The next rung on the career ladder: promotion

For many people at some point in their career, a promotion is the logical next step. The promotion motivates you, your range of responsibilities increases and becomes more exciting and diverse. Furthermore, having more responsibility generally results in a higher salary. Reason enough to strive toward a promotion. Why wait until your boss comes to you? With these tips you can work toward your promotion.

Do you want to be a manager in the future? Then think and act like one now. And this does not mean you should act like you are in a higher position than your colleagues, but rather than you should prove your own abilities. Present your supervisors with solutions rather than problems and position yourself on the hierarchical level that you want to be at in the future. Get involved in the higher departments now and obtain the corresponding knowledge, and the next rung of the career ladder will soon be within your reach.

The first step toward a promotion is to be perceived as competent. Having other people talk about your successes is better than boasting about them yourself. Thus, make sure everyone recognises your potential. Only in this way will you reach the ideal starting position for initial negotiations. Pave the path toward your promotion, draw attention to yourself in your department, and you can be sure that people will talk about it-all the way up the chain.

The fact that your direct supervisor is the key to your promotion does not make things easier. There is no way to avoid an open conversation. Explain your ambitions and show initiative. You might get a chance to work on new projects - even outside of your team - and to distinguish yourself from the masses.

A mentor in the company can provide important services with regard to your promotion. Said person should be above your direct supervisor and encourage you. If you want to get involved on your own, your mentor can coach you and share sage words of advice when you need to make important decisions. Building up a good network in the company is equally important to your promotion. Even colleagues with positions equal to yours are important when it comes to improving yourself. Do you have difficulties when it comes to presentations? Find people who can help you work on it.

If you plan on being promoted in the near future, you should ensure that no unfillable holes are left behind. Start thinking about and preparing a suitable successor early. Otherwise, the certainty of an unfilled position will be the first argument your supervisors have against a promotion.