9 Reasons You're Not Getting a Promotion

By Dennis McCafferty | Posted 2016-10-20

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9 Reasons You're Not Getting a Promotion

Getting promoted involves more than your talent, capabilities and experience. More than 90 percent of bosses said favoritism plays a role in these decisions.
You're Inarticulate

Constantly saying "ya' know," "um" or "like" conveys communications skills that aren't ready for prime time.
You Show Up Late a Lot

When you're late for meetings, you show disrespect for your colleagues' time. Those co-workers could end up returning the favor when asked about your advancement potential.
You Complain Constantly

No workplace is ideal. But, instead of spreading negative vibes, focus on constructively fixing problems.
You Stay Too Long in a Job You Don't Like

If you linger too long in a job or project that doesn't interest you, it will show up in your work and will hurt your ability to advance.
You Procrastinate

In the work world, deadlines are real, so putting off assignments demonstrates a lack of discipline.
You're Too Chatty

Whether it's through cubicle conversations, emails or texts, you want to avoid over-indulging in small talk—or revealing too much about yourself to your colleagues.
You Frequently Date Co-Workers

Don't kid yourself: Management hears about these things and may be reluctant to promote someone who could cause considerable office drama—or lawsuits.
You Gossip a Lot

Gossiping can damage your career, especially if the people you gossip about can make decisions about your career. Assume they will find out who's been spreading what about whom.
You Smoke

Believe it or not, research indicates that professionals who smoke make 20% less money than those who don't.
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Most people hope to get promoted on a fairly regular basis throughout their career. In fact, nearly four out of five professionals assess advancement opportunities when they're looking for a new job, according to research. But you can't avoid this truth: Getting promoted often involves far more than your talent, capabilities and experience. More than nine out of 10 bosses surveyed said favoritism plays a role in these decisions, and 56 percent said they already had a person in mind for a promotion even before they started formally reviewing candidates. It's clear that soft skills and overall personal comportment play a big role. For example, employees who form friendships with co-workers are 40 percent more likely to advance. Given this situation, we're presenting the following list of nine reasons you're not getting promoted, adopted from a recent article posted by Glassdoor. The reasons include everything from poor communication styles to shoddy work habits to office gossip and even dating. As a whole, the list reveals that there are a lot of ways to lose out on moving up. Fortunately, it's also easy to make adjustments to get past these career barriers.

Dennis McCafferty is a freelance writer for Baseline Magazine.

9 Reasons You're Not Getting a Promotion

9 Reasons You're Not Getting a Promotion

You're Inarticulate

You Show Up Late a Lot

You Complain Constantly

You Stay Too Long in a Job You Don't Like

You Procrastinate

You're Too Chatty

You Frequently Date Co-Workers

You Gossip a Lot

You Smoke