Promotions and your career growth are more in your control than you think. Timing matters, and there are outside factors that may accelerate your opportunities for growth or slow them down, but in this short blog we address a few quick tips that could help you better stand out and give you the ammunition needed to position yourself for a promotion.
Be a Leader
As you take steps to position yourself for a promotion, one of the most important qualities hiring managers will look for is, Are you a people leader? Growth and people management tend to go hand in hand. Upward mobility comes with the responsibility of leading and mentoring others. If you want to grow those capabilities, start volunteering for roles that stretch you outside of your comfort zone. Take on some smaller leadership opportunities like mentoring interns or first year employees. But remember, while pursuing these development areas don’t forgot to continue to excel in your current role as well. Showing you are ambitious while also delivering on all of your current responsibilities is the way to highlight your importance to the organization.
Record Your Accomplishments
Having concrete accomplishments to discuss during yearly reviews or conversations with your managers is essential for promotability. Make sure they are things that would not have been accomplished if it was not for your direct work/impact. Did you bring in a new client to the organization? Have you maintained and grown a client over time? Did you help create a more efficient way to execute projects? Whatever it is, being able to specifically recall the details and point to the real impact you made helps put you on a fast track for growth and allows senior leadership to see you as an essential part of the company’s future.
Acquire New Skills
In the same vein as growing your people management skill set it is equally important to broaden your skills across other areas of the business to truly position yourself for a promotion. Attaining new certifications or taking some online courses to help build out your personal portfolio will broaden your value to your company. Does the next step in your company require you to have particular software experience? If so make sure you go out and learn that skill as it will be another box checked in your favor.
Ask For A Promotion
Be sure to come prepared to yearly reviews with specifics on why you feel it is time for you to move up in the firm. If you avoid the subject and never discuss growth/promotions with your superiors they may not think it is something that you are interested in or even care about. Be crystal clear that the next step for you is important and that your expectations are to take on bigger roles within your organization.
Even if you are not confident it is the right time for a promotion having those early conversations with management about areas of growth and possible trajectories open to you are important. Putting your interest in advancement on your manager’s radar and understanding what you will need to accomplish to make that advance are equally important. Showing ambition and drive factor in immensely to leadership decisions on who to promote.
What To Do If You Don’t Get A Promotion
If you did not receive the promotion you had hoped for, do not be discouraged. Sometimes there are factors outside of your supervisor’s control. It is possible that the promotion timelines at your company don’t match your more accelerated preference for promotion. If it becomes clear that upward mobility is not going to be an option within your organization, looking for a new opportunity outside your current company may be the best way to grow your career.
The recruiters at Smith Hanley Associates would be happy to discuss your career interests and concerns. Contact Market Research and Consumer Insights Executive Recruiter, Daniel Wilberschied at dwilberschied@smithhanley.com.
