I was recently told by my manager during our 1 on 1 that I should pay attention to the fact that I've been in the same grade for 6 years. That sounded like a vague attempt to tell me that I'm the next to go for the next round of layoffs. I'm 40 and have been at grade 7 for the past 6 years in Oregon. I'm not a superstar but I think I do a good job at what I do. I've gotten S in focals all these years with level 2 stocks a couple of times and level 3 for the rest. I don't think I'm getting promoted anytime soon due to my group's fixed structure. Am I at high risk for the next ACT? Should I look for a job in another group or outside Intel now?
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All those TLP courses and mentoring sessions are for the lesser mortals. The PE promotion system works as follows.
PE allocation process is owned by architecture directors and in each group.
These guys maintain a list of so-called candidates in the pipeline.
The list is secretive. Only people in the list are told about their prospects.
The list is carefully culled by the Sr PEs from their favorites.
Once you made to the "A" list, the Sr PEs and the respective managers start framing their candidates for the PE nomination. This will take many visible forms of tweaking the indicators: you will be no.inated for all visible plum projects with all buzzwords, important customer engagements and executive visibility. You will be presented with a DRA plaque for every one of your minor deliverables. Your assignments will require frequent interaction with other PEs and SR PE and fellows in other BGs.
What first level managers never tell about PE nominations is this. Unlike promotions up till grade 9, the number of PEs is limited by the revenue of the BG. The benchmark figure is, a BG can have one PE for every $100M of revenue, a Sr PE for every $200M of revenue, and a fellow for every $1B if revenue. So, when your manager teases you with a PE promotion, first check how much influence he he has over the PE process. Second, check how your group revenue stacks versus the incumbent PE pen in your group.
When you combine the above two facts, here is how the system works: whenever there us a revenue uptick in the BG, the so called PE process owners flood their favorites through the process gates. This is where the lists and prestaging of the A list candidates is,extremely useful.
I must have sat through umpteen PE training classes, and mentoring sessions where they tel you that, for one to become PE materiak, one needs to have moved mountIns, influenced major product directions, filed 50 patents, spoke in industry conferences, chaired 20 standards, and presented like Colbert. Honestly, I know a bunch of them who can not engage a 5 minute conversation without embarrassing themselves, nor have done anything besides brown nosing their Sr PE bosses. Mentoring is another laughable checkmark for PE promotions. I have rarely known any PE who truly mentors.
The probability of becoming a PE without reporting to a Sr PE is less than 10%.
The probability of becoming a PE without reporting in an architecturev team is leads than 10%.
9.The probability of being promoted to a senior PE after vegetating in the same PE role for a minimum of 4 years is 100%. Sometimes even faster., if the group revenue surges.
Once a PE, always a PE. The rule of meritocracy ad 10% mandatory IR does not apply to PEs. These are the holy cows.
Nearly all PEs are power point warriors. They do not develop, they do not code, they do not design, they do not test. They spend 70% time outside the company in planes, conferences and customer meetings. The other 30% in internal meetings. Like VPs, that is the privilege they have earned by ingratiating themselves to their Gr 11 and 12 bosses.
If you aspire to become a PE, first find a Sr PE boss who has a seat in the PE process. The process of brown nosing him or her starts very early - starting from Gr 8.
So, the original meme here - "Its not what you know, but whom you blow" - is worth its weight in gold, when it comes to the PE process. No manager, TLP instructor, nor mentor will tell you this.
Yes, you are at risk, just as in 2016 when they ran a “purge by algorithm” (or “purge by spreadsheet”). This is the lazy way to manage — conjure up that someone with a long time in grade must not be improving, is deadwood or whatever — then tell someone technical to run a query against the HR database to fund them. Yes, this is very stupid — people with a long time in grade can be great performers, doing essential work; however, they are external-focused (life outside of work) and do not want to be promoted.
Other than an outside offer, here is another way to get promoted. Meet 1:1 with all of the managers that are going to be in your R&R session, plus the manager who has to ratify the results. Ask them what needs to go onto your development plan to get you to the next grade level. Publish the final plan to all of them. Execute with fidelity every item on the development plan. Successful completion of development plan goes into your review, Before the actual R&R session, meet with them again to ask, “What’s next?’’. When R&R happens, all the managers in there should be agreeing, “Yes, it’s Bob’s year to get promoted.”
The average manager at INTC is only interested in stealing credit for the maximum amount of labor from the naive engineers under him before discarding them for low-cost geo replacements.
Definite signal for you to start looking. Chicken sh-- managers have lost all credibility in their own abilities to help their employees with their careers. There are not many, if any, that have these capabilities. They just do whatever their mgmt wants them to. Pretty sad state of affairs.
I think your manager was "telling you" without saying the actual words because they can't. If it was me I'd be looking elsewhere, and not necessarily with Intel. I'd look both within the company and outside. Best job offer wins.
Unless you're h3llbent on retiring from the company with SERMA and the other retirement perks. May I ask how many years of service you have? Something to keep in mind (since not everyone realizes this).... is there are more rules to retire under OTHER than the Rule of 75. I retired under the Rule of 55 (15 years of service and at least age 55).. That came before the Rule of 75 for me so took it as I wanted out.
Either way... good luck.
g10 is a 100% political promo across the company
even g9 is a political position in most intel groups these days
What happens if you’re at G9 for a long time? Really hard to get to G10. G9 seems to be a terminal grade level in many orgs.
there is only one plan to move up: kiss a-- and brown nose
Time in grade matters over 10 years or if a manager wants to get rid of you. At 6 years you need a plan to move up, but it’s not urgent unless your manager gives warning signs. Change teams with caution soon, as it greatly lowers your odds of promos.
wrong, the only way to get promoted is to be political.
If your manager is telling you to get an outside offer, he's subtly telling you to go.
It's extremely easy to get promoted if you're good.
if you have an outside offer, take it
nothing good can come out of staying at that corrupt cesspool
OP - My old manager (an Intel lifer and now a sr PE) told me that the only way to get promoted is to get an outside offer. The managers hands are tied at focal. They have to deal with politics and diversity goals. If you bring an outside offer, they’ll gladly go to HR to argue for you. He said that’s the only way he got promoted.
@1mwn: Yes invested very well. Money has grown by 7 digits since leaving Intel. Intel was very stupid to let me go with the skills I had since I still make $200k plus. Looks like Intel should have promoted me to get more out of me, but really its them who lost out.
Very few understand this fact that there is no point putting pressure on yourself to get promoted. Let it come on its own. Milk the grade level and bring home the $$. Keep your skills level high. Screw them if they let you go.
"It is part of Intel's systematic age discrimination practice, time in grade clearly won't land a young college hire, but will disproportionately impact older employees. This is by design. The EEOC should be all over the 2016 ACT data"
And now we see why TSMC is gaining on Intel. THeir engineers are young and work hard. Intel's are old, entitled and sue-happy
100% agree with @VMjGf92-1gbc
I would say yes. If you’ve been in grade for a long time and are at the upper quartile of grade 7 base pay (like $140k or something) and are over 40 you’re at high risk. Maybe don’t quit but go group hoping.
It is part of Intel's systematic age discrimination practice, time in grade clearly won't land a young college hire, but will disproportionately impact older employees. This is by design. The EEOC should be all over the 2016 ACT data that so heavily impacted older employees. And there are numerous examples of while firing an older employee, Intel within weeks opened requisitions requiring the same skill sets.
I agree with @-qes. There has been a lot of discussion on this board about this. For whatever reason, Intel has used data that hurts the employee, even those that produce results. Honestly, I'll sum this up with 'I don't know why anyone would want to stay there'. I ERPed a few years back and SO happy to be gone. I'd have left long before but once you're in their snare for the retirement package (which I wasn't going to leave on the table) you stick around for that golden ring (a package) If you have the opportunity to leave, I'd go.
it's the other way around
the PowerPoint warriors are getting promoted, the actual productive people are getting laid off
"Most people in Intel cant join a different company because they have been complacent in their work and going from meeting to meeting and showing plots of their status."
Most? No. The ones getting laid off, maybe. Chicken and the egg story here.
Just leave and join a different company.
Most people in Intel cant join a different company because they have been complacent in their work and going from meeting to meeting and showing plots of their status.
They have lost all expertise!
@aee people will not be doing what you did going forward. Not many people will ‘retire’ in the future from Intel or anywhere else. Pension funds are broke. SS is broke. I hope you invested your money well.
@aee. Time has changed, the time in grade was used as one criterion in sending out VSP in 2016. I think OP is in risk now after what his manager told him. If I were him I will start looking, especially he is only 40.
OP: TIG does not matter. Here is a real data point for you:
I was g5 for 4yrs, g6 for 4yrs., g7 for 12yrs and g8 for 9yrs. Retired at g8 from Intel a multi millionaire.
Don't believe the losers on this board
Idiocracy may be the word you are searching for...
implying intel is a meritocracy 🤣
If you ain’t rising you are stagnant and stagnant in a meritocracy is lay-off candidate top
@spw I also think OP is at risk. OP, I think your manager just gave you a serious warning signal. Since hi-tech job market is still hot, why not give it a try before HR shows you the door!
Your manager knows HR has used this criteria in the past. Don’t blame the messenger.
Happened to me in 2016. Grade 8 for 8 years, all Ss, S3 stocks, except S4 in 2016. Booted with ISP.
@VMjGf92-spw - screw you
The system is built so that not everyone is promoted all of the time, you dont know his circumstances and how competent his bosses are in their promoting decisions. mo--n.
I think you are at risk of getting a VSP if layoffs are coming. You should try to get an EE in this focal cycle. I don’t know why 6 years at age 7 is considered too long, but your manager is sending you s signal. If you can’t get an EE this focal, you should look elsewhere.