Can I guarantee you will get a promotion? Well no. And neither can any ethical Career Coach, or Career Consultant. But when considering the question of pursuing a promotion, there are some reasonable things that you can bring into play that may increase your chances of being promoted. After considering the topic of how to get promoted, and doing some research, I have come up with a list of seven best, and reasonable ways to get promoted. These options are tangible, and ethical. They are concrete steps that should improve your chances to get promoted.
Work for a Company that is Growing: The reasoning here is that if a company is growing, those with seniority will tend to advance to high levels of responsibility, and pay. To find companies that are growing can take some time, and effort in researching, and networking. Business journals, many of which are now online, can help you to target one or more companies to pursue. Once you have found one or two expanding companies, using networking, including social media to get to know employees within those companies. Let it be known you are open to opportunities within your target companies. Reach out to people in your target companies, and even schedule some meetings, or informational interviews. Then get yourself hired.
Take Management Training: Enroll in management classes. Join and participate in classes, or seminars that build “soft “people skills. When people see that you are interested in building management skills, it becomes obvious that you are grooming yourself for more responsibility, and management of larger teams. Taking management courses telegraphs that if you are not a manager, you are interested in becoming one, and if you are currently a manager, you are looking to become a better one and progress up the management ladder.
Dress One Level Above: This suggestion means that your business attire reflects what is worn one management level above where you are. For example, if your peers wear polo shirts to the office – you wear dress shirts. If your peers wear dress shirts – you wear a dress shirt and tie. And if your peers wear dress shirts and a tie – you wear a suit, and so on. Appearances matter, and by dressing one level above your current pay grade, you are communicating you stand out from your peers, and are ready to move up. Best-selling author, and speaker, Brian Tracy says in his article “7 Steps to Getting Paid More, and Promoted Quicker” “The first rule is that you should always dress for success in your job and in your company. Look at the top people in your industry. Look at the top people in your company. Look at the pictures in newspapers and magazines of the men and women who are being promoted to positions of higher responsibility and pay. Pattern yourself after the leaders, not the followers.” I have a personal story around this. At one large corporation where I worked, there was one department manager that did not stand out, except he always wore a suit and tie. Sure enough, within 2 years of my arriving in the department this manager was tapped to be a division manager.
Let People Know you are Looking for a Promotion: Of all the options I mention, this one is probably the least effort to do. You usually don’t get what you want if you don’t ask for it. So, let it be known that you are looking to progress. One person you most likely want to share this with is your boss. My suggestion is not to be pushy, but if career, or career advancement comes into the conversation, let it be known you want to progress – you want more responsibility. As educator, and marketer, Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D., says in his article “Moving Up the Ladder: 10 Strategies for Getting Yourself Promoted” “Sell yourself — and let it be known that you are seeking a promotion. One professional we know sends out a monthly email to his boss and his boss’s boss to keep them updated on his progress on various projects — and to share any accomplishments and accolades that occurred in the previous month."
Work Long Hours and Let your Boss Know It: OK, this option does take a big commitment, and reduces your time away from your job. You need to decide for yourself if the extra effort, and time at your job is justified, or better yet, work with a career coach, or career consultant to weigh this option. Brian Tracy also says in the article referenced above “…Everybody knows who the hard workers are in every business. The hardest workers are always the most respected in any company of value. They are always paid more and promoted faster for a very simple reason: They are more productive…They are more valuable to the company. They set a better example, and are the kind of people bosses are proud of and want to keep more than anyone else.” The key point here is that if you do work longer hours, and/or weekends, let your boss know you did. This is easy to one to fit into casual hallway conversation. For example, BOSS: “How is it going today Judy?” DIRECT REPORT: “Gee, I’m a little tired. I was at the office till about 10pm last night. But I’m glad I stuck with it, I’m in good shape on my operations reports.” Your boss will not know that you worked late, unless they hear from someone, and sometimes that needs to be you. In short, if you work long hours – make it know.
Ask for more Responsibility: By asking for more responsibility, and delivering, you are making yourself more valuable to your boss, your boss’s boss, and your organization. By asking for more responsibility, and being successful, you are building a track record of success. It is human nature to give more responsibility to those that have had success when given more responsibility. And after some time, and a proven track record, a promotion to reflect these greater responsibilities is seen as appropriate.
Can-Do Attitude: Tied with the suggestion above, people that project a “can-do” attitude tend to be given more challenging work, and more responsibilities to manage. If you believe you will fail with an endeavor before you even get started, you most likely will. But if you project an attitude that says “I can do anything you ask of me…I will do whatever is necessary to see this project succeed”, you will exude confidence, and your manager, (and others) will feel they can trust you to take on more responsibility, and more challenging work, and they will not be disappointed. Even if your initiative ultimately falls short, you have displayed you are not afraid to take on more challenging work, and you gave it best effort. Don’t be surprised if you are tapped again for more challenges, and more responsibilities. Promotions tend to follow those that are given more challenging work, and greater responsibilities.
When considering the ways in which you can position yourself for a promotion, there are no silver bullets – no guarantees. Human relationships are complex, and really business relationships are just another, special type of human relationships. But if you desire a promotion, it is most likely worth some planning, and effort. You will be ahead of the game if you work for a company, or organization that is growing. With growth comes opportunities. Another consideration is appearances. Appearances matter, and by dressing as a professional, dressing a level above your peers makes you stand out. By taking management classes, or classes to develop soft “people” skills, you are showing others that you see yourself in a management role. Working harder, and longer hours will raise your worth as an employee. You will need to work out how much of your personal time you are willing to sacrifice to build your business value. A career coach, or career consultant can be helpful working this through. Don’t be afraid to ask for more responsibility – chances are you will be given more challenges if you ask for them. Projecting a can-do attitude can pay off. If you exhibit confidence chances are you will be trusted with more challenging work, and more responsibility. Finally, ask for what you want. If you seek a promotion, don’t keep it a secret. You will need to decide for yourself which of suggestions are workable for you. But implement any one, or several of these suggestions, and you will most likely will be improving your chances for promotion, and most certainly upgrading your career.
Author: Brian Kail, MBA, CPC, is a professional Career Coach, and Business Mentor. For more information see AscendProCoach.com
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