If you’ve been in your role a while and are craving new challenges, it’s natural to want a promotion.
It can be tricky asking or negotiating a promotion, there is always the potential for it to backfire.
The best thing you can do is look for signs that your boss is priming you for a promotion, and work off of these signs.
To help you do this, here are 10 signs your boss wants to promote you to look out for:
10 Signs Your Boss Wants to Promote You!
1. They’ve Been Working Closely with You for A While
It’s not normal for a boss or manager to work closely with an employee unless they’re trying to pass on specific knowledge and expand their role.
This is a key sign that your boss wants to promote you as they see you as someone with the potential to grow in the company.
It might almost be like a trial, they’re seeing how well you’re handling your workload and dealing with the tasks you’re working on together.
Related – How to justify being promoted to your boss in 6 steps!
2. They’ve Asked You About Your Career Aspirations
This is a pretty clear sign that your boss wants to help you achieve your ambitions.
They wouldn’t ask you where you see yourself in 5 years or what your ambitions are unless they were considering your future in the company.
This is a great opportunity to be honest about what you want and see if there’s room for negotiation.
Be sure to have a few ideas in mind to place yourself in line for a promotion in case they ask.
3. They Have Been Giving You Harder Work Tasks
This is a way of testing how you cope under pressure and if you’re able to handle more responsibility.
If your boss has been giving you tasks that are normally reserved for people in a higher position, it’s a good sign they want to see how you perform.
This is also their way of bridging the gap between your current role and what you’d be doing if you’re promoted.
If you can see that you’re being given tasks that you would get if you were promoted, that’s a very strong sign your boss wants to promote you.
4. They Have Been Including You in Higher-Up Communications
Communication within the workplace, especially at the management level is key to the success of the team.
If your boss has been including you in more high-level communications, it’s a sign they trust your judgment and think you could handle being in a higher position.
This also allows you to get a better understanding of the company’s inner workings and how decisions are made.
5. They’ve Been Praising You a Lot
This is a great sign that your boss is happy with your work and wants to give you positive reinforcement.
We all like to be praised for a job well done, and it’s a key sign that your boss is happy with how you’re performing and thinking about promoting you.
If they’ve been praising you more than usual, take it as a good sign and keep up the great work!
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6. They Are Including You in More Social Events
Another sign that your boss is happy with you and wants to include you more in the company culture is if they’re inviting you to more social events.
This could be things like after work drinks, company lunches, or other events.
It’s a way for them to get to know you better as a person and not just as an employee.
Something that’s important for a lot of bosses when they’re making a decision like whether or not to promote someone as they’ll be judged on this decision by their boss.
7. They’ve Asked You to Train Someone up To Do Your Role
This could easily be taken the wrong way and leave you feeling like you’re being pushed out of your role!
But the reality is more likely that your boss wants to promote you and would like to have someone ready to fill your role when you move on.
This is a great opportunity to show off your leadership skills and knowledge by training someone up.
It’s also a way for your boss to see how you would cope in a management position.
8. Your Coworkers Say They Can See You’re Being Primed for Promotion
Sometimes it’s hard to see what’s happening from within our own bubble, but easy for coworkers on the outside to see.
If your coworkers are saying they can see you’re being primed for promotion, it’s probably true!
They may have overheard conversations or been privy to information that you’re not aware of, or just seen a similar situation play out in front of them before.
This is a good opportunity to also ask your coworkers what they’ve seen or heard to get a better understanding of what’s going on.
9. Your Company Is Expanding
If your company is expanding, it’s likely they’ll need to promote people into management positions.
If you’re also seeing some of the positive signs from this list that your manager wants to promote you, this is a great time to put yourself forward as a candidate for promotion.
The company is growing, which means there’s more opportunity for you to grow with the company.
Make sure to keep up with your good work
It’s typically less expensive and works out better to promote someone internally into a management role, so everything is in your favor to apply!
Related – Tips for telling your boss you’re pregnant or that you need time off sick.
10. They Suggest You Apply for A Promotion
This is one of the most obvious signs that your boss wants to promote you – they suggest you apply for a promotion!
If your boss has said outright that they think you’d be great in a management position or have asked if you’re interested in being promoted, it’s a pretty good sign you should go for it.
When your boss brings up the topic of promotion, it’s also an opportunity to ask about their reasoning behind wanting to promote you and what they think you could bring to the role.
This is also a good time to talk about your own career goals and what you’re looking for in a promotion.
If everything lines up and you’re both on the same page, go for it!
Sources we used to verify the information in this article:
Michaelpage.co.uk – What makes an effective manager?
Hbr.org – How to ask for a promotion
Image credits – Photo by Van Tay Media on Unsplash
Phil lives in England, UK, and has around 20 years experience as a professional life, career and executive coach. He started this blog to help others find and define their own self development journey. Blogging about a wide range of topics to help facilitate a better future.