peak out and it takes 10 years to move up. I’m still currently on the lower end so a promotion by the end of the year would be with in the norm.

Okay, enough background of my status and the company, I think I’ve sufficiently proven that a promotion is realistic with in the parameters of the corporate bureaucracy and I won’t get into all the money and client contacts above the norm I’ve made on deals for the company or the outstanding job I’ve been doing because I’ll save all that for my review on Tuesday (plus this post is already getting really long). The real meat/intent of my post is that I’ve long sense done my homework for researching how to achieve a promotion since my last one I didn’t have to strategize to obtain (and maybe this one I don’t really need to either but I’d rather be proactive). I stumbled across an article about the key steps to achieving a promotion - I wish for the life of me I knew where I got it as I’d like to give them credit and also revisit this article for my use (if you know the article I’m referring to please let me know where its from). The only remnants I have of this article are my notes on a post-it stuck to my bulletin board above my computer.

Here’s what my notes say:

1. Determine Expectations --- research HR for specific tasks/abilities, talk to Debbie about this
2. Perform a Gap Analysis between current duties and next level --- per HR’s def – ask G if there’s specific form already created, also ask about at Mid-year and request to come up with a list together to achieve the difference
3. Schedule meeting with list of skills and responsibilities, goal is next level, find project etc that will help achieve promotion --- also do together at Mid-year PPM
4. Prioritize and document assignments --- also success and stats from completed projects especially the pharmacy and $$$ made
5. Cash in chips – show documentation that achieved --- start list today of accomplishments with stats

I’ve done a real good job of following this advice over the last couple of months. I have figured out the expectations according to the corporate info established and will find out my boss’s expectations on Tuesday, I preformed my gap analysis and have already put the bug in my boss’s ear about wanting to do this as well as create a list of skills and responsibilities during the review, and I’ve clearly documented success of projects and tasks completed. So I’m hoping all goes well.

My question is what else should I do to a) prep for my mid-year, in past years I’ve already been ready with a jot list of success and my goals, but I’ve never been actively seeking promotions and b) beyond what I’m doing what should I do to position myself to be promoted in September?

Alright you seasoned professionals with several promotions under your belt…any other good tips for me?