It’s a bold thing to ask for a promotion. However, with regular pay increasing by 7.2% from February to April 2023, it’s likely that there’s opportunities on the table. If you’re eager to sink your teeth into a new challenge and benefit from an increase in salary, you’ll want to know how to get a promotion. We’re going to share some advice with you which might help you on your journey to the top of the career ladder.
Why Do You Want A Promotion?
Before you start working towards getting that promotion, consider why you want it. When you get to the stage of negotiating with higher up, they’ll want to know your motivations. Different industries will have different expectations of their employees, so it’s a good idea for you to make sure that your reason for wanting a promotion aligns with your company’s values. Here’s a few examples which might help you understand what we mean by this:
· Sales-driven roles may be more likely to appease financial motivations
· Technology roles may be more likely to promote those who want to learn a new skill
· Service roles may want to promote those who can commit more hours and flexibility
· Manual labour roles might look to promote those who want more responsibility
Of course, these examples are a general rule of thumb and should not be taken as gospel. However, it does show that not all incentives are equal. Consider what your company might value the most and use that to your advantage.
Take A Look At Those Before You
If the company you work for has been established for a while, you may have seen a few people be promoted already. This could allow you to get one step ahead, by analysing their career paths and what might have led them there. What circumstances surrounded the last person who got promoted? Did they take on a new skill or responsibility? Offer to do overtime? Are they a central point of the team who your coworkers trust? If any of the traits they showed are things you can adopt yourself, make it a priority to do that.
Stand Out
Those who get promotions often go above and beyond. This behaviour often stands out among the rest, meaning that those individuals stand out to their managers. It makes sense that those who commit more to their job are given more rewards. Therefore, if you want a promotion you should make it your mission to support and outperform your coworkers. That’s not to say that you should engage in sneaky or malicious behaviour, as that will certainly work against you. You should stand out because your own performance shines, not because you’ve had a negative impact on others.
Talk To Your Manager
There’s a saying that goes ‘you don’t ask if you don’t get’, and promotions are often a good example of this. Make sure that your manager knows your ambitions. They’ll be able to explain what’s expected of you to achieve a promotion, and could even give you the push you need to get there.
With that being said, you shouldn’t really demand a promotion. The best way to approach this conversation is with curiosity. Ask your boss what would be expected of you to achieve a higher position. Set yourself targets based on their answer, and don’t be afraid to ask your manager for help. Showing some initiative is a good thing, and learning some new skills will be really useful when it’s time to step into your new role.
Find A New Job
Finding a new job really should be seen as a last resort. However, there will be some circumstances where it’s the only way to progress your career. Some companies simply won’t have the capacity to promote. There could be limitations with budget, training or multiple people going after the same position. If you know that the chances of you getting a promotion are slim to none, it may be time to look elsewhere.
When it does come to finding a new job, make sure that you fill your CV with all of the skills and experience that you have. You may have been able to prove yourself to your current employer, but proving yourself worthy of a higher position to a totally new manager will probably be much harder. Accept that you might need to take a lower offer to get a foot in the door, with vision to get promoted once you’ve proven yourself.