More promotions than ever result from people actively managing their own managers these days, with half of all promotions occurring this way, according to a reed.co.uk survey of 5000 workers.

Next down the list came those who said their promotion was completely unexpected (chosen by a quarter), while 17% said their promotion resulted from a direct request.

‘Taking on extra tasks’ tops the list of specific things that led to a promotion (chosen by 41%). Actively representing your own potential and untapped skills to your superiors is second most important, according to a quarter of respondents, while networking with managers and decision-makers, openly taking on extra training, and communicating your successes to superiors all follow closely on the list.