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Moving up in a company is rarely easy, but there are things you can do to increase your chances of earning a promotion
While many Americans advance their careers by moving from one job to another, that strategy isn't a one-size-fits-all solution for achieving career goals. In fact, if you're one of the fortunate workers who are happy with their current employers, chances are that you would probably rather find a way to meet your career goals without leaving that company. Of course, that's sometimes easier said than done. Do you know how to move up in a company so that you can get that promotion and reach your true career potential?
In this post, we'll explore tips and strategies that can help you to learn how to move up in a company, land key promotions, and achieve your career goals without moving from business to business and job to job. While there are no guarantees in life or work, using these strategies can help you to increase your chances of advancing your career at the company you love.
Why employees seek promotions
A recent McKinsey survey of frontline workers in the U.S. provided some interesting insight into the reasons why many Americans seek career advancement. Those reasons include everything from increased pay opportunities to learning new skills, gaining additional responsibility, and achieving greater levels of job security. 70% of respondents also pointed to a desire to align their full skill sets with their job roles.
It's also important to understand the benefits that working your way up in a company can provide in terms of resume enhancement and future job searches. By rising as high as you can at your current company, you can ensure that your resume is much more attractive if you ever find yourself seeking a better position with another employer in the future.
The importance of being proactive
Before we explore the various tips and strategies that you can use to move up in a company, we should emphasize the need to be proactive about your own career development. Many workers simply plod along in their jobs, hoping that managers eventually notice their great work and reward them accordingly. As a rule, you should avoid that strategy and adopt a more proactive stance. Never assume that hard work alone will be enough to earn a promotion. The best career advances typically go to those who actively seek them.
How to move up in a company: strategies and tips
The first thing to understand is that companies don't hand out promotions just because employees want a better position or higher pay. Generally, advancement opportunities are given to people who are believed to have earned them. If you want to know how to move up in a company and land your next promotion, you need to recognize that simple truth. The next step is to start to implement strategies that can not only make you worthy of a promotion, but that will also help to ensure that your employer recognizes that fact.
1. Figure out how to provide more value to your company
The most important thing that you can do to work your way up in a company is to dedicate yourself to being as valuable as possible. It's not enough to simply do your job to the best of your ability. You also need to demonstrate that you have the potential to fill a higher level role in your company. Try to master your company's processes and systems, so that you can find ways to simplify them and improve your own efficiency. If you can achieve that goal, you can then use any extra time to further develop your strengths and skills to take on additional projects.
2. Commit to being a positive force in your workplace
When companies promote internally, they are focused on creating and developing leaders. It's only natural for them to give priority to employees who make a positive impact within the company. Make sure that you focus on being the type of positive presence that others can look to for inspiration and leadership. That positivity will help you to maintain your work ethic and get the results you need to be considered for a promotion.
3. Build a strong rapport with your boss
If you're the type of person who feels uncomfortable dealing with a supervisor on a regular basis, get over it. You will need to have a good rapport with your boss or bosses if you want to get noticed and eventually earn a promotion. You should regularly seek out feedback from your boss, ask for new challenges, and express your interest in learning new skills and doing more to advance the company's goals.
4. Actively recognize others' achievements and contributions
Many ambitious people often pursue their own advancement without any consideration for their coworkers. You can help your own cause tremendously by adopting a different strategy. Instead of focusing only on yourself, try to be mindful of others' accomplishments too. When you see someone doing great work, be sure to praise them. That can demonstrate your talent for managing and motivating others, which is an essential quality that companies look for in future leaders.
5. Improve your communication skills - and use them every day
When it comes to learning how to move up in a company, few skills are more important than communication. You should strive to improve your communication skills and look for ways to showcase them on a daily basis. Most promotions involve stepping into some type of leadership role - and leaders need to be able to effectively communicate with peers, subordinates, vendors, and customers.
6. Tell your boss about your desires for career advancement
Remember how we recommended building a rapport with your boss? As it turns out, that rapport can be essential for ensuring that your employer understands your desire to move up in the company. At some point, you will need to directly inform your boss of your desire for advancement. Keep in mind, however, that it's usually wise to begin that process long before you ask for a promotion. Instead, you should let them know that you're interested in career advancement and ask for their help in identifying the areas in which you need to improve to merit a promotion.
7. Find a mentor
If you can get your boss invested in your career advancement, then you will have a powerful mentor and ally to help you work toward an eventual promotion. You can also turn to others in the company who have been promoted in the past and seek insight and assistance from them. Don't be afraid to ask for guidance, since that is one of the easiest ways to identify the qualities you need to develop to earn that promotion.
8. Volunteer to help lead new projects
When your company rolls out new projects, you should actively try to get involved in those rollouts. By asking for more responsibility, you will be demonstrating that you're a motivated leader who is invested in the company's broader success. In addition, they can be a great way to showcase talents that you might not be using in your current role, while also highlighting your commitment to teamwork.
9. Dedicate yourself to continuing education
Become a lifelong learner by figuring out which skills you need to develop to reach your career goals, and then working to develop those abilities. That may involve going back to college with online or night courses, completing specialized training, or earning some form of certification. The important thing is that you continually work to improve your skills and keep pace with changes in your industry.
10. Always be networking
While you probably have at least some type of network outside of your company, it's important to develop an internal network if you want to eventually land a promotion. Try to build relationships with your coworkers, including your peers in other departments. That can help to ensure that you have a solid network of professional contacts who are familiar with your skill set and value as an employee.
How to move up in a company: tips to help you ask for a promotion
In addition to knowing how to make yourself worthy of a promotion, you also need to know how to ask for that promotion. Just having the right skills and achievements will probably not be enough to get you promoted if you never bother to seek that better role. The following tips can help you to make that request:
Make sure your timing is right
Before you ask for any promotion, always do your homework and consider the current state of your company. For example, if the economy is placing pressure on your employer, they may not be looking to promote anyone until the situation improves. Moreover, they may not even have an open position that meets your needs. In short, make sure that you ask at the right time!
Always make your request in a formal way
When you do decide to ask for a promotion, request a meeting with your boss. By requesting a formal meeting, you'll demonstrate your respect for their time and the position that you seek. Promotions are a serious business and not something that you should just casually mention over lunch or during a break.
Be prepared
When you show up to ask for your promotion, make sure that you can readily justify your request. Be prepared to explain how you have improved your skills to be ready for a broader role in the company and your desire and willingness to take on greater responsibilities. You should also be prepared to respond to any questions about increased compensation. Treat your meeting like a job interview and prepare accordingly.
Stay focused
Finally, make sure that you remain focused on your goals and try to be realistic about your chances of obtaining a promotion with your current employer. Sometimes, even your best efforts won't yield the career advancement results you're looking for. If that ends up being the case, you may need to pursue new employment to continue your career progression.
Take a positive step…
Figuring out how to move up in a company may seem like a daunting challenge, but the right strategies can help to put you on the right path to career advancement. By incorporating these tips and strategies into your daily routine, you can improve your chances of landing a great promotion without leaving your current employer.
Whether you need help preparing for a promotion interview or have decided that you need to move to a new company to achieve your career goals, a session with one of our professional interview coaches could be just what you need to prepare yourself for that next level of success!