5 Proven Ways To Get Promoted
Advancement in your career can be a challenging and rewarding journey. If you are struggling to get to your next promotion, there are steps you can take to increase your chances of success.
By identifying the skills and experience you need, communicating your goals to your manager, seeking feedback and taking constructive criticism, networking and building relationships, and staying positive and motivated, you can work towards achieving your career goals.
Skills For Promotion
First, identify the skills and experience you need for the promotion. Make a simple list of the skills and experience that are required for the promotion you are seeking. Then work on acquiring or strengthening these skills. This may involve taking on additional responsibilities or seeking out professional development opportunities.
Enhancing your skills is an important step in getting a promotion. To be successful in your career, it is essential to continuously learn and develop new skills. Here are a few things you should consider when enhancing your skills to get a promotion:
- Identify the skills you need: Make a list of the skills that are required for the promotion you are seeking, and then work on acquiring or strengthening these skills. This may involve taking on additional responsibilities or seeking out professional development opportunities.
- Keep up with industry developments: Stay current on industry trends and developments by reading industry publications, attending conferences and seminars, and networking with professionals in your field. Linkedin, Glassdoor, and Indeed are all great resources.
- Seek out learning opportunities: Look for opportunities to learn new skills and acquire knowledge that will help you advance in your career. This could include taking courses or earning certifications, participating in training programs, or seeking out mentorship opportunities.
- Practice and apply what you learn: It’s important to not just learn new skills, but also to practice and apply them in your work. This will help you to develop mastery and demonstrate your capabilities to your employer.
- Be proactive: Don’t wait for opportunities to come to you – seek them out and be proactive in your career development. This could involve taking on new projects, volunteering for additional responsibilities, or asking for feedback and guidance from your manager or colleagues.
Communicate Your Goals
Second, communicate your goals and progress to your manager. Make it clear to your manager that you are interested in advancing within the company and let them know about the progress you have made towards your goals.
Communicating your goals to your manager and other key stakeholders is an important step in getting a promotion. Here are a few things you should consider when communicating your goals:
- Make your goals clear: Clearly articulate your career goals to your manager and other key stakeholders. This will help them to understand your aspirations and give you the support you need to achieve them.
- Share your progress: Keep your manager and other stakeholders informed of your progress towards your goals. This could involve sharing your accomplishments, highlighting any new skills or experience you have gained, and discussing any challenges you have faced.
- Be specific: When communicating your goals, be specific about what you hope to achieve and why. This will help your manager and other stakeholders to better understand your motivations and give you more targeted support and guidance.
- Seek feedback: Ask for feedback from your manager and other stakeholders on your goals and progress. This will help you to identify areas for improvement and ensure that you are on track to achieving your goals.
- Be proactive: Don’t wait for your manager to bring up the topic of promotion – be proactive in discussing your goals and aspirations. This will show your ambition and drive, and may increase your chances of getting the promotion you are seeking.
Request Blunt Feedback
After communication, you need feedback. Seek feedback and take constructive criticism: Ask your manager or other colleagues for feedback on your performance and take their comments to heart. Use this feedback to identify areas for improvement and work on addressing any weaknesses. Remember, this is about promotability. It’s ok to ask deep questions. Be ready for the answers.
Questions about your promotability:
- “What skills or experiences do I need in order to be considered for this role?”
- “What have I done well in my current role and what areas do you think I could improve upon?”
- “How do you see my strengths and weaknesses impacting my chances of getting a promotion?”
- “Is there anything I can do to better demonstrate my ability to take on additional responsibilities and leadership roles?”
- “What feedback do you have on my communication, teamwork, and collaboration skills, and how can I improve in these areas?”
It’s important to remember that feedback is meant to help you grow and improve. Try to approach the conversation with an open mind and a willingness to learn. You may not agree with everything you hear, but it’s important to consider all feedback carefully. Then you can use the feedback to identify areas for improvement.
Build Relationships
Next, network and build relationships. Building relationships with colleagues and industry professionals can help you to gain visibility within the company and increase your chances of advancement. Attend company events, join professional organizations, and seek out opportunities to network and build relationships.
The first thing to do in your networking strategy is to recognize that it can be fun. This is not about swapping business cards. Networking is about meeting new friends. When you view networking through the lens of making new friends the energy shifts.
The first thing to do is to identify your goals. Do you want to have a wide expansive network or is a more targeted approach the way to go for you? Personally, I like to meet one or two new people per event that I would like to have coffee or a beer with. Making friends is way more fun that “networking”.
Next identify centers of influence or people that seem to know everyone. These are great people to meet because remember, you are looking for friends. The moment you take on the idea that you are “leveraging a relationship” (Yes, I’ve actually heard someone say that) you lose.
Finally, take a proactive approach and make sure to follow up. Reaching out after an event via email or linkedin is appropriate. You can say something like, “It was great to meet you at the _______ event the other day. I’ll be back next _______. What other events to you like?”
Mindset & Energy
It can be frustrating to feel like you are not making progress towards your goals, but it is important to stay positive and motivated. eep a positive attitude and stay focused on your goals Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. The attitude and energy you show up with is the most important factor in you getting a promotion.
If you’re tired of your current job focus your energy on the quality with which you do the work. Putting joy into what you do shifts your energy from catabolic to anabolic and primes you from growth. As a result, this shift also sends the message that you’re ready for more.
