How to get a Job Promotion
Strategies for Getting Promoted
Dedication and positive attitude
Current status: Freelancer, intern, part-timer or temporary
Next step: entry-level staff position
At this point, attitude is everything. There’s a benefit to being so low on the totem pole - no one expects you to be an expert, so the accomplishments you achieve through your dedication and positive attitude will surprise them at every turn. If you want a full-time job, swallow your pride and do everything your boss asks -even if you think it’s beneath you. Whether it’s fetching coffee, making 100 photocopies or buying feminine hygiene products, do it with a smile and as quickly as possible.
Clue in quickly
Current status: entry-level staff position/assistant
Next step: mid-level job/associate
Doing the job with a smile isn’t enough anymore. Now the boss is watching to see if you’re a quick study, batting home runs on every assignment and contributing fresh ideas.
Be a people-problem solver
Current status: Mid-level associate
Next step: Department head or supervisor
The boss wants to know whether you have the right stuff to run an entire department. In other words, do you have interpersonal skills - the ability to train, motivate and manage people? Can you organize work flow by taking a prime project from start to finish, sticking to a budget and meeting deadlines? You’re locked in a catch-22: How do you prove you’re a natural-born leader when your current job doesn’t allow you to manage people, budgets or mega projects?
One way is to get leadership experience on your own time. Organize the company’s bowling tournament or annual dinner, chair the publicity committee for a local charity or recruit employees to tutor at a school. To enhance your image with your boss, mention your activities in conversation or explain in a memo what you’re doing to get the goods to become a supervisor.
Think-and talk-big
Current status: Supervisor
Next step: Manager and beyond
Can you look beyond your department to see where the company’s headed? Do you have an idea that will take the business in new and profitable directions? In management, you can’t simply implement other peoples ideas. You also must be an innovator who presents creative ideas and solutions to business problems. Ask around to learn what it took for people in super-high places to get there - and use those ideas as models for developing creative strategies. Never forget that building a career is a social activity. Through schmoozing with people in your industry, you’ll gain knowledge and perspective on how your department fits into the bigger picture. You’ll also form contacts that help you take on projects outside your area, so you can gain a broader perspective on how your company works. That broader view can lay the foundation for the groundbreaking ideas you’ll need to succeed.
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