SavvySugar

Hard Work Doesn't Get You the Promotion, Favoritism Does

Emily Co — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 14:00:10 PDT

If you think working hard and producing great results for your company will get you a promotion, think again. According to a new study by market research firm Penn Schoen Berland, 92 percent of senior executives say they've seen people get promotions through favoritism and 84 percent of them have observed it at their own companies. However, the good news is that although playing favorites is a heavy factor in career progression, executives still say skills and performance reviews are the reasons for their most recent promotions.

The research also revealed another important nugget: managers already know who they are going to pick for the promotion if they have a pool of candidates to choose from even before the decision process begins.

The working world is a very complex environment and more often than not, emotion plays a big factor. After all, during the interviewing process, the interviewers are more likely to hire those whom they feel an affinity with. Further, they are also more likely to hire those who have been referred by current employees. That almost seems to be a mild form of favoritism, so I'm not surprised that it continues to play a role throughout the course of the employee's career. Although workers should be judged based on their performance, it very often does not work out that way. Do you see favoritism in your workplace?

Should I Leave Now When Things Are Still Positive?

Savvy Community — Tue, 17 May 2011 03:05:54 PDT

This post was shared in our Savvy Confessions group by a reader with a tough choice: to stay, or go?

My manager just announced she's leaving the company in a few months and though I've worked for her for nearly five years and she's been grooming me to take her place, it doesn't look like I'll get the position. I met with my manager and her boss recently and they noted they will likely do an internal hire, not a promotion from within the division to replace her, but that they were happy with my work and hoped I will continue to grow and seek other opportunities within the company and management. I am pretty floored - given the path I've constructed with my manager, I felt pretty certain I was the next in line. From a purely professional standpoint, it's time for me to make strides and take on a management role if I'm going to progress in my career and knowing it won't happen so swiftly as I planned at my current job, I'm forced to reevaluate my career path. So here's my dilemma now: Do I take this as a sign and seek a new company I know will encourage me to progress faster, or do I stay and wait it out, even if that means I'll be harboring some negativity for being overlooked? What would you do?

Share your own career- and finance-related questions anonymously in the Savvy Confessions group for a chance to be featured on SavvySugar and advised by fellow Savvy readers.

Banana Republic's "King For a Day" Sale Offers 40% Off - Here's What to Buy

Noria Morales — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 09:55:10 PDT

You see, William and Catherine's royal nuptials do benefit you. In honor of the day, Banana Republic - where Kate, aka Catherine, was spotted shopping last week - is offering a 40 percent in-store discount through May 1. For those glued to their computers, a 30% discount will be offered for online merchandise. We think this idea is just brilliant, and here are the items we've got our eye on. Just click the slideshow to see.

Savvy Community: These Heels Were Made For Workin'

Savvy Community — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 08:00:52 PST

This post comes from Diana Nguyen from our Professional Development Kick group:

My New Year's resolution: dress more professionally at work - and that includes wearing heels! That may not sound difficult, but let me tell you: walking up and down the hilly San Francisco streets can be a pain - literally! My feet are killing me.

I'm starting kind of late, but so far I've worn heels everyday this week. And besides a few compliments thrown my way, I can really feel the heels work wonders for my posture and toning my legs (thanks, Mr. Louboutin and Mrs. Miu Miu!). I wonder if being in shape can really be an advantage over your average-size co-workers.

Do you think dressing better will help your status at work?

Join my Professional Development Kick Group and share what you plan on polishing up, then update the group with your pitfalls and success stories. The community and I will be your number one fans!

Mad Men: Do Looks Help You Succeed in Your Career?

Emily Co — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 10:45:39 PDT

Boy, was there a huge surprise on last night's Mad Men! The season ends with a bang when Don Draper busts out an unexpected proposal to his beautiful secretary, Megan. After announcing the engagement to the office, we see a rare moment of camaraderie between Peggy and Joan, in which the two unhappily predict Don will probably promote Megan to copywriter since, as Joan puts it, "he's not going to want to be married to his secretary."

To find out what this means for Peggy and Joan, read after the jump.

The Office: Is a Change of Title Good Enough?

SavvySugar — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 06:00:35 PDT

On last night's episode of The Office, we watched Pam Beesly expertly maneuver herself toward a promotion. She realized that she did not have the "sales gene" and saw the opportunity to grab the office administrator position when a window treatment salesman came around asking to speak to one. She tested the waters with Oscar, negotiating a salary that seemed to fit the position. However, the main focus was about the title change and gaining a steady salary that was not based on commission. In these harsh economic times, many companies are unable to afford the monetary increases that come with a promotion, so some of them are promoting without a salary raise. Would you feel valued if your company promoted you but did not give you a higher salary?

Photo courtesy of NBC

Savvy Community: It's "Assistant Manager" Not "Sweetheart"

Savvy Community — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:00:29 PDT

This post was shared by reader onlysourcherry in our Ask Savvy group.

I started at my current company right out of college. I've been promoted twice and am now an assistant manager with a huge range of responsibilities. Unfortunately (at work at least) I'm young, blonde, and a woman. While people stopped treating me like my boss's secretary when I moved into an office, one issue lingers - my coworkers sometimes call me "sweetie" or "honey" on the phone. It's mostly older women who do this. It drives me crazy! Is there a tasteful and professional way I can point out to them that this is really inappropriate? Or should I just suck it up and deal with it?

Ask anything career or budget-related - well almost anything - by posting your questions in the Ask Savvy group, and readers and I will weigh in to support you.

How-To: Turn Any Work Problem Into an Opportunity

SavvySugar — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 08:00:46 PDT

No matter what field you're in, the workplace is a tough place to navigate. Between snarky co-workers, demanding bosses, and the occasional rough performance review, your workday can feel like one insurmountable problem after another. But sometimes, all it takes is a little creative thinking to make those so-called problems work to your advantage. Read on to find out how.

Would You Take a Step Down in Your Career to Move Ahead?

SavvySugar — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 08:00:01 PDT

The key to getting ahead in your career is simple: take any promotion that comes your way, and keep climbing that ladder. Right? Well, according to some experts, maybe not.

New York Times writer Phyllis Korkki points out in a recent column that the corporate world is changing, and with it, so should our ideas about how to get ahead. Since most career paths today look more like a lattice than a ladder, sometimes you have to take a step backward in order to move forward. To see some situations when it might be wise to take a step down in pay or title in order to get ahead later, read more.

I'm Asking: Have You Paid Your Dues, or Are You Still Paying?

SavvySugar — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 10:30:02 PDT

Most of us pay our dues in one way or another at the start of our careers. We intern, we get the boss coffee, we take on projects no one else wants, we perform above our pay grade to prove we deserve the next pay grade, title, or responsibility.

Ari Gold's assistant Lloyd has displayed serious professional confidence on the current season of Entourage. He demanded a promotion after yelling that he'd "paid his dues." At Ari's insistence Lloyd is currently on a "prove it!" mission (we're supposed to believe he's even blogging about the effort on HBO's website). The plot got me thinking about the gut-wrenching time in everyone's career where we must prove to our manager or employer that we are ready to rise above their expectations of us. It's a feeling that can last a few months, a few years, or even decades. Have you made it, or are you still paying with painful pennies?