Do you feel like your current position is holding you back from the career that you want? Do you want to find out how to get promoted at work? Well, this article will give you some useful tips for getting promoted. Read on!
1. Take Initiative When Work Needs Doing
Get noticed and prove yourself by taking on more responsibility whenever possible. A proven method to get promoted at work is to position yourself as a leader and a doer.
If you see there is a task that needs to be completed, then go ahead and take care of it yourself rather than waiting for someone else. This can help show your boss that you are dedicated and willing to work hard whenever necessary. They should want to promote you because this means less stress on them.
However, you do need to make sure that doing the tasks is working in your favour. If your boss is constantly piling on extra work for no reason, it might be time for a chat. Don’t be taken for granted. Otherwise, they won’t see any value in moving you up and having to train someone new for your current role.
2. Volunteer for an Office-Wide Committee or Task Force
When you volunteer for an office-wide committee or task force, you get to showcase your skills and provide valuable input. This is a great way to demonstrate that you’re able to be counted on for more than just the day-to-day tasks of your current role.
Dr. Andrew Lancaster, from the education and careers site Lerna Courses, told me that his professional profile in the Australian Public Service went up enormously after he worked on an inter-departmental committee and a working group. “I was volunteered for these roles but made the most of the opportunity to demonstrate skills and leadership potential. Partly because the work of the groups was valued, I received individual and team awards both times. It looks good on your CV, and I seemed to get marked out for future positions. My advice is to grab every chance you get to work on interesting or high-profile projects.
3. Get a Degree, MBA or Other Masters
One of the most powerful things that you can do to get promoted at work is to pursue higher education. This may be in the form of a bachelor degree, Master of Business Administration (MBA), other masters or another formal training program that you could sign up for.
Higher education helps you gain new skills and knowledge, which can make it easier for you to get ahead at your workplace. You’re able to show off your abilities and signal that you’re ambitious and looking for more out of your career. With an MBA for example, take the time to learn more on the MBA application process. This will allow you to get a better idea of whether you qualify for admission and what will be expected from you.
If pursuing higher education is not an option for you right now, there are still some other things that you can do. You could try to expand your knowledge of the industry and up-skill yourself by taking on new projects at work or attending seminars and conferences. Opportunities to learn from more experienced professionals in your field are essential for fast-tracking a career.
4. Align Your Work Efforts with the Company’s Goals
You should also try to learn more about your company’s goals and make sure that you’re working towards them. This will ensure that you are staying on track with the direction of the business, which can help boost your career in terms of getting promoted or receiving a pay raise.
For example, if increasing sales is one of the primary objectives for this year at work then you should focus on doing your part to help achieve this goal.
5. Keep a Positive Attitude at Work
Another thing that you can do to get promoted at work is to keep a positive attitude. If you’re the type of person who complains about your company all the time, then don’t be surprised if no one wants to promote you. They will think that this negativity carries over into other parts of your life as well.
So instead, focus on being happy and excited about what goes on at your job. This is a lot easier said than done, but if you can manage to maintain this attitude for long enough then it will pay off in the form of getting promoted.
6. Manage Your Time at Work Strategically
Just because you may be busy with certain tasks at work, that doesn’t mean you should neglect your time management skills. Make sure to set aside a certain amount of time for completing regular tasks and important projects so they don’t pile up on top of each other and cause stress.
If possible, try to get into the habit of blocking off specific chunks of daily or weekly time slots during which you will work on your most important tasks. This way, those things don’t get mixed in with all of the other less pressing issues. You to stay ahead of any timelines so that they do not hinder your chances of getting promoted at work.
7. Promote Your Individual Work Internally
You can also promote your work. Whenever you have completed a task or taken on some other responsibility, why not go ahead and tell your boss about it?
You can do this in a brief email but make sure that there are no mistakes since otherwise, they might think that you are not good at what you do. If the email is too long and wordy then it might be better to just speak with them in person since they may feel that there isn’t enough room for their input if your note is too formalized. This can also show your boss how much effort and time you put into getting things done so again.
8. Ask for Feedback from Your Boss and Co-Workers
If you do want to be promoted at work and are looking for some tips on how to get there, then one of the things that you can do is ask your boss or coworkers what they think. You never know what kind of advice that others might have for helping you out with this process so don’t miss out by not asking! It can be something as simple as asking them what you could do differently to get ahead since this gives the person a chance to reflect on your performance.
If you’re a motivated, proactive person who wants to do more than just go through the motions at work, then the steps above will surely get you promoted at work! Implement any of them and see how these benefit your career. You’ll be surprised by all that can happen in the long run rendering all your efforts worth it.
9. Cultivate Your Professional Brand
Everyone has a professional brand at work, whether they are particularly conscious of it or not. An important strategy for getting promoted is to cultivate a positive brand message. You want to present yourself as professional and definitely leadership material.
I’ve written on this topic before and came up with a long list of tips for how to look more professional at work. Some of the best ones are to: communicate clearly, project confidence, be prepared to lead, undertake professional development, and do more than expected.