10 SURE WAYS TO GET A PROMOTION
10 SURE WAYS TO GET A PROMOTION
Looking for
ways to get a promotion and climb you the corporate ladder, look no further.
Follow these then proven steps:
1.
Work for a company that can give you room
to grow. The type of
company you work can determine your potential for promotion. When applying for
jobs, seek out companies with opportunity for advancement. You don't have to
work for a huge corporation, although these usually offer plenty of promotion
possibilities at any given time, but you do want to look for a company that has
enough going on so that you can be assured you're not running into a dead end.
Preferably this company will be doing well and growing, though many companies,
especially very large ones, tend to grow in cycles.
2.
Concentrate on just doing the best you
possibly can in your current position. Excellent performance reviews aren't sufficient
to get you a promotion, but they're necessary for it. So are good attendance,
punctuality, and a willingness to go the extra mile when the company needs it.
Showing up 5 minutes early and leaving 5 minutes after your shift can turn into
a fortune of extra income over your lifetime when you are the one that gets the
promotion.
3.
Make sure people know you're doing a great
job. You don't want to
toot your own horn too much, but you can't always expect your merits to speak
for themselves. Keep in good contact with your supervisor, and make sure he or
she knows what you've been up to (assuming you've had some smashing successes).
Don't be an attention grabber or "brown-noser," but make sure people
know who you are and make sure you get credit where credit is due.
4.
Be popular. In an ideal world, promotions would be based
solely on merit. We don't live in an ideal world, though, and office politics
will often play a role in who gets promoted and who doesn't. Use and develop
your people skills. Be kind and helpful to your coworkers, supervisors, and
underlings. Develop relationships with people you work with, play golf with the
boss, and get to know people (other than your immediate supervisor) who make
decisions in the company. Be present at company events and network with people
from outside your department.
5.
Make sure the right people know you want a
promotion. Don't be
afraid to tell your supervisor about your career goals--most good supervisors
will ask you about them and try to be helpful. Continue to do a great job in
your current position, and don't seem fed up with your current work, but let
decision makers know if you really want a particular job.
6.
Apply for jobs within the company. These days you can't just wait for a
promotion to fall in your lap. That happens sometimes, but most promotions,
especially at large companies, require you to go through the application and
interview process, and usually you'll have to compete with candidates from
outside the company. Apply for the right
positions. Don't just apply for any
opportunity that pays a bit more than your current job. Look for opportunities
that you are genuinely interested in and that you are qualified for. You don't
have to have all the skills listed in the job description, and you probably
won't, but you want to be able to make a good case that you'll be able to get
up to speed quickly. Take the
application process seriously. Too often, internal candidates figure they've
got the new job in the bag, but studies show that as few as 1/3 of internal
candidates win the better jobs they seek. External candidates can be extremely
competitive because they have no pretenses of security--they want the job, and
they know they'll have to put their best foot forward to get it. In addition,
companies sometimes want to bring in new people to bring new skills or
perspectives to the organization. The lesson here: don't be complacent, and
remember to "sell" yourself as you would if you were applying for any
other job.
7.
Seek out new skills. If you become the best customer service
representative of all time, you're well on your way... to remaining a highly
regarded customer service representative for the rest of your career. It's not
enough to be great at your job; you also have to develop marketable skills that
prepare you for more responsibility. When you gain skills and qualifications
far beyond what your current job requires, your employer may see keeping you in
that job as a waste of your talents.
Go to school. If you haven't earned a Bachelors
degree, do it. If you have, consider earning a Masters or PhD, but only if one
of these qualifications will help you achieve your career goals. Don't just go
back to school for the heck of it. Instead think about what programs will help
you climb the corporate ladder. Sometimes specialized professional designations
or licenses can be far more important to getting a promotion than degrees, and
sometimes you may just need to take some classes to improve your computer
skills or accounting ability, for example. There are a wide range of education
programs available that allow you to go to class in the evenings or on
weekends, and there are also ample opportunities for accredited self-study and
online learning. What's more, your employer may reimburse you for certain
tuition expenses, so it may be possible for you to expand your knowledge at no
cost to yourself. Learn a second/third language. Due to the increasing
globalization of the world in general, more and more companies will be looking
for people that know multiple languages. Learning more than one language also
means you don't need a translator, which opens up international posts (such as
a manager for an entire continent, as opposed to a state or small country).
Take on temporary projects. Temporary projects can
be a great way to broaden your skills and network with people from other areas
of the company. Many people feel uncomfortable volunteering for these
assignments because they can be challenging and can force you out of your
comfort zone. That's the point.
Volunteer.
If you're not getting new skills at work, consider volunteering your spare time
to a non-profit organization. Large, well-recognized non-profits almost always
offer a wealth of opportunities to learn new things, and smaller organizations
may also have suitable projects you could work on. Successful non-profits
typically look to fill volunteer positions with people who are qualified to do
the job, but with a little persistence you should be able to find an
opportunity that uses your existing skills and helps you build new skills. Your
community involvement can also be a plus toward your getting your promotion.
8.
Get a mentor. A strong relationship with a manager or someone
higher up in your department can open a lot of doors for you. For one thing,
you'll likely learn a lot about the organization and about the jobs you might
want to get in the future. For another, you'll have an ally who will be willing
to go to bat for you when you do decide to apply for a new opportunity.
Finally, your mentor may groom you to succeed him or her when they move up or
retire.
9.
Groom a successor. It's a common paradox: you're so good at
your job that you're indispensable, but you're so indispensable in your current
position that the company would fall apart if you were to leave that position.
The solution to this problem is to take another employee under your wing and
train him or her so that they will be ready to fill your shoes if you get
promoted. Some people are afraid that their understudy will take their job if
they do this, but as long as you're a great employee and continue to develop
your skills, the only way you'll lose your current job is by getting promoted.
Training another employee (or several) also shows that you have management
skills and that you care about helping other employees develop their skills.
10.
Develop a new position. If you figure out a better way to do your
existing job or see the need for a new position, don't be afraid to talk to
management about creating this position. Since you're the one who saw the need
and, presumably, you're best qualified for the position, this can help you take
on new responsibilities, even if you don't get a big pay raise at first.
BONUSES POINT
Seek
employment elsewhere. If, for whatever reason, you seem to be at a dead end
with your current employer, it's time to look for better opportunities
elsewhere. This can be hard if you feel a loyalty to your employer, but you do
need to do what is in the best interest of your career or you will become
unhappy with your job. Recent surveys show that as many as 75 percent of
employees are looking for new jobs at any given time, so you won't be alone.
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