Many skilled professionals are overlooked for promotions or new roles not because their work is subpar, but because they fail to articulate a compelling narrative around their accomplishments. How you frame your impact in interviews and promotion documents is as crucial as the impact itself.

For his Principal Engineer promotion, the work alone wasn't enough. He identified critical leaders (VPs, Directors), proactively sought their mentorship, and held monthly check-ins. By the time the promotion cycle began, all key decision-makers were already aligned and supportive, making it a formality.

The path to senior engineering levels is tied to the scope of your work's influence. Rather than explicitly seeking promotions, focus on projects with natural potential to grow from solving a team's problem to solving an organization's. The promotions will follow the impact.

To get promoted, excel at your 'day job' for credibility, but actively seek out the messy, hard problems others don't want. Raising your hand for these challenges demonstrates leadership, builds confidence, and earns you more responsibility.

The journey from individual contributor to VP of Product at Descript wasn't about formal promotions. Instead, it was a gradual process of adding so much value in product discussions that she was invited into progressively more strategic meetings. When you're consistently indispensable in "the room," you eventually belong there permanently.

At Menlo, peer-driven promotion decisions hinge on a crucial question: "Does the rest of the team perform better when you are part of that project?" This evaluates an individual's value based on their ability to elevate others, prioritizing team amplification over solitary excellence.

To assess an internal candidate's readiness for promotion, give them the responsibilities of the higher-level role first. If they can succeed with minimal coaching, they're ready. This approach treats promotion as an acknowledgment of proven performance rather than a speculative bet on future potential.

Convinced he was underleveled as an IC4, Ryan Peterman explicitly asked his director to be promoted two levels to IC6 in one cycle. While HR policy prevented the double jump, the bold request successfully anchored his manager's perception of his performance at a higher level, leading to two consecutive promotions.

Instead of asking managers for a checklist to get promoted, focus on delivering significant impact. This approach is more effective and viewed more favorably by leadership. Genuine impact is what gets recognized and rewarded, while simply 'checking boxes' can backfire.