4 Tips to Help You Get Promoted This Year
Being proactive about your career ambitions is crucial. Specifically, if you’re aiming for a promotion in the coming year, there are several things to do in laying the groundwork to convince your superior that a promotion makes sense.
It’s advisable to set up a meeting with your boss to clarify your performance and compensation months before you even anticipate the promotion. There are several things to do before this meeting, so you present your best case and your boss sees the request as valid rather than untimely.
Maintain consistent professionalism
Anyone aspiring to get a promotion should exemplify the standards of such a promotion in their actions, language and attire. While it’s easy enough to feign adoration for your boss, characteristics of gravitas are more enduring and difficult to fake. Specifically, well beyond admiration, one should express maturity, wisdom, thoughtfulness and seriousness in their actions. You can also exhibit this by avoiding certain pitfalls, like gossiping, interrupting others, being routinely tardy and seeming unprepared.
Additionally, embrace discourse as a means to expand your knowledge. Know when to listen and when to speak. A willingness to ask questions shows a desire to learn constantly. Most bosses want the person receiving a promotion to be one with a constant thirst for knowledge and ambition. In general, maintain professionalism and show genuine enthusiasm for your co-workers and the task at hand. Otherwise, the promotion may go elsewhere.
Make your expectations reasonable
Some people underestimate their roles when it comes to asking for a raise, while others overestimate their contributions. As a result, it’s worth digging into your work for the company thus far in an unbiased manner. Speak with your boss and clarify your expectations and top priorities, while asking yourself how you have met them.
Additionally, in the months before asking for a raise, communicate the details of your assignments with your boss, as well as the time required to address them, so they know what’s on your plate. You may have more going on than they anticipate, which makes a raise more realistic.
Automate reminders
Technology makes no excuse for forgetfulness. Missing a meeting or client call is unacceptable when it’s easy to set a reminder on your phone or digital calendar. A promotion will entail even more responsibility and work, so if your boss and co-workers see you frequently stumbling over addressing your tasks now, it’s unlikely they will deem you ready for a promotion. If you find yourself missing deadlines or meetings, get on top of your schedule immediately with reminder apps and show consistency in meeting those tasks before considering requesting a promotion.
Learn from mistakes
Any long-term employee who labels themselves as faultless with their work is lying. Mistakes are imminent when you spend many hours each day addressing complex responsibilities. What’s important is how you learn from these mistakes, especially since your boss is likely aware of them. When your boss sees you constantly improving and learning from mistakes, they are likelier to be confident in how you handle the additional stress of a promotion.
These four tips can help increase the likelihood of promotion this year, regardless of your industry. Professionalism, promptness and courtesy go a long way in establishing one as ready for promotion.
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About the Author Nathan Sykes
Nathan Sykes writes about business and technology online. To read more from Nathan, check out his blog Finding an Outlet.
