Hired as a junior, but I am not one - how to address this in the Performance Review?

Question

In the beginning of the year I was looking for a job, and found this really cool company that had a 'Software Developer' position, which I applied for, but later on the interview process, they assessed me into a 'Junior Developer' position. I know I was somehow low-balled , but still, they were paying way more for the junior position than other companies would pay for a middle level developer (surprisingly, even for me) - and again, the company really fitted my values and it seemed to be a nice place to work, so I went for it.

By the end of the year, I will be having my first performance review, and I would like to know how to leverage my strong points in order to ask for a promotion to a middle developer position.

My justifications are:

• taking care of major changes in the codebase (front and back-end)
• keeping code standards high (TDD, clean code, design patterns, et cetera)
• able to work without major supervision
• Quick with solutions for most problems
• Excellent soft skills good relationships on all levels (PMs, designers, QA teams)

The KPIs have been good, from the first performance review that I had (30 days), the feedback was excellent, to the comments from my coworkers on PRs (Pull Requests)

I was thinking about keeping a list of things that I've helped to improve or optimize, as well as the ones that I took ownership of.

How can I present these achievements to promote myself in the upcoming performance review in a way that might help with getting promoted to a position that reflects my actual level instead of "junior"

Answer 1

You're approaching it from the wrong angle. Instead of saying "I've done x, y z, don't I deserve a better title", try "Here are my accomplishments. What are the requirements for a promotion to the next level?".

It may be that in going thru the requirements, your manager will realize that yes, you do deserve a promotion. Or he may list out some additional things you need to work on. Either way, it's not going to get into an argument, it will be a profitable discussion.

Answer 2

The key is to outline your achievements in the form of CAR stories (Challenge, Action, Result).

We faced challenge "C", where I took "A" action, and the result was "R".

The book "Brag, how to toot your own horn without blowing it" is an excellent reference on just how to do it. I've used it, and it worked very well for me.

Since you already have more than adequate pay, you may want to stress the fact that you want a title change more than a pay increase.

From your tone, it seems that you want recognition more than anything else. So, I suggest this in your review.

Have a backup plan "B".

If it stalls, and you can't get the promotion or more pay, ask for more responsibilities, and then push on the next one.

Your instincts are good, document everything you are doing, and keep your managers aware of it. Promoting yourself should be constant, not just at performance review time so that your managers are not surprised at the amount of work you are doing, or its quality.

Answer 3

TL;DR: Don't wait for your annual review. Be proactive!

First things first: I have read many articles that claim that millennials (and now Gen Z) are overly obsessed with job titles. In particular, they do not like derogatory labels such as "junior", "associate", or "assistant". This dislike of derogatory labels attached to ones job title is not unique to your generation. My generation (boomer) also did not like such labels when we were young. I suspect the dislike goes way back for many generations.

I do not know the culture of your employer. They might be overly stodgy, in which case you might well be stuck with the "junior" classification for some time. But then again, you might not. The only way you can know which is the case is to discuss this with your supervisor(s).

I suggest you bring this up with your supervisor before your annual review. If your employer is anywhere close to open, you should be able to have a conversation with your supervisor at any time of the year rather than just at your annual review. Passively waiting until your annual review to bring up an issue that obviously bothers you is too late.

Ask for a brief discussion about your career with your supervisor. Tell your supervisor you don't want to wait until your annual review, that this is in prep for your review. When it comes time to have that conversation, ask for a minute or so to speak your mind. Very briefly state up front that you do not like the "junior" qualifier attached to your title. Then briefly mention some of the things that you have done that qualify as "above and beyond". Do not take long. This should again be brief. Finally, ask what else you need to do between now and your annual review so as to have that qualifier removed from your title.

In this conversation, you need to be prepared for the worst, which in this case is that you might be stuck with the "junior" moniker until you have at least two (or more) years of work experience. Some employers are stodgy with regard to job titles; most are not. Even if they are stodgy with regard to job titles, you need to ask yourself how much that matters. If they are equally stodgy with regard to roles, responsibilities, and compensation, it perhaps might be time to look elsewhere. But if the stodginess applies only to job title, does it really matter?