Getting a promotion is not only great as a boost to your income, but also for your sense of job satisfaction. Being able to take on more responsibility, variety and new challenges within your organisation will help you gain a greater sense of job satisfaction. It will also serve as a next step in your personal and career development.
Here are 3 steps to getting a promotion:
1. Go above and beyond
Getting a promotion generally won’t happen if you have a fixed ‘9 to 5’ mentality towards your work. That is, if you’re in the door at 9am sharp and out the door by 5pm no matter what the circumstances.
Sure, you don’t need to work excessive or even regular overtime to get a promotion, but being able to show your manager that you’re willing to put your hand up to work overtime whenever the circumstances call for it will demonstrate that you’re a reliable, motivated employee. This, in turn, will also put you in a far better position to get a promotion should the opportunity arise.
Similarly, if you’re strict about only doing what your job description stipulates as your tasks, then you’re also not likely to get a promotion. Again, while you don’t need to go completely out of the scope of your role to get a promotion, showing that you’re flexible and can roll your sleeves up to do other tasks when needed (and that you can even proactively seek out tasks to help achieve organisational goals) will demonstrate to your employer that you’re flexible, proactive and willing to go the extra mile.
Going above and beyond when it comes to your role and your investment in your organisation will put you firmly on your employer’s radar when it comes to job promotions.
2. Look for and seek out opportunities
Keep an eye out on your organisation’s internal job board and via their social channels for any job opportunities you feel you’d be well-suited for and will help you take the next step in your career within the organisation. Be realistic – look for opportunities where, if you reached interview stage, you’d be able to back yourself up with evidence that you can successfully perform the role.
Also, in many cases, organisations won’t actively advertise a role they don’t realise they need. Sometimes, it’s worth pointing out any gaps in resources you feel could be filled to make your organisation more efficient, or to better-manage your department’s workload. Speak to your manager about these, and suggest possible solutions.
If you feel you’d be suited to fill a resource gap, then mention that too. Your manager will appreciate you identifying and raising these gaps, and you’ll likely be rewarded by being offered a role to fill that gap in the process.
3. Get qualified
Further developing your knowledge and skills within your industry will undoubtedly play a key role in whether you are offered a promotion within your organisation. By proactively getting a qualification in your area of expertise, you’re showing your employer that you’re motivated and engaged enough to not only want to be better at what you do, but also to further your career within the organisation.
Showing this level of commitment to your career development by getting a qualification will give your employer confidence that you have both the knowledge and skills to successfully perform the role they’re looking to fill, as well as the motivation to excel in it.
The University of Hull Online offers 100% online masters degrees that you can manage alongside your work commitments and can help you expand your career opportunities: