How to ask about the posibility of promotion.

[tbickle76]

I was wondering if anyone had any advice on how I should go about asking a superior at work about my chances of being promoted.

 

Here's my situation: I'm very good friends with the highest manager position at my job. He's not my direct manager, but he's above the other managers. I've been good friends with him about a year or two before I started working at this job. Once I got out of college, I needed a job right away so he told me if I came in for an interview then I'm hired.

 

He's trying to start his own business and I (being an art school grad.) designed his logo for free. He loved it and printed it out and had us sign it. I'm also working on his website for him. In return he cut up scrap wood in his garage for me to use for paintings that I'm doing for an art show in Chicago. I go out with him on the weekends occasionally and have been to his house many times. I'd say that I'm probably his best friend at work who isn't a manager.

 

One night we were at a bar waiting for some other people to show up, and we got to talking about work. He was saying how now days nobody there has any ambition, they just want to show up to work, leave and go home. Ether that or everyone's too immature. The people that have been there the longest like where they are and don't want any more responsibility. He said if one of the managers left, he wouldn't know who would replace them. Later on in the conversation we were talking about our own ambitions to start our own businesses, how I want to start a freelance illustration career on the side. We also started talking about women, and he said he was glad for me to have a good girlfriend and that I deserved it because I'm a great guy. Basically he really opened up to me about a lot and I felt like we were even closer as friends.

 

On top of us being good friends, I'm also the most qualified to be promoted because I know how everything runs around there. In the two years I've worked there I've had almost every position below manager. He knows I've been looking around for another job, and that I was thinking of moving to Chicago where there are more art galleries. But if I knew I had a good shot at being promoted, I would stay at this job. So how do I go about asking him this? Would it be rude to just flat out ask what my chances are, since we're friends?

[BeStrongBeHappy]

Yes, just ask him straight out. Tell him you'd really prefer to stay, but you need a promotion path here in order to do so. People do understand the need to change jobs to improve your career, and they also understand the desire to get promoted and make money.

 

So as long as you ask it in a non emotional businesslike fashion he shouldn't have a problem with the question. Then make your decision based on what he says.