5 tips to get promoted at work

Hey! Do you feel that this promotion of work is getting closer? Feeling like this month’s horoscope is pointing you in all the right directions?

Or … Is it that you’ve been working somewhere for a long time and are anxiously waiting to be promoted? You feel that you are not appreciated for your work and you do not understand why you are not landing that promotion.

Whether you’re following your fortune guts this week, or craving a new promotion to earn some extra cash, keep reading the 5 must-have tips to help you get that dream job promotion at work!

1: VOICE WHAT YOU WANT

First things first, if you want a promotion, you have to say it. That is, you can’t expect your manager to be actively looking for ways to promote you. Unless you make it clear from the start that your expectations should be promoted by a certain point in time (and that you are willing to put in the job), a job promotion is unlikely to be most likely for your manager. Here are some things to keep in mind:

  • There are a large number of people looking for promotions, but very few of them actually tell their manager that’s what they want.
  • Promotions don’t happen overnight. Unsurprisingly, promotions generally come with extra money cutting back on a pay rise. There has to be a budget in your team to back this up, and there has to be a vacancy for a position where you can move. Especially if you work in a publicly listed company, there is a lot of backstage / management work that has to happen with HR leaders and above to make sure a promotion can go through

By being honest about what you want, you plant a seed in your manager’s head that this is what you are striving for. You can assign your next job accordingly, and start preparing things behind the scenes to ensure a smooth transition.

For example, suppose you expect to move to a managerial position in one year. Tell your manager exactly that. Ask them if they see it as doable, and what their roadmap to getting there will look like. Let him know that you are willing to go the extra mile to be promoted. Keeping this in mind for your manager is your responsibility!

2: GO ABOVE AND FROM YOUR CURRENT ROLE

In other words, do more than your job description says. If you are a marketing consultant, and your job description requires that you “support key projects” – improve that. Instead of supporting – take the lead. Just because your current job description says you need to do XYZ, doesn’t mean that’s what your confined to. The key here is to make your boss’s job easier, not more difficult. Get things off your plate and do the work yourself. The most important part, however, is that you are able to run correctly. If your manager sees you removing things from his plate and doing a damn good job – it shows you’re competent enough to potentially get that promotion. Get that compliment and take your shoulders off, but make sure you’re doing an ass kick job!

3: STAY OUT OF THE OFFICE POLICY

There’s no drama. We don’t want any drama. If you want a promotion, you need to show your ability to shine as a leader, which means pulling yourself out of any and all office and political drama. Is Ray the Stalker talking shit again? Surprise, surprise. There is no need to engage in negativity by spinning around the office. Get up, focus on what you want and watch the prize.

4: REMEMBER YOUR MANAGER

Your manager is SUPER busy and has a TON on the go. Your promotion will not be the most in his mind, unless you take it into account. check-in to see how progress is coming. Ask your manager what you need to do differently, or what you could be doing more or less to keep you on the right track. This not only keeps you growing and improving, but will remind your manager of how serious you are about this promotion. Don’t think of the “voice of what you want” piece as one and done. Regular feedback is so key! And  a friendly reminder that your manager has to be the one promoting you it never hurts .

5: BE YOURSELF

If you are an idiot, you own being an idiot! As cliche as it sounds, it’s so important to be authentic and genuine with who you are. You are not being promoted because you have the same personality as any other leader in the office. Be true to what your thoughts and beliefs are, and be sure to reflect that day to day in the office. If you disagree with a business decision or the direction of the business, say something. Do not settle and continue with what others do because “the boss said so.”

Part of being a leader requires you to think outside the box, question the status quo, and play the role of the devil’s advocate. Sometimes you can have a setback, but you have to be yourself and be real. Your name is attached to everything at the end of the day, so believe in what you are doing, and if you don’t, understand how you can influence the situation differently. People may not like it and they will likely coat some feathers here and there, but hey, if you want that promotion you better show what makes you stand out from the rest!

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