How to get the promotion you deserve

You have no doubt had a hard couple of years accommodating the immense changes we have all experienced recently. Changes to processes, practices and procedures, whilst still having to get projects delivered under immense pressure have been all-consuming.

But after having your ‘head down’ for so long, what about you as an individual? What about your personal development and career progression? Do you feel you have been just too busy to look for that promotion? Is it time to get back on track to fulfilling your ambitions?

Maybe now is the time - read our tips to ensure you get the promotion you deserve!

Make a plan

Like any other business process - failing to plan means planning to fail. Your career advancement may take many forms. Getting in promotion in your current department within the same role? Moving role? Moving to a different department? Also, you might want to consider what experience or training you may need to fulfil your ambition. Getting the right experience and skills can take time so having a 5-year plan can be a real benefit.

Ensure senior stakeholders are aware

Not in a boastful or excessively overt way, but senior leaders are not mind readers and in fact, many individuals are happy where they are and do not want promotion. Let senior managers know that you are keen to progress within the company and are looking for new challenges and responsibilities.

Don’t forget, don’t limit yourself to the leaders in your current department, but also stakeholders in adjacent departments and teams.

Have goals and overachieve

Of course, you should have goals anyway, but most businesses are ‘evidence based’ so you need goals set to illustrate how you achieve your goals. For larger companies, these may be logged with HR and will be a critical input to support any internal job application.

Consistent overachievement is also something you should be striving for, to help you prove your worth and differentiate yourself from other applicants. If you have awards for ‘Top Performer’ or ‘Outstanding Contribution’, these will also put you in good stead.

Look for new challenges

Within your current role, always be looking for new challenges. This will demonstrate your proactive nature and the fact you are always looking at how you can contribute to the success of the company and make improvements.

Be positive and offer solutions

It is sometimes easy to see the negative in things. No company gets everything right and there is always room for more technology, more people and more budget, but we live in the real world. Those that make the best of what they have got and are positive, pragmatic and industrious will be seen in a good light.

Managers also want solutions, not problems. If everything went smoothly with no issues or challenges, you would not have a job, right! Sure, you will not be able to solve all ills but at least if you see a challenge and offer a way around it rather than just complain that is a great attribute that people are looking for.

Help others and be a team player

Helping others is a fundamental element of any management role, so why wait? You can support others in many different ways from technical help to helping with choices they need to make or how your colleagues deal with other people in the team.

Being a team player is also fundamental for the aspiring leader. Cooperation, collaboration, and finding time for others are all critical for advancement in most modern forward-thinking companies.