13 Habits Hurting Your Shot At A Promotion

You have accolades from clients and coworkers filling your inbox. You exceed the goals your manager has set out for you. Your day-to-day duties are way more intense than they were when you were first hired. And yet, when promotion time comes around, you were passed over. What gives?

Turns out, when it comes time to deciding who to promote, little things matter a lot. Behaviours you think are no big deal (leaning back in your desk chair) or ones that are totally explainable (leaving at 6 p.m. on the dot to make it to your favourite barre class) can broadcast the wrong message if you aren't careful. We spoke to hiring managers and got their candid takes on the pet peeves that make them think not promotion material.

The point isn't to make you paranoid — of course you can't sit ramrod-straight for hours on end — but it is supposed to make you pay attention. Because how you present yourself at work matters. And since this stuff is totally fixable, changing a few key behaviours could be the big difference between staying where you are and moving up. Ahead, the 13 totally surprising (and easily fixable) reasons your boss may not be as impressed with you as she should be.