The Graduate Promotion Process: Understanding the “Soft” Side Available to Purchase

Based on research in Midland Bank plc, the importance of the“subjective”, “informal” and“political” aspects of the promotion process are highlighted. It is argued, and many graduates perceive, that the ability to get promoted is a quite separate ability from that required to do the job. The “soft” side of promotion, i.e. understanding“culture”, “labelling”,“cognisance”, “routes”, “sponsors”and so on, is the key to the management of the promotion process.