Latest / The Promotion Memo with Fexingo: Getting Visibility, Sponsors, and Executive Presence / Why Your Job Description Is a Career Signal
Transcript
- Lucas: So there's this product manager at a mid-sized fintech — let's call her Priya — who got promoted to senior product manager in about six months. And the tool she used wasn't a mentoring program, or a stretch assignment, or even a particularly impressive side project. It was her job description. Luna: Her job description? That's the document HR makes you sign and then forget about. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the point. Most people treat their job description as a static artifact from day one. But Priya treated it as a live career signal. She did a quarterly audit of it, and she updated it to reflect the work she was actually doing, plus the skills she wanted to grow into. And then she used that updated version in her promotion conversation. Luna: I love that. But how do you update a job description without looking like you're rewriting your own performance review? I feel like that's the fear. Lucas: Right, and that's the nuance. Priya didn't just rewrite it on a whim. She based it on evidence. She tracked her projects for a quarter, noticed that about forty percent of her time was going into data analysis and cross-functional leadership, which weren't in her original JD. So when she updated it, she added those responsibilities, with concrete examples. Luna: So it's not about inventing duties, it's about documenting what's already true but underrecognized. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the key insight. Your job description is a negotiating document. It defines the scope of your role, and by extension, the level you're operating at. If your JD says you're a product manager, but you're doing senior-level work, there's a mismatch. And that mismatch is either a signal to your boss that you're ready, or it's invisible because no one's looking at the JD. Luna: So the update is a way to make that mismatch visible. And then you bring it to your manager and say, 'Look, this is what I'm actually doing. Shouldn't my title and compensation reflect that?' Lucas: That's exactly the conversation she had. But she did it smart. She didn't present it as a demand. She framed it as a conversation about role clarity and career growth. She went to her manager with the updated JD and said, 'I've been tracking my work for the past few months, and I realized my JD doesn't reflect what I'm doing. I'd like to work together to update it, so we're aligned on expectations and so I can continue to develop in the right areas.' Luna: That's a great script. And it's non-confrontational, because you're asking for alignment, not a raise. Lucas: And that's the thing. It worked because she focused on the work, not the title. The title and the promotion followed naturally. Her manager was actually relieved, because it gave him a clear picture of her contribution. And when the next round of promotions came up, he could advocate for her with a concrete document, not just vague impressions. Luna: So the updated JD became her sponsorship tool. It gave her manager the language to sell her up the chain. Lucas: Exactly. And that's a huge part of getting promoted. It's not just about doing the work, it's about making it easy for others to advocate for you. A well-written JD is like a script for your sponsor. They don't have to remember everything you've done; they just have to refer to the document. Luna: Let's talk about the practical steps. How does someone start this audit? I imagine you don't just open your JD and start editing on a Tuesday afternoon. Lucas: You actually could, but you'd want to be systematic. First, pull up your current JD and highlight every responsibility. Then, over the next two weeks, keep a log of what you actually do. Every time you spend more than thirty minutes on a task, note it. At the end of those two weeks, compare the log to the JD. You'll likely find tasks that aren't in the JD, and JD items that you rarely do. Luna: Then what? Do you just add the missing tasks? Lucas: You add them, but you also think about the level. Some tasks might be lower-level, like data entry, that you can delegate. Others might be higher-level, like leading a project or influencing a strategy. You want to add those higher-level tasks and consider removing or minimizing the lower-level ones, because you want your JD to reflect the trajectory you're on, not just the current state. Luna: So you're curating your JD to show growth. That's like a career signal you're sending to your manager and to HR. Lucas: Precisely. And you also want to align with the next level's JD. If your company has job ladders, look at the senior-level JD and see what skills are missing. Priya did that. She looked at the senior product manager JD and noticed it required 'leading cross-functional initiatives' and 'mentoring junior PMs.' She wasn't doing either in a formal sense, so she found opportunities to do them, even small ones. Luna: Like what? I'm curious how you would add mentoring without being asked. Lucas: She started by offering to review a junior PM's project plan. That became a recurring thing. And she volunteered to lead a small cross-functional working group on a data pipeline issue. It was a low-stakes way to demonstrate the skill. Then, in her JD update, she added 'mentoring and cross-functional leadership' with those examples. Luna: That's clever because you're not just adding the line, you have the evidence to back it up. Lucas: Right. And that's what makes it credible. When she presented the updated JD to her manager, she could point to specific instances. It wasn't theoretical. That's the difference between updating your JD and just padding it. Luna: Now, there's a risk here. What if your manager sees this as you trying to do their job, or being presumptuous? How do you avoid that? Lucas: That's a real risk. Priya avoided it by not presenting the updated JD as a finished document. She presented it as a draft for discussion. She said, 'I've drafted this based on my observations. I'd love your input on whether this aligns with your expectations.' That way, it's a collaborative process, not a unilateral statement. Luna: So you're inviting them into the conversation, not presenting a demand. That makes sense. Lucas: And you also want to be careful about the frequency. Doing this once a quarter is reasonable. Doing it every month would be annoying. It's a strategic move, not a habit. And you should always tie it to performance, not just ask for an update because you want a title change. Luna: What about in more formal or rigid corporate environments? I can imagine some HR departments would resist any change to a job description. Lucas: That's a good point. In very regulated industries, like banking or healthcare, job descriptions might be tied to compliance or union agreements. In those cases, you might not be able to change the official document, but you can still create a 'work portfolio' that highlights the higher-level tasks. Use that in your promotion conversation instead. Luna: So the principle still holds: document your actual work, align it with the next level, and use it as a communication tool. Even if the official JD is set in stone. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the takeaway. Your job description is not a ceiling. It's a floor. It defines the minimum, not the maximum. And by updating it, you're signaling that you're operating above that floor, and you're ready for a bigger role. Luna: I like that framing. It shifts from 'my JD says I do X' to 'I do X, Y, and Z, and the JD should reflect that.' Lucas: And that's what Priya did. She didn't wait for permission to grow. She took the initiative to document her growth and made it visible. And that's a skill that goes beyond any single job. It's about owning your career narrative. Luna: If this episode gives you a concrete idea for your own career — even a small one — that's what we want. And the way we keep making these episodes ad-free is through listener support. So if today was useful, you can buy us a coffee at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It takes a minute and it keeps the lights on. Lucas: And we genuinely appreciate that. It lets us keep digging into practical, actionable stories like Priya's, without any sponsor interruptions. So thank you for considering that. Luna: Now back to Priya. There's one more thing she did that I thought was really smart. After she updated her JD, she didn't just keep it to herself. She shared it with her mentor and a couple of trusted colleagues for feedback. That made it even stronger before she brought it to her manager. Lucas: Oh, that's a good addition. Getting external perspective can catch blind spots. Maybe you're underselling yourself, or maybe you're overselling a task that isn't really valued. A mentor can help you calibrate. Luna: And it also builds a support network. When you share your updated JD, you're telling people 'this is my trajectory,' and they might start thinking of you for opportunities that align with that. Lucas: That's a subtle but powerful effect. You're planting a flag. And when people know you're aiming for senior roles, they'll start treating you as a senior person. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy in a good way. Luna: So to sum up: audit your actual work, align it with the next level, update your JD collaboratively, and use it as a sponsorship tool. It sounds simple, but it requires discipline and self-awareness. Lucas: It does. And it's a practice, not a one-time fix. The most successful professionals revisit their job description every quarter or so, not because they're obsessed with titles, but because they're intentional about their growth. And that intentionality is what gets noticed. Luna: So, what's your next step after this episode? Are you going to pull out your JD and start a log? Lucas: If you do, I'd love to hear how it goes. And if you have a story about using your JD as a career lever, share it with us. We might feature it in a future episode. Luna: Until next time, keep your eyes on the document — and on the work behind it.