Getting a promotion is a goal for many professionals, but it's not always easy to achieve. You need to demonstrate your value, skills, and potential to your boss and the organization. But how do you do that without sounding arrogant or pushy? Here are some of the top ways to show you're ready for a promotion and advance your career.
One of the best ways to show you're ready for a promotion is to take on more responsibility in your current role. This means going beyond your assigned tasks and looking for ways to contribute to the team, the department, and the company. For example, you could volunteer to lead a project, mentor a new hire, or suggest a process improvement. Taking on more responsibility shows your initiative, leadership, and commitment to your work.
In my experience asking for a raise at the end of an evaluation period is a bad idea. What historically has worked for me is to begin the process of seeking a raise when you get the job. At the time of onboarding, find out who your evaluator will be. Meet with them and ask, "If you and I were meeting a year from now and you were telling me that I exceeded your expectations, What is it that I would have done?" Write down everything that is said. Make sure that the items that are listed are measurable and ask questions to be sure that you fully understand what they are telling you. You now have your road map for the next year. Understand what the corporate mission is and help them reach their goals.
In my experience, taking on extra responsibilities is not always rewarded with a promotion. Rather, oftentimes, employers take advantage of individuals willing to perform duties outside of their job description. It may be more valuable to exceed expectations within your given job description.
Regardless of your current job title, a promotion usually comes your way when you are already doing the extra work, not when you’re just ready for it. Promotions are about a change for people that are fit for the role, not for people that hope they will be able to do it in future, and nothing shows aptitude than actually doing the job.
Another way to show you're ready for a promotion is to seek feedback and improvement from your boss, your peers, and your customers. Feedback is essential for learning from your mistakes, identifying your strengths, and discovering your areas of improvement. You should ask for feedback regularly, listen to it with an open mind, and act on it accordingly. Seeking feedback and improvement shows your willingness to grow, adapt, and excel in your role.
There is a way to balance both being teachable and being confident. In addition to annual reviews, it may serve you well to seek feedback from superiors or peers in order to make adjustments. You can do this while remaining confident in your performance. Ask yourself if you're willing to grow and learn or if you come across as complacent and therefore stagnant.
Seeking feedback shows signs of growth, but it has another benefit and that is to learn how to give feedback, potentially to the people that are going to fill-in your void when you’d get promoted.
A third way to show you're ready for a promotion is to showcase your achievements and the impact you have made on the organization. You should keep track of your accomplishments, such as completing a project, solving a problem, or increasing a metric. You should also quantify your achievements with numbers, percentages, or testimonials. Showcasing your achievements helps you build your reputation, credibility, and confidence.
I do agree with this. You got to consider your boss’ point of view for this too. How much push back they are going to face by bringing you forward for a promotion? Is your reputation good enough to make it easier on them? Will it make it easier for them or they have to pull rank or call in favors to make it happen? Remember, nobody wants a headache like that. No matter how much you want the promotion, it has to make sense based on your merits to get it.
A fourth way to show you're ready for a promotion is to learn new skills that are relevant to your role, your department, or your industry. Learning new skills shows your curiosity, ambition, and versatility. You can learn new skills by taking online courses, attending workshops, reading books, or joining professional networks. Learning new skills helps you expand your knowledge, improve your performance, and prepare for future challenges.
Learning new skill will show that you are going to fill right in with the new role and most likely won’t need much handholding after you get the job. You’d hit the ground running and that’s very helpful. You might even make it impossible to not getting the promotion if your department lacks that knowledge.
A fifth way to show you're ready for a promotion is to communicate your goals and aspirations to your boss and your colleagues. Communicating your goals shows your enthusiasm, motivation, and alignment with the organization's vision and mission. You should share your short-term and long-term goals, how you plan to achieve them, and how they benefit the organization. Communicating your goals helps you create a dialogue, build rapport, and gain support.
This may not always be easy to do... it depends on the prevailing corporate culture and perhaps more importantly on the type of relationship you have with your manager. If there's trust and you feel safe to share your ambitions with your manager then that's great. It's about leadership really, those in positions of power and influence should create an environment that is safe and supportive.
If your visions are inline with your company’s, and they are not outlandish, it will definitely show you are part of the solution. Most companies rely on visions coming from visionary people in all ranks and will appreciate the input either way.
A sixth way to show you're ready for a promotion is to be a team player and collaborate with others. Being a team player shows your respect, cooperation, and influence. You should support your teammates, share your ideas, listen to others, and resolve conflicts. Being a team player helps you foster a positive work environment, enhance your relationships, and achieve better results.
Be interested in your colleagues and understand them. Understand what they are capable of. What they are aiming to be or want to achieve. And build a positive relationship to get the best out of the team that depends on you and that you depend on. Take an interest in people you work with. Having a great working relationship allows you to understand how you can rely on those around you and how you help others. Be honest and try to help others the best you can. Don’t over promise but try to be realistic. Enjoying the good times with your team is so much better than on your own. And if you need help having trust and understanding with your team allows you to call upon help when it is needed.