7 Ways to Get Promoted at Work

Climbing the Corporate Ladder

Whether it’s the desire to secure a better salary, gain more responsibilities or receive recognition for your hard work, you’ve probably arrived at a point in your career whereby you hope to get a promotion.

While a promotion promises one or more of these aforementioned benefits, ascending to the next rung on the corporate ladder won’t be an easy step: you have to prove to your employer that you are more than capable of taking on a new title and the obligations that come with it.

Essential Steps

Here are seven ways to get promoted at work:

1. Speak To Your Supervisor

Your supervisor may not be aware of your ambition to be put on the fast track for a promotion. Politely approach your supervisor and ask them about taking on a bigger role. They might not award you with a promotion immediately, but they can advise you about the measures you can take, eg. skills/qualifications you need to develop, what changes you should incorporate in your work habits, etc. Making them aware will also show how determined and ambitious you are.

2. Show Your Mettle

Effective employees are mostly flexible, resilient and keep cool under pressure. They tend to cope better in high-stress situations, maintain focus, and look for ways to solve problems and assist others where they can.

It’s important to build resilience by establishing goals, taking action in order to achieve them, and embracing changes as they come, all the while maintaining a positive attitude. You can do this by volunteering to take on extra tasks or working overtime.

3. Be Social

It’s crucial to develop and maintain strong relationships with members of your team and the company at large. They’re the people whom you can bounce ideas off of, they make the workday pleasant, and they’re also fun to spend time after hours. Be kind and respectful in your interactions, ask for their input now and again, and offer to help them on assignments. This shows your colleagues that you are approachable and accommodating; as such, they will vouch for you when you’re being considered for a promotion.

4. Show Humility

There’s little wrong with taking pride in your hard work, but nothing overshadows this more than a big ego. This is especially true if you refuse to take accountability for your actions should you happen to slip up. Don’t let your arrogance get the better of you: hectoring your colleagues about your strengths and their weaknesses, rather than uplifting them and seeing value in them, will make you appear conceited and childish in the eyes of your employer.

Instead, learn to listen to and apply constructive criticism, acknowledge your mistakes, ask questions if you’re unsure about something, and view your mistakes as learning opportunities. Ultimately, your employer will recognise your modesty as a sign of maturity and competence.

5. Improve Your Skillset

The specific position you’re hoping to be promoted to may require an appropriate skillset. These can be a combination of hard skills (skills gained either through training, school and/or work experiences) or soft skills (non-technical/interpersonal skills gained from life experiences). If additional skills are required, strongly consider enrolling yourself in courses online, at night-school, etc. These will boost your chances to be promoted to that position.

6. Develop and Demonstrate Your Problem-solving Skills

When an issue arises, it’s not always up to someone else to resolve it for you. On the journey towards a promotion, you need to show initiative and be able to come up with effective solutions. Developing problem-solving skills can be done by playing logic- or strategy-based puzzles and games such as chess or Sudoku, engaging in activities such as dancing or playing sports, or participating in mindfulness exercises such as meditation and yoga.

Once you’ve accrued these skills, now it’s time to demonstrate them: first, identify and understand the issue; determine its cause; work out multiple solutions before narrowing it down to the most effective one; plan on how you’re going to apply it; test it, and then review the results. As more issues arise, you will be able to exercise and strengthen these skills.

7. Give Yourself a Break

Working overtime and taking on extra tasks are all well and good, but working longer hours and over-committing to various projects can take a huge toll on your physical and mental well-being. Burnout can decrease your productivity, which could have negative consequences on your output, such as putting together an ill-planned project. Don’t spread yourself too thin – at the end of the day, it’s not worth risking your health or your career growth.

Happy Climbing!

These steps merely lay the groundwork for your journey towards getting a promotion. In the end, you need to put in the right amount of work and be determined in order to fulfil your ambitions. Remember to keep looking up and never lose sight of that rung – it’s within reach, so be prepared to grab it with a strong hand!