Are you looking to step up and get promoted? Is it the pay that is appealing, a change in responsibilities, or career advancement that drives you to ascend the ladder of command? Whatever your reasons may be, positioning yourself for career development is always beneficial, even if the job you’re after isn’t available; you can always be thinking a few steps ahead and be in the right spot when the opportunity presents itself.
Do these 10 things to help get a promotion:
- Take full ownership of your responsibilities.
- Show leadership by delegating, providing feedback, and praising co-workers.
- Be a good communicator and keep your managers and subordinates informed.
- Actively seek out opportunities to make or save the company money.
- Go the extra mile by taking on responsibility or exceeding expectations.
- Keep growing and expanding your skills and relationships.
- Solicit feedback to better understand areas to focus your growth.
- Document and present your performance and accomplishments.
- Stay positive especially in the face of hardship and obstacles.
- Be bold and proactive in getting the job done and helping the company.
Let’s take a closer look at each of these items and how to approach them specifically.
Take Ownership
Make them yours, from start to finish. Showcase your abilities to prove that you are self-driven and organized. A positive and unwavering attitude are among the most sought-after attributes in employees. Even if you’re faking it in the beginning, eventually you’ll come around to believing it and you’ll be better off for it in the long run.
Show Leadership
Showing leadership qualities and successful delegation of tasks, in addition to playing an active role in group projects; will boost your reputation, making you an ideal candidate for advancement. If the position requires any personnel management, your demonstration of healthy and productive communication skills will increase your chances. Set an example of exemplary work and encourage your team to do the same!
Be a Good Communicator
Ensure that all inter-office/work communication is presented in the clearest and simplest of terms to get your point across. Follow up with spoken conversations through email, leave detailed messages and stay organized. Make yourself available to discuss things as much as you can, coming up with a workflow that suits you. You can take regular ten minute breaks to get up and out of your workstation and stretch, let your eyes rest, and take care of any interoffice communication during these little breathers; that way once you return to the desk; you’re all caught up and have a plan of what needs to be done in the following hour. Enforcing a little structure can go a long way in making yourself more productive.
Help Make or Save the Company Money
If you are actively making or saving money for your employer in a noticeable way that will only further your chances of promotion. Concrete numbers are hard to argue if it is demonstrable that in your time working their profits have increased in a measurable way through specific actions. This can greatly add to your chances of success.
Go Above and Beyond
If it means staying late to get ahead or being able to hand that assignment to your boss first thing in the morning with a smile. A little extra effort can do wonders to instill confidence in others of your ability.
Continue to Grow and Develop
Look out for skills or certifications you may need to acquire a promotion and stay several steps ahead. An example would be getting a certification for operating an electronically powered pallet jack to be eligible for a promotion and elevation in duties.
Ask for Feedback
It is always easier to serve someone who knows what they want and expresses it in a constructive manner. There may be just a few hurdles you hadn’t realized were in the way the of your advancement. You may be surprised to hear things you hadn’t thought of, a different perspective is important. We naturally lean into our strengths, and overlook our own weaknesses, unless active feedback is sought.
Sell Yourself
Present your progress through visual representation, i.e. graphs, charts, etc. Tangible evidence that is readily available and creatively presented will aid in your case. Leave the visuals with them, as a reminder to keep it under consideration. Those team projects, proof of profit and work experience can all be intertwined to present a compelling visual. You don’t have to go making a thirty-minute narrated PowerPoint project, but a couple graphs with upward trends can do nothing but help.
Be Positive
People that are constantly in a good mood are far easier and more enjoyable to work with. Don’t be that negative Nancy that brings people down and broods in the negatives. Negativity is actively detrimental to your advancement and relationships. Do the best you can each day to remain positive and friendly, a little bit goes a long way! Work through the negatives and frustrations that may come about in healthy ways and try not to let your emotions sway your attitude. Remember, all feelings are temporary, especially negative ones.
Be Bold and Proactive
Make predictions, show drive, bring solutions to the table, ideally before problems develop. Know what your bosses are looking for and put yourself out there.
Setting yourself up for a promotion is an ongoing process that takes a good amount of effort. Ideally you will already possess the skills required of the job you are after, requiring little to no training to make a smooth transition. Use the tips above to present the best version of yourself you can!
