So you have been at your job for a while and you are great at what you do and now you feel that it is time to go for that promotion at work. Whether applying for a promotion within the public or private sector, use these tips below, to ensure you don’t get overlooked.
Are you working in an organisation where promotion is a possibility?
The first question you have to ask yourself is whether there is scope for promotion within your current organisation. If you work for a small organisation where realistically there are no opportunities to take on greater responsibilities (as opposed to getting a pay rise), then you need to consider looking outside of your current workplace for new career opportunities.
Get the right attitude
Have you got ‘fire in your belly’, or passion for what you do? Or do you think the employer simply owes you a promotion, regardless of your attitude. If you want to get a promotion, make sure you show zest and passion for what you do. And don’t forget, – there is nothing more off putting, than the entitlement mentality, namely, ‘what can you do for me’, without any consideration as to what you can actually do for the employer (or your potential return on investment (ROI) for the employer).
Become a good self promoter
When I’m talking about self promotion, I’m not talking about ‘big noting yourself, or alienating others at work through nauseating bragging. I’m talking about taking the opportunity to ensure that you get credit and recognition for your work, including ensuring that your work is recognised by the managers that will be making the final decision to promote you or not.
This includes ensuring that other workers don’t steal credit for all your hard work and by ensuring that your boss, is clear of your contributions within the team.
Seek out professional development opportunities
Seek out professional development opportunities and take on new projects and tasks (including volunteering and taking acting positions at a higher level). Not only will this demonstrate your enthusiasm, but it will provide you with new skills, experience and knowledge required to climb up the corporate ladder.
Take advantage of your performance reviews
Use your performance review, as an opportunity to highlight what you have achieved and ensure that this is acknowledged in writing by your manager. Not only will this reinforce what benefits you bring to the organisations, but it also provides additional written support to support and justify a promotion. You can also use written performance reviews, to insert into your responses to selection criteria if applying for a position within the public service sector.
In addition, use your performance review, as an opportunity to make your career objectives known to the relevant manager.
Get a good senior mentor that (ultimately) can influence decision makers
A good mentor can help accelerate your progress within the workplace by providing appropriate support and guidance, so you can progress up the ranks. They can sometimes also act as an active supporter of your aspirations within the workplace and help influence decision makers, if your mentor is well respected and in a position of power within your workplace.
Be a people’s person and understand the politics
Strong interpersonal skills are vital to ensuring your promotion. People like to work with people that they like and respect, not a workplace bully, or someone that plays office politics to the detriment of other individuals or the organisation as a whole. No matter how you perform, if you are a political animal, or play games, you might sabotage your chances of promotion.
You also need to understand the politics of a place, particularly at the senior level. While you might be the ideal candidate the office politics might be working against you. Remember most office politics is part of a dysfunctional human behaviour centred in self interest, or rather what is in it for me. It is used to obtain promotions (self interest), to put other people down (self interest), to get your own way (self interest). Such self interest can be destructive to an organisation, as it destroys work place concepts of honesty, integrity, the building of cohesive relationships and a willingness to work with others (not against others). Office politics can also reduce organisational productivity and adversely affect morale. It can also reduce your changes of a promotion, so be aware of it and counter it by using the principles of influence.
Set goals and achieve them
Employers like people who are achievers and perform. So take action and accomplish what you set out to achieve.
Create a top-notch application for a government promotion
Within government, the selection process is such that you need to provide demonstrable evidence that you are the best person for the job (even if you have been acting in the position for an extended length of time). It is therefore essential that you develop a top-notch application so panel members cannot overlook your application.
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