Stan Fitzgerald is good at his job. He's creative, articulate and often sought by senior staff for input on high-profile projects. The next logical step in his career is a promotion into a more responsible and authoritative position, something Fitzgerald very much wants. But month after month, even year after year, he remains in his current position. With each glowing performance review he's left to wonder, "If I'm good at my job, why aren't I being promoted?"

The most common reason capable, productive workers are passed over for promotions is because they are doing such good jobs in their current positions that management wants to keep them there, according to Steve Viscusi, host of the nationally syndicated radio show, "On the Job" and author of On the Job: How to Make it in the Real World of Work. To avoid setting up permanent residence on one rung of the career ladder, Viscusi suggests these get-ahead strategies:

Make Sure You Ask for a Promotion

Many people don't specifically ask to be promoted, assuming that if they are doing a good job, a promotion is the natural result. Unfortunately, if you never make your desire for a new position known, it may never dawn on your boss to consider you for a new role.

Show How You Will Add Value in a Higher Position

If your talents are not being used in your current role, give your boss concrete examples of how you would be able to contribute more to the company at a higher level. You can also appeal to your boss's better sense and play up what's in it for him or her; discuss how you could make your boss's job easier if you were in a new position.

Perform Your Current Job and the New Job Simultaneously

One surefire way to prove you can handle a new job is to actually do it. By offering to juggle both jobs for a short period of time, you show your boss several things:

• You appreciate the need for your current responsibilities to be handled.
• You can manage the responsibilities of a higher position.
• You are an impressive employee for being able to do both jobs at the same time.

Offer to Help Recruit and Train Your Replacement

When you're promoted, a position must be filled. Often this situation is what keeps managers from wanting to move a good employee up. By offering to take an active role in finding and training your replacement, you can assure your boss you will do your best to make this new person as good as you have been.

Avoid Giving Ultimatums

Making threats about what you will or won't do if you're not promoted is never a good idea. Even if this tactic were to result in a new position, you've won the battle and lost the war. Your relationship with your boss and the company will never be the same.

Promotion or Pretense?

After requesting a promotion, be skeptical of any effort to temporarily pacify you. Viscusi cautions against the pseudo promotion. Victims of this situation are given new job titles but no new responsibilities. Also, beware of a new position that has been created just for you. Although the job may be legitimate, it may also be a way for your boss to keep you on board when no real promotion is in sight. Remember: It is completely acceptable to ask your boss why you're not getting promoted.

Not Up But Over

When a promotion is simply not available, consider making a lateral career move. If you like your company's culture, your coworkers and other intangible qualities of your job, remaining at your company in a different capacity can make a lot of sense. Other positions may offer opportunities to acquire new skills and chances to broaden your experience and networking base. Also, if you've been in the same company for a long time, a lateral move can give you the varied professional experience to round out your resume.

Hasta La Vista, Baby

If it seems you are on a road to nowhere despite your efforts to advance in your company, it may be time to cut your losses and move on. How do you know when to part ways? Viscusi offers these guidelines:

• You have not been promoted in three to five years.
• You have been legitimately passed over for a promotion.
• You're consistently hearing through the grapevine that you won't be promoted.
• The chemistry between you and your boss is not good. If your boss doesn't care for you on a personal level, chances are he or she will not promote you.