If you are too good at your current job, does it hurt your promotional opportunity?

[YS2003]

I am interested in hearing your take on this. Typically, good performers in the corporate world get rewarded with higher pay, more responsibilites, and promotions. But, I feel there is a possibility that he/she won't get the promotion or other career opportunities at the company if she/she is too good at what he/she does. The company management may decide keep that person at the current post because they like the performance level so much. Even thought that would be a good compliment to that person, I think that would hurt that person's future prospect as he would be stuck there.

What would you think about this?

 

[PlaceofDis]

i don't think being too good at your current position hurts your promotional opportunity. Rather i would think making yourself irreplaceable in your current position will be harmful, yes. if you do too much and take on enough so that you become indespesible to the company, they won't move you.

 

[beatsme]

I am interested in hearing your take on this. Typically, good performers in the corporate world get rewarded with higher pay, more responsibilites, and promotions. But, I feel there is a possibility that he/she won't get the promotion or other career opportunities at the company if she/she is too good at what he/she does. The company management may decide keep that person at the current post because they like the performance level so much. Even thought that would be a good compliment to that person, I think that would hurt that person's future prospect as he would be stuck there.

What would you think about this?

just depends. Promotions aren't usually tied exclusively to job performance. There are many factors in play, such as who else might be angling for promotion, what upper management thinks of your potential relative to the others, and who has the "political" connections to actually move up. Try to get an honest take on what your company is like. At my last job, the people who were most qualified for promotions usually didn't get them, as they tended to be regarded as "arrogant" or "too big for their britches," which is a nice way of saying that management didn't want anyone around who was smarter than they were. The people with the most social skills i.e. those who were best at buttering up usually went a lot further.

 

[Benjamindaines]

i don't think being too good at your current position hurts your promotional opportunity. Rather i would think making yourself irreplaceable in your current position will be harmful, yes. if you do too much and take on enough so that you become indespesible to the company, they won't move you.

You could always ask for a pay raise

 

[sobolobo]

From experience, that may be true to an extent. I find that they just dump more responsiblity on you on top of your current duties.

 

[adk]

No matter what, you have to keep up the appearance that you are hard working.

 

[mactastic]

Sounds like you've got a government job! Where competence is rewarded by being **** upon!

Generally this is not a problem in the corporate world because you can always shop your skills around if you aren't getting the love you feel you should be getting from your company.

 

[StokeLee]

I am interested in hearing your take on this. Typically, good performers in the corporate world get rewarded with higher pay, more responsibilites, and promotions. But, I feel there is a possibility that he/she won't get the promotion or other career opportunities at the company if she/she is too good at what he/she does. The company management may decide keep that person at the current post because they like the performance level so much. Even thought that would be a good compliment to that person, I think that would hurt that person's future prospect as he would be stuck there.

What would you think about this?

I think it all depends on the vacancy open above you, and how important the position is. The guy at the top only performs as good as the people below him.

 

[somewhatstunned]

If you're good at what you do and there are new people coming on, they might ease you into supervision. If you can transfer your skills and keep a cool shop then you'd move up. But one thing to consider is this: if you're good at what you do maybe you like it.

Example: I used to love cutting code. I wrote good solid stuff. Now I spend my day giving plum projects to other people that I'd love to do myself. I work with spreadsheets, and work orders, and I keep thinking, "If I could just get ahead of everything I have to do, I could get into some code."

But I never get ahead.

So that's something to think about. Why do you want to move up? The bucks keep me here + I've been doing this so long that my code is going to be rusty and a few significant versions behind.