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How to get promoted
 Get promoted - very few of us are doing the same job, in the same way, at the same level that we did a few years ago. As we gain experience, the trust of our customers, employers and colleagues, perhaps more qualifications in a given field, or the technology or processes we use change, so we move on in our careers too, usually, by getting promoted.
Sometimes that career progression is structured for us by our employers. It is very common throughout the professions, the armed forces and in many public sector jobs, but most of us have less well defined paths to follow.
So, how do you get promoted? Can you get promoted where you are now, or might you need to move to another organisation? Can you leave it to chance? Do all good things come to those who wait or should you be more proactive?
Why do you want promotion? What are you prepared to do?
Of course, the first question actually really needs to be 'why?' should you seek advancement or be promoted. Lots of people don't have the ambition or desire to get promoted in the traditional sense and, as long as they have good reasons for that, they shouldn't feel bad about it or respond to emotional blackmail from friends, family or colleagues.
We've probably all met plenty of people who have been, for example, great teachers who've felt pressured to become Heads of Depts or Head Teachers and they've really hated it because it took them away from what they loved the most - teaching students. There are great salespeople who've hated being team leaders, great programmers who didn't want to run projects and so the list could go on.
What's your motivation?
Promotion is usually accompanied by new responsibilities, accountabilities, tasks and challenges, so it is important that you understand what they might be, and that you are committed to doing whatever it takes to travel the new road ahead. If all that matters is the money or the perceived kudos of the progression, that may not be enough to sustain you, and it may also not be enough for the people who depend on you to make a success of your new role.
Renowned behaviouralist, Abraham Maslow, maintained that we are motivated and driven by a complex set of needs in our lives - our need for food, warmth, shelter and safety, love, self-esteem and personal fulufilment. We have adapted his theory in the context of career development into a model called 'The 7 P's'. Maybe you could use it to provoke some thoughts about which combination of needs are driving you in the short or long term?
| Davies' '7 P's' Model of Career Development | | Motivator | Notes | | 1. Promotion | Getting one promotion and then being able to advertise that on our CV, can lead to another promotion. Several promotions may be required to actually achieve our ultimate goals. A promotion becomes a means to end. Is the path in your chosen field clearly laid out, or do you need to create one for yourself? | | 2. Praise | Most people like to be told what a good job they are doing and to feel valued and appreciated. Being promoted can be a powerful affirmation of that value. Some people have a much greater need for this than others. How well do you know yourself and your need for praise? How far does this drive you? | | 3. Popularity | Getting promoted can make you popular with some people (like your parents or your spouse) and unpopular with others (former colleagues, friends, people who may be jealous and resentful of your success). Can you handle that pressure? Do you want the promotion for yourself or for others? | | 4. Prestige | This doesn’t always mean having more perks or a better office (though most people wouldn’t say no to the trappings of elevated status at work), sometimes people want to win awards and prizes perhaps in sales or for academic breakthroughs or creative achievements. Will getting promoted fulfil your need to achieve and attract the plaudits you crave. Will moving to another firm or a better job, maybe both, help you to achieve your goals? | | 5. Productivity | Will getting promoted allow you to do more? Are you bored and unfulfilled in your current role, location or with your current employer? Will moving to pastures new gain you access to better tools, training and facilities to fulfil your need for greater productivity. Will you do less commuting and have more time for leisure and family? | | 6. Pay | You may be so poorly rewarded in your current role that you just can’t make ends meet, or perhaps you want to start a family or buy a better home which will require extra money. Just be careful that you don’t accept a promotion that gives you more cash, but leaves you impoverished in another way that you may find unacceptable i.e. never having time for your family, friends or leisure pursuits. | | 7. Protection | Will promotion protect you from redundancy? Very rarely, but it may make it easier for you to get another job somewhere else. More experience and a healthy track record of success improves your employability but you must be prepared to move with the times.
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Why should anyone promote you? What's your personal brand? - Now you are focussed on why you want to get ahead, start thinking about what you have to offer
- Think hard about your own strengths and transferable skills like planning, computer literacy, budgeting etc and start writing them down. They'll be going into your CV later.
- Do you have any unique or specialist skills, or can you offer something in short supply?
- Are you good at something that employers say that they need?
- What are your past achievements and how might they serve you well in your next job?
- Is there a gap in the market or in your current organisation for someone like you?
- Is anyone leaving? Can you fill their shoes?
- What's happening outside your own organisation or in another country?
- Where are there opportunities that will deliver your next move?
- How well thought of are you by your current clients, colleagues or superiors?
- Will they recommend you or block your ambitions? Do you know why?
- Reputation. What is your reputation within your job? What do your colleagues think about you? Are you well-respected? Do people value your technical expertise? What do people think about your personal style?
Key elements for building your personal brand
- Reach: Who knows about you within your profession? How many people would have heard of your name? Have you taken control of your personal reach by networking?
- Purpose: Do you have a work purpose? What do you personally add to the job you do?
- Presence: Do you have presence? Do people remember you? How do you make other people feel special and important? What impact do you have on the people you work with?
- Passion: When you think about what you do for a living and building your personal brand, do you feel motivated and excited? Are you proud of what you do? Do you talk passionately about your career? Does your energy for what you do inspire other people to buy into your ideas?
- Focus: What have you focused on to-date within your career? What have you achieved? How did you personally deliver within your job and role?
- Persistence: This is the really, really crucial point. Do you have staying power? Do you make a consistent and concerted effort within your job?
Now you are focussed on why you want to get ahead, start thinking about what have to offer
How will you get promoted?
Having sorted out why, and what you have to offer, it becomes much easier to think about how you are going to achieve your goals. At this point you need a plan of action, however simple, and a way of marketing yourself.
- Do you need more qualifications to get your promotion? Where can you get them? How long will it take? How much will it cost? Can you get your current or a future employer to help you with study leave or funding?
- Does your Boss or Human Resources specialist or do any Headhunters know what your ambitions are? Think about who could help you to move on and start cultivating them so that they can. Do some networking.
- If you have a regular appraisal system, make sure sure you discuss your future with your Boss but do make sure that they are happy with your current performance beforehand. Conversations about the future have a habit of turning sour if you don't come up to scratch already.
- Have you got your CV ready for action? Get it sorted out as soon as possible, this is your key personal sales brochure.
- Keep your eye out for vacancies internally and externally. Register with recruiters, research the job sites, see what's around.
- Offer to take on 'stretch' projects that will develop and test your skills and get you noticed by the right people.
- Speak at industry events, run a local charity project, write an interesting article for a trade magazine, get your picture in the staff magazine.
- Work hard and at demonstrating that you deserve to be considered for promotion
- Be persistent, if at first you don't suceed, get back in the saddle and try again. Keep trying until you get what you want. Master it, enjoy it and then move on again when you need or want to.
- If an opportunity crops up before you are ready, don't dismiss it out of hand, think creatively about how you can take advantage of it. It might not come up again!
Happy Hunting!
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