Want to EARN a promotion at work? Focus on these 6 things.
Sometimes your next great career opportunity isn’t with another company – it’s with your current one. If you are looking to earn a promotion at work, but don’t know where to start, focus on these 6 things:
1. Master your mindset
When seeking a promotion at work, there are a few important mindsets to master. First, drop any sense of entitlement you may have. You are not “entitled” to a promotion. You don’t “deserve” a promotion. You have to EARN IT! Second, you are responsible for your career achievements and outcomes. While you can’t control everything, you do control your actions, which are the primary driver of whether you will be successful in landing a promotion. You are responsible for putting yourself in the best position possible to earn that promotion.
2. Do amazing work
Doing amazing work is foundational to earning a promotion. Poor or average work is rarely rewarded with advancement (although it does sometimes happen – in dysfunctional organizations). Instead, above average impact, contributions, achievements, accomplishments, and skills are what get noticed and rewarded. So, focus on mastering your current role, as being an above average performer is almost always a prerequisite for a promotion.
3. Promote your work – and yourself
Doing amazing work isn’t always enough. If you do amazing work and no one knows about it – especially your target/future leader – how will you get noticed and promoted? It’s incumbent upon you to promote your work and yourself, in a professional and tactful way. Look for opportunities to be seen and to get your work noticed. Marketing and branding yourself doesn’t stop once you are hired. It’s a continuous activity to help you achieve your career goals – in this case, a promotion at work.
4. Volunteer
There are two ways that volunteering at work can help you land a promotion. First, volunteering in general shows that you are going above and beyond your job description to help the organization. This is a sought-after characteristic that hiring managers and organizational leaders are looking for. Volunteering will raise your profile amongst key decision makers and help you stand out from others who don’t put forth this discretionary effort. Second, volunteering to specifically help your target/future leader or department will help you develop job-specific skills and insight that you can transfer and apply to your target role. This volunteer experience, and the skills you developed, can become part of your qualifications for a promotion.
5. Network
Networking – building and strengthening mutually-beneficial relationships – is an important professional activity. Relationships open doors to opportunities, among other benefits. If you want a promotion at work, it would be wise to build and strengthen relationships with your future leader and teammates. Doing so will increase their familiarity with you and your work, which will reduce uncertainty (a key hiring goal). In addition, all things being equal, it’s better to be a qualified candidate who has a positive relationship with the hiring manager versus a qualified candidate with no relationship. Relationships aren’t everything. But they ARE something.
6. Upgrade your skills
You might not currently have the skills or knowledge required to perform your target role and thus earn a promotion, but that doesn’t mean you can’t obtain them. Find out what skills and knowledge are critical for success in your target role – and then go out and acquire them. Taking proactive steps to develop yourself highlights your motivation, capabilities, and learnability. It gets you noticed and gets you qualified. Growing your skills and knowledge will position you for career success – and a promotion.
Being an internal candidate has many benefits when pursuing an open role, or a role that doesn’t yet exist. But that doesn’t mean that you are a shoe in for a promotional opportunity. You still need to EARN the promotion. By focusing on your mindset, work, visibility, generosity, relationships, and skills, you’ll increase your qualifications and strengthen your candidacy in pursuit of a promotion. Take advantage of your position and access to decision makers and get started today. Your future, happily promoted self will thank you.
For more career development tips and information, visit: https://www.leonardworkforcesolutions.com/news
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[Originally published on LinkedIn on 2/2/22: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/want-earn-promotion-work-focus-6-things-bill-leonard-mhrm/?trackingId=Iq%2F1HtgLREuAeEB8CJUR4w%3D%3D]