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Whether to apply for a promotion


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I have to decide by tomorrow at 5:00 (Monday) whether to apply for this promotion.

 

I am a lawyer in a mid-size firm. Very high-caliber lawyers, all of my colleagues are good at what they do. I am too, and I'm well-trained by the firm.

 

I am in the first "step" of my employment. I am the most "senior" in that position by a slight margin. Two lawyers who were hired just after I was, are both very competent and have done more cases than I have. Which I explain below:

 

I have spent the last few years in a bad marriage, then pregnancy, new baby as first-time mother, and then stressful divorce. My work is good, but my productivity has always been low. And by "last few years," I mean basically the entire time I've worked here. I have certain abilities that I know stand out, but because my production has been low, I do not feel that I have had the same level of experience as some of the lawyers who are less senior.

 

At my performance review I was gently told that I should spend 2015 showing that I could meet the production goals of the firm.

 

So all that makes me think I'm not all that likely to get the promotion this time around. (There are two openings.) I'd like to show that I am self-aware, not overly entitled, and I'd rather not sit through a painful interview if I'm really off the mark in applying.

 

But also:

 

I know I could do it, and I am the most senior at the bottom level. It's less than a 5% pay increase at first, but significantly higher pay after 2 years. Even the initial increase would mean a lot to me as a newly single mother. And so would the vote of confidence.

 

But also:

 

The logistics of my brand-new post-divorce life are a little hectic. My child is two years old. My ex is very disorganized, has on-call work, and often has no food or otherwise can't really care for our son as well as I'd like on his parenting days. Hence I have our child at lest 85% of the time, with much of it last-minute and unplanned. I am my son's stability and rock, and he is thriving. I am not sure that taking on a new challenge at work is worth jeopardizing my ability to be the fallback for my young son.

 

But I don't like giving up an opportunity to advance at work.

 

What would you do?

Edited by jakrbbt
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introverted1

My vote is for you to stay put and work on both stabilizing your home situation and showing your employer you can meet its goals. Single parenthood is no easy but it is do-able. Essentially, you must plan as though your ex didn't exist so that you do not find yourself in stressful last-minute situations. You also need to make sure your employer is extremely happy with your work. If I recall correctly, the employment rate for new lawyers hovers at around 50%.

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My vote is for you to stay put and work on both stabilizing your home situation and showing your employer you can meet its goals. Single parenthood is no easy but it is do-able. Essentially, you must plan as though your ex didn't exist so that you do not find yourself in stressful last-minute situations. You also need to make sure your employer is extremely happy with your work. If I recall correctly, the employment rate for new lawyers hovers at around 50%.

 

Thanks for this. It should tell me something that I was relieved to see what you have to say.

 

And I'm very glad to have the perspective of your last sentence. It is easy to compare oneself to surrounding employees. The larger perspective and long-term focus is helpful.

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Thanks for this. It should tell me something that I was relieved to see what you have to say.

 

And I'm very glad to have the perspective of your last sentence. It is easy to compare oneself to surrounding employees. The larger perspective and long-term focus is helpful.

 

I say f*ckin apply for the promo. In my experience, there is no such thing as too soon of a promotion. Go for it. You will make it. The first rule to get the promo is to apply. DO IT !!!!

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JustAddIce

I would go for it. Be prepared to explain why you deserve that promotion. Did you bring in any work in the last few years? Do your clients love you? (Bonus points if those clients are important to the firm). Show them while you did not meet your billable hour goals you do have potentials in terms of generating revenues and you are strong in other aspects. I would rather let them shoot me down than letting an opportunity slip away. It may be painful but you will learn from it. Remember, "fortune favors the bold".

 

Can you share why you did not meet your billable hour goal? Was it because the firm did not have enough work or you were unassigned most of the time due to personal reasons as mentioned? Were you highly rated on the assigned cases?

 

You can do it – managing your new increased workload and raising your son. (Have you heard of "Above the Law"? That site has a higher concentration of attys.)

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  • 2 weeks later...
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Thanks everyone!

 

In the end, I applied. I did it because an old friend reminded me that I tend not to go for things when I think I might be rejected.

 

I was rejected. But I learned about the process and, better, I learned exactly why I didn't get it: My production was too low. That's already changing.

 

My boss told me in person that, while it's very good that my production is up, they like to see a sustained production. He encouraged me to try later.

 

They promoted the person I would have expected, and I congratulated her. I was out of the office for a few days after applying. My boss waited for me to return so that he could tell me in person before announcing the other person's promotion. That was nice.

 

I also learned that it felt fine, and fair, not to get it this time. So that's a little test for how much I generally trust my boss and like my workplace.

 

Interestingly, there were two positions open but they only promoted one person.

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Thanks everyone!

 

In the end, I applied. I did it because an old friend reminded me that I tend not to go for things when I think I might be rejected.

 

I was rejected. But I learned about the process and, better, I learned exactly why I didn't get it: My production was too low. That's already changing.

 

My boss told me in person that, while it's very good that my production is up, they like to see a sustained production. He encouraged me to try later.

 

They promoted the person I would have expected, and I congratulated her. I was out of the office for a few days after applying. My boss waited for me to return so that he could tell me in person before announcing the other person's promotion. That was nice.

 

I also learned that it felt fine, and fair, not to get it this time. So that's a little test for how much I generally trust my boss and like my workplace.

 

Interestingly, there were two positions open but they only promoted one person.

 

I think it's great that you stepped outside of your comfort zone and applied anyway. The upside is that you know exactly where you stand now, and what you have to do to get it next time. I think that was absolutely the right thing to do.

 

As for them promoting only one person... chances are they just didn't feel that anyone else deserved it enough to fill the second role. They might start looking outside the company if they couldn't find anyone within.

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