How to get a promotion

Getting promoted is something almost everyone wants to achieve in their career long-term. To move up the ladder to the next step of your career, you have to prove that you are deserving enough to take on that extra responsibility. This takes consistently working your best, and showing that you have the ability to take on the pressure of a higher position.

There is a right time and place to strike if you want to increase your chance at getting promoted, and this article will outline these tactics and more to aid you in furthering your career. If you feel you are ready to move up in your place of work and take that next step, below are a few great tips to get you on the right track.

MAKE SURE YOUR SUPERVISOR SEES YOUR WINS

Especially if you work in a larger company or organization, this is important. It’s not just you looking to get a promotion, and the larger the business, the more competition you’ll be going up against. So when you take on a bigger project, try to make it stand out.

Of course, there’s a fine line you have to ride between trying too hard and making yourself noticeable. It depends on your boss, but I usually say, stand out through your work. If you are confident in what you do, add a bit of your personality into your project or task. This will get eyes on you as a person, rather than just another employee, and it’s those that separate themselves from the typical way of doing things that get noticed.

SHOW LEADERSHIP WHEN WORKING WITH A TEAM

More times than not, the extra responsibility you will take on with a promotion involves you leading a group of coworkers. Having strong leadership skills is a must if you want to move up in any company.

This doesn’t mean go about the office telling everyone how to do their jobs, a good boss does not do this, and you shouldn’t if you want to become one. However, when tasked with a project involving other people, be decisive and a good role model for the others.

Think about how the perfect boss in your mind would delegate tasks, and try to emulate that. Make sure that tasks are done on time, and that everyone in your group is happy and comfortable in their contributions to whatever you’re all working on.

Finally, don’t just delegate tasks to the others in your team, but make sure that you have the same or more work than what the rest of your group has. This will help in being a good role model, and will make people want to work harder under your leadership, which is exactly what a good supervisor looks for when thinking about promotions.

BE ENGAGED AND GET INVOLVED

Being engaged is more than just taking notes at meetings, it’s asking questions when something seems off, or trying to build on goals met or not met by your place of work.

There are many ways you can become engaged at your job, a few general suggestions are:

• Find ways to make your work play to your strengths
• Celebrate your progress and think about how you’ve improved over time
• Remind yourself about that promotion you’re looking for

You were hired for a reason. The job you’re working at may be difficult but there is a way you can use your strengths to make it easier. The more you use the abilities you are proud of, the more you will focus and do better at your tasks. Who knows, some people may just notice and take after some of your working habits as well!

Tracking your progress at something goes for many aspects of life. Say you’ve been working out for a few months, doesn’t it motivate you to continue when you realize you can run a mile in a minute less than before? If you make your work into a competition against yourself, you will be more engaged in it. Trying to beat your fastest time or your high score sounds a lot better than getting through your daily work tasks!

Lastly, don’t lose sight of what you’re getting more involved for. You’re trying to move up, and move forward in your career. Setting small goals for yourself along the way is a great idea, but never lose sight of that main goal of being promoted and you won’t get wrapped up in just achieving small strides every day.

LISTEN TO BOTH YOUR BOSS AND YOUR COWORKERS

Assuming you get the promotion you’re looking for, your bosses will be your coworkers and those coworkers will be listening to you. Take note of how they feel about you, both as a person they work with and how they see your personality as a whole.

Your boss could see you as the perfect fit for a greater position, but you will not succeed if you don’t empathize with those who will be in what was your previous role. I’m not saying you need your coworkers’ approval to get a promotion, but once you get there, it will help your long-term success if you know they will work hard under your leadership.

On the flip side of that, do not try and dominate every conversation with your boss to prove you are on the same level as them. Listen to what suggestions they may have for your work, because they will not promote you based on your gusto, and you will never know what you can do to improve if you simply talk up your achievements to them.

IN SUMMARY

Getting the promotion you want is not an easy task by any stretch. It requires you to step out of the comfortable zone of your day-to-day tasks and take charge of more responsibility.

You need to develop the qualities of a leader if you haven’t already, and be ready to not only speak up at the right times, but listen as well. However, the important thing is to always keep your goal in mind and remember that with dedication and a little bit of tenacity, you will be able to achieve that goal.