How to Get A Promotion: Why It Isn’t Just About Hard Work

For many professionals in their mid-20s to mid-30s thinking about how to get a promotion, the answer seems to default to putting in more hours, sweat, and tears. But the truth is, working harder is not always the key to moving up the career ladder. In fact, focusing solely on working harder can sometimes be counterproductive — it’s not just about the work, you also need to think about your life skills.

Here are the reasons why working harder isn't the only way to get a promotion:

You need to work smarter, not just harder.

It's not just about how much you work, but how effectively you work. By taking the time to analyze your workflow and identify areas where you can streamline your processes, you can actually accomplish more in less time.

Start by using a time-tracking app like Toggl to track the time you spend on tasks, so you can uncover bottlenecks and understand how you can optimize your workflows. Then go for a productivity tool like Notion that lets you capture notes and organize them in one place, task lists to stay on top of your schedule, and documents for real-time collaborative work. Notion also recently introduced an AI function that can help you summarize notes and automate common project task lists.

These tools will help you get insights into how you work and learn about how you can optimize how you allocate time and effort into your tasks.

Working smarter not only helps you get more done, but it also makes you a more valuable employee in the eyes of your employer.

Building relationships is crucial.

Promotions aren't just given out based on how much work you've done; they're also based on your relationships within the company. If people like working with you, chances are, you’ll get more opportunities to shine.

Building relationships with your colleagues, supervisors, and even higher-ups can help you stand out and increase your chances of getting promoted.

Focus on developing new skills.

One of the best ways to get ahead in your career is to continuously develop new skills. Take advantage of training opportunities, attend conferences and workshops, and seek out mentorship from more experienced colleagues.

You can learn a lot of new skills that can help you advance your career with sites like Coursera or LinkedIn Learning, where you can enroll in free and paid courses. By expanding your skillset, you become a more valuable employee and increase your chances of being promoted.

But note that the classes you take also don’t necessarily have to be just about your role. You can also invest in developing your soft skills, to help make you a better teammate and leader.

One of Coursera’s most popular courses is The Science of Well-Being from Yale. It’s designed to help people build more productive habits. Another one is The Science of Success: What Researchers Know that You Should Know, which uses decades of scientific research to uncover what the most successful people do differently than others.

Don't be afraid to ask for feedback.

It's hard to know what you need to improve on if you don't ask for feedback. Seek out feedback from your colleagues and supervisors on a regular basis, and use that feedback to improve your performance.

If you don’t already have a regular one-on-one session with your supervisor, take the initiative by setting a 30-minute appointment with them once a month. Make sure to list down all your discussion points — e.g. your hits, misses, obstacles, and recommendations — so you don’t waste precious time.

Regular check-ins help you become a better employee and they show your employer that you're invested in your growth.

While working hard is certainly important, it's not the only factor that determines whether or not you get promoted. At the end of the day, it’s all about increasing your value as an asset. Remember that promotions are earned, not given, and it's up to you to take the steps necessary to advance your career. Click here to get more insights about your career and financial wellness.