Updated September 2026: this 2019 post described telling a teammate who was leaving about my top rating, and her surprise that I had not been promoted. I have rewritten it into a discussion of whether to share your performance rating at work, and what to do with a colleague's career advice.
In the last days before my teammate moved to a new team, we talked about her interview and her new role. She encouraged me to move too, towards work with onsite opportunities. I said I wanted to stay at least until my promotion. When I told her I had received the top rating the previous year, she was surprised and said my promotion was surely due.
Should you share your rating with colleagues?
With a trusted colleague, especially one who is leaving, it can be useful. It gives you an outside view of whether your treatment is normal. With your current team, be more careful. Ratings are often calibrated against each other within a team, and sharing them can create resentment or awkwardness that lingers long after the cycle.
What can you learn from a colleague's reaction?
A surprised reaction is data. If someone who knows the company's promotion patterns thinks you should already have been promoted, it is worth asking your manager directly about your timeline. It does not prove anything by itself, but it is a prompt to get a clear answer rather than wait.
Should you follow a colleague who changes teams?
Only for your own reasons. Colleagues who move often encourage others to follow, and their information about interviews and new roles is valuable. Ask them about the kind of work, the manager and the growth path in the new team. Then compare that with your own goals, whether that is a promotion, onsite exposure, better work or simply stability.
Is waiting for a promotion a good reason to stay?
It can be, if the promotion is realistically close and the rest of the job is acceptable. It stops being a good reason when the promise keeps moving. Ask your manager for the specific cycle in which you will be considered and what is needed. If that answer is vague twice in a row, weigh the move your colleague suggested more seriously.
What should you keep private?
Salary figures, other people's ratings and anything shared with you in confidence. Your own rating is yours to share, but think about who you are telling and why. A departing friend offering advice is one of the safer people to tell.
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