The Top Three Things Holding You Back From a Promotion

You're working really hard. Perhaps too hard and you're doing what you believe are the right things in order to advance your career. Yet, here you are. In the very same job where you started. The word frustrated cannot even begin to describe what it feels to be in this position.

In my work as an executive coach and a job search mentor, I've seen this scenario before. Here are three things that I have found that hold people back from getting promoted.

Failure to self-promote. Early on in my career, I daydreamed of receiving calls from headhunters near and far asking me to consider a new opportunity. In retrospect, my time would have been better spent letting my boss and her colleagues know about all the great work I was doing, as my daydreams never did come true.

In today's workplace, there is so much competition for attention. As I wrote in my book, Suddenly in Charge, you've got to pump up the volume and make enough noise so people in the organization know who you are and are aware of what you are accomplishing. You don't want to be obnoxious in promoting yourself, but others in the organization need to know your value and they're not likely to find out unless you make them aware.

Think about one or two things that you are most proud of and be sure to weave these accomplishments into your everyday conversation with your boss and her peers. Don't worry about sounding boastful. People will see you as a person of interest, which is exactly how you want to be seen to ensure you are getting noticed.

Lack of confidence. Imagine you're the boss and you've got to make a decision regarding who to promote into a leadership position. You have one employee who is confident and rarely second guesses herself and you have another employee who is always looking to you for self-validation. If you're like most people, you'd choose the candidate who exudes confidence.

If you're like the candidate with a lot of self-doubt, then you are going to need to work on increasing your confidence levels. This really starts with mindset. You have to believe you are in this job because someone thought you had what it takes to do the job. Otherwise, they would have hired someone else. You also have to believe you are deserving of the promotion you are going after.

You can hire a coach to help you work on boosting your confidence. If that's not in your budget, then consider asking a trusted work colleague to signal you whenever you slide back into your self-doubt behavior. You can also work on increasing your skill level by reading books or taking online courses in areas where improvement is needed.

Not asking for a promotion. It's certainly nice to be tapped on the shoulder and asked to take on more responsibility at work. However, that's not always how promotions occur. Sometimes it's the person who asks for the job who actually gets it.

You may be thinking, "How do I ask for a job that I don't even know is available?" You don't have to ask for a specific promotion. You can simply tell your boss you are interested in taking on more responsibility and that you'd like to be considered for a promotion the next time a position opens up. A reminder every now and again will be helpful as well, to ensure you stay top of mind.

? Matuson Consulting, 2017. All Rights Reserved.

#LinkedInLearning

Simply thinking about your next promotion isn't going to get you one. I'll be conducting a teleconference on September 22nd to help people master the art of Managing Up in the Top Down World of Business, which is critical for career success. Your investment will pay off tenfold, when you receive a raise with your promotion. You can register here. I'll be sending a signed copy of Suddenly in Charge to the first eight people who register.

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People have been reaching out to me, after viewing my new Lynda/LinkedIn Learning courses on Managing Up and Transitioning from Individual Contributor to Manager, asking me how we might work together. Contact me at [email protected] to set up a complimentary call.