Getting a promotion is a momentous career milestone.
Getting promoted would mean a higher salary, an impressive new title, and exciting, new responsibilities. But the actual process of getting a promotion seems so elusive. How do you get promoted? Who do you have to impress? And what do you have to do to get noticed?
While getting a job promotion might feel like a mystery, there are concrete steps you can take to earn that promotion. The important thing is to start preparing now.
Like a lot of career goals, a promotion requires hard work, effort, and making progress over time. But, by planning out your steps, and creating a well-thought out plan in advance, you’ll put yourself in the running for a well-deserved promotion. Use our strategies and tips below to reach your career goals and get promoted.
Know what your organization's goals are
Career goals are important for your professional development. But it’s not enough to pursue your own goals. When it comes to getting a promotion, you also need to get clear on what your office’s goals and priorities are.
Your work should always be in service of the overarching goals of your company or organization. So if your boss wants to get X number clients by the end of the quarter, you need to help them accomplish that goal. Or if your boss wants to make community engagement a priority, then you need to put that on the top of your list as well, and make sure that your daily, weekly, and monthly goals are in service of this overarching goal.
Knowing what your office’s goals are ensures that you’ll always be on the right track. And when you work with the company’s goals in mind, you will inevitably be seen as someone who can advance the company’s mission, and, therefore, someone who is indispensable to the organization.
Pick 2-3 people whose career you admire
Want to get promoted? Then take a look at who’s already ahead of you.
We know that the comparison trap is something you don’t want to fall into, but what if we told you that, sometimes, comparison can be a good thing? When used productively, comparison can be a tool for motivation. Take for instance, runners in a race.
They say that some runners perform better in a race when they’re running from behind.
When you run from behind, you can keep your eye on the runner at the head of the pack. The leader of the pack gives you a frame of reference, and this can teach you how to pace yourself and also motivate you to keep up with them or even run faster.
This running strategy can also translate to an office setting. By picking 2-3 people who are already where you want to be, you can determine what steps you need to take to get where they are.
Look at their career trajectory and take note of the steps they took to get to their current role. So if they managed a small team before getting their promotion, then you’ll know to get some management experience under your belt. Or if they took courses in video production or public speaking, then you’ll need to develop those skills as well.
And ask the people you admire out to coffee or lunch. They’re not so high up in the organization that they’re too busy to meet with you. And they’ll be able to offer you relevant advice because it wasn’t so long ago when they were in your exact same position.
When meeting with the people you admire, ask them what it took to get their role and how they accomplished their goals. When you hear their success stories, you’ll be inspired to create your own success.
Design a learning plan for yourself
In order to progress in your career, and ultimately get promoted, you need to be developing your skills and expertise. To ensure that you’re always learning and growing, create a learning plan for yourself.
First, ask yourself: What skills do I need to get promoted? And what can I do in 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days to develop these skills?
Then, make a list of all the things you can do to learn these skills.
Examples:
- Volunteering at an organization to develop your leadership skills.
- Starting a side hustle to gain experience in marketing and product launching.
- Taking classes in graphic design or writing/editing.
- Signing up for storytelling and improv classes to improve my public speaking.
Commit to one of these things and make sure that you’re doing something every week and month to learn this skill. And make sure to check-in with your progress after 30, 60, and 90 days. Did you take a class? Did you volunteer like you said you would? These check-ins ensure accountability and that you are staying committed to your learning plan.
Be comfortable with tooting your own horn
In a perfect world, the higher ups at your office would notice the effort you’re putting into your work and offer you a promotion without you even asking for one.
But, people are busy with their own work. If you want to get noticed, you have to help them see all the good work you’re doing. You have to promote your work.
Not everyone is comfortable with promoting themselves. And you might feel awkward about boasting about your work. But if you come at it from a place of “Hey, here’s this cool thing I learned this week” then it will feel easier to share.
It’s also easier to share news about your work if you use it to highlight the incredible work of your team members. You don’t have to put the spotlight on yourself, and you can spread the recognition around. Win, win.
Here are some ways you can share your work and toot your own horn:
- Share behind-the-scenes moments of your work or current projects on social media or on LinkedIn.
- Write a regular newsletter about your work. You can write about recent challenges you’ve had and how you found solutions for them. Or give updates on new skills you’ve learned or tools that you’re using. Or, write about a specific subject matter to be seen as an expert in this field.
- At one-on-one meetings with your boss, always provide updates on the project you’re working on–even the challenges you’ve encountered– so that you are seen as someone who knows how to manage projects and overcome obstacles.
By implementing this strategy, you will build the skills and resources you need to get noticed at work and increase your chances of getting promoted.
Written by JiJi Lee
