Getting promoted at work is a dream most of us would have. Whether it’s the money, the increased responsibility, the change in role, the better office or anything else – there’s a lot of things that motivate us to aim for the next position up. Here are some tips on how to get a promotion at work
1. Know Where You Want To Get A Promotion
It’s good to realise that you want to get promoted at work, but it’s important to know what you’re getting promoted to.
Is it really where you want to go? Does it fit into your long term plan? Will you enjoy the job? The money or better view from the window might seem like enough at first, but if you don’t enjoy the job then it might not be worth getting.
Is it a position within your team or department, or is it in another area? This is something to consider as well, because different teams might operate in a different way and do things differently.
If you’re looking to become a technical team leader for a software development team, you might need to move into a different area to do this, which may or may not suit your life or work arrangements at the moment.
2. Learn What The Promotion At Work Involves
One of the first steps on how to get a promotion at work is to learn what the position actually involves.
The title of Network General Manager may seem straight-forward to you, but if you don’t know what it involves then you won’t be able to do the job as well as you need to.
Ask other people what their job involves, if they are in this position or know about it.
Keep track of who is in this position and what their daily activities involve. Learn who they report to and what their obligations are. The more you know about a position, the better chance you have of getting promoted.
3. Dress For The Promotion, Not Your Current Position
People in different positions dress differently – it’s a fact of working life.
Senior managers most likely don’t dress the same as junior staff.
A good way of standing out and getting ready for a promotion is to dress as though you had the promoted position. This has the advantage of letting others see you dressed in a different role, which will get them familiar with this and the idea of you actually being in that role.
4. Speak To Other People On How To Get A Promotion
Other people in your company are a great source of information on positions. You don’t have to be direct or sneaky about it, you can just ask questions such as:
- “What does that role involve?”
- “How do you get to become a team leader/manager/other position?”
- “What kind of experience would you need for that role?”
Employees can be helpful if you ask them for information like this on a role. They may even offer you suggestions or tips on specific roles, or information on any similar roles that may be available.
5. Be Outstanding At Your Current Job
Arguably the main factor in how to get a promotion at work is how well you do your current job.
If you can’t do your current job very well, why would the company ask you to do an even more senior or advanced job? If you can prove that you’re hard working, organised, diligent and experienced for your role, the company will notice you when a position opens up for a promotion.
Other employees will notice your work ethic and may even put in a good word for your promotion!
Your manager, if they are the one that is vacating and leaving an open position, might even request that you are the one to take over their position.
The main point here is that you need to be amazing at your current role to have the best chance – that’s how to get a promotion at work!
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