How did you earn your fast-track promotion?

Hello,

There is some really good advice in this thread! Here are my additional two cents:

- First and foremost, do good work!

- Find some mentors/advocates who is more senior than you who you like to work with. Get to know them and do good work on their projects. As they get to know you and trust you, they will give you more responsibility on projects, and support you when you go up for promotion.

 - Show initiative on your projects and around the office. Don't wait to be told what to do, be proactive and show that you are a leader.

- Be sure to listen to any feedback you are given and work to improve.

Hi there,

To my own experience, being fast-track promoted in consulting works pretty similar as in other businesses: You need to show that you perform at a higher level (min. two steps ahead instead of just one) than you actually are.

The advantage in consulting is that most of the times, there exist very detailed information about what is required on what level. Based on this, you can lay out a plan to determine how you can meet those requirements in the next 2-3 projects (depending on the promotion window). Moreover, it's important to involve not just your mentor, but also your supervisors, so that there's absolute transparency about your ambitions.

The perfect way to land your fast-track promotion might slightly differ from company to company, so I would therefore advise you to talk to people who were fast-track promoted and/ or have a solid understanding of the promotion mechanisms at your company.

Best,

Hagen

Having been at the receiving end of 2 promotions, here is what I can say.

Short answer: Do your job well.

Long answer:

• Focus on improving the areas of improvement highlighted in your evaluations and show clear evidence that you improved
• Keep taking interim feedbacks during a project and doing micro improvements so that you don't end up with bad surprises on your evaluation
• Keep a mentor in the office (a senior person you can speak to comfortably) - to get guidance on a regular and informal basis
• Do your work well and smartly - no need to spend ungodly hours. That's not the right way. Hard work will not reward you as much as smart work.

I never tried to get fast track during my time. It was a personal choice as I treated the process as a marathon not a sprint. Every promotion point demands its own life experience & maturity to sustain the performance. 

Those who got fast track promotion, got the following right:

• Right & relevant projects!
• High quality of work & very credible relationship with clients
• Evidence of capability to perform at next level for a sustained period (eg. 12 months)
• Unwavering focus & commitment
• Clear expertise/skills, brand & client network
• Sponsorship & support from leadership team & loyalty to the company
• Meet (or exceed) all metrics: chargeability, pipeline of work ($) etc
• Luck

There will be nuances from firm to firm, so check the specifics with people who were fast tracked.

Hi there,

Across all careers/professions, the answer is the same:

1. Be extremely good/talented
2. Work extremely hard
3. Be visible

#3 is not to be underestimated and is generally where people fall short.

You can't just slave away and do a million things - people have to be made aware that you're top-notch.

Make sure that everything you do is noticed/tracked in some way shape or form.

If a tree falls in a forest but no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? ;)

Hi!

I have seen great answers already!

I believe a major factor is to ensure you are a reference point for your team and clients. This can be built with competence, dedication, and visibility (… and a good dose of talent and luck).

Best,

Anto