Work Wednesday: Landing a Promotion
Top | Pants | Bag c/o | Mules (favorite!) | Sunglasses (under $10) | Earrings c/o | Lips
Photos by LA PHOTOGRAPHY
It is another Work Wednesday post and I am really excited to share this one with you about landing a promotion. Granted I am not in a supervisor, manager, or director type of role but I have been promoted within my area as far as levels and am working towards that next step. I am in an opportunity right now that is known as a job rotation at work. During this role I completely moved groups and am managing projects, and will be here for 18 months. Leadership has always been on my mind as an aspiration since I started working. Throughout my life I have been president in different organizations whether they were in high school or in my sorority. I really enjoyed being in this type of role and not only managing and leading people, but mentoring them as well. There are lots of different promotions within the work force and not all of them involve having to be a manager and start actually managing people. You could be the most technical person ever and always want to do that, and land a promotion and therefore become an expert in your field. I think it is really important to always try your best and put your best foot forward on a daily basis. You always want to exceed and go beyond what is expected of you. These tips below are things I have learned and are currently trying to implement in order to land that next promotion.
How to Land a Promotion
- Network, Network Network: I wrote a whole post about networking recently and I really think it makes a difference. We can get so consumed in our own little group that we do not even expand our horizons to other ideas or to other people in other groups. I think this is so important. You should try to attend every networking event you can go to. This can sometimes be a little challenging, but I assure you it is well worth it. Making connections across different business units and talking with them on a regular basis can lead to all sorts of opportunities.
- Take Initiative: A great leader always does more than what is expected, and does not wait until told to complete something. Do your work well, but also go over and beyond. We all have our usual job responsibilities, but taking initiative to help someone on a new project or give advice will go a long way as well. It is small gestures like these that really do make a difference in your career.
- Speak Up: This is one tip that can be a little challenging and nerve-wracking as well. If you see something that is not right, something that needs to be changed, a concern you might have, or even where you are going within your current job position, then please speak up. If you do not voice your thoughts then a lot of time you will go unheard, and this can be a deciding factor in a promotion as well. I think feeling comfortable and voicing your opinions in a professional manner is key to your career success.
- Work on Your Development Plan: A development plan that you create and can expand upon is essential in evaluating yourself and improving yourself for a promotion. You need to think about what you want 1 year-5 years from now and how do you get there. It is imperative to really evaluate yourself and take a step back and look at your strengths and weaknesses across different areas. These could change year by year and by department, but having goals and working towards increasing your strengths will help.
- Be Innovative: I am partial to this tip because I am part of an innovation build out right now, but I think it helps you in your career. It is important to think in this manner and think outside of the box. If your team is doing one thing and has been doing that same thing for years, bringing in a different view or idea could be great for this team. A lot of employees only do what is expected of them every day and that is it. If you go the extra mile and think of ways on how you could make not only your job, team, but the company more efficient, this will be a huge benefit. If you are bringing in new ideas and opportunities then this will make you stand out from others.
- Demonstrate Leadership: Something that I have done in the last couple of years is volunteering to be a leader and representing my organization through various activities. This could be a co-captain for one of your company’s charities through a campaign or any other event where you are demonstrating leadership skills. Even though I hate to speak sometimes in front of large crowds, this helps your leadership skills. This gives you lots of experience and you never know what type of connections you will make in participating in these type of events.
- Discuss Your Ambitions: I would recommend discussing your ambitions regularly with leadership. This does not necessarily have to be your own manager, and I would honestly extend it to senior leadership and others outside of your area. This would be a great time to discuss your development plan and goals with them and get their opinion. If you have been doing all of these tips above as well, then you are already going to be on leadership’s radar. The key is to have that open communication, no matter what their ranking is. It is super beneficial to have these discussions several times a year to make sure you are staying on track.
I hope you enjoyed these tips for ways to land a promotion. It all comes down to your attitude, initiative, communication and forming lasting relationships. These are some of the most important tips that will really work within any industry. I could continue on with tips on this topic, but thought I would highlight just a few. If you haven’t seen my other tips for cubicle etiquette and networking tips, be sure to check those out. As always let me know what else you would like to see for the next work series.
22 Comments
Such a helpful post and killer pants!!!
Thank you girl!
Great tips and great pants! They look so comfy!
They are girl! Gotta love palazzo pants
Congrats on your promotion sweet girl! You deserve it!
Greta | http://www.gretahollar.com
Thank you girl!
Great tips!! I really believe in “speaking up,” too! P.S. You look great!
Yes, if you don’t speak up people will never know 🙂
Such great tips! Congrats girl! You deserve it! xoxo
You are too sweet!
Great tips and your outfit is really cute!
Thank you girl 🙂
These pants are so fab on you! Thanks for sharing these tups!
Thank you girl! Hope they are useful
Congrats girl! I couldn’t agree with the networking tip more!
xx,
Lacey//The Glitter Gospel
Thank you! Yes networking is the best 🙂
Yay congrats babe!! I love those pants btw!
Thank you girl! Yes, they are so comfy too
SUCH a great post and so many great tips!! Totally agree on taking the initiative and being vocal about your desires and plan… so important! Communication is such a key to success.
Thank you! Yes, I would say communication is my number one tip
Ah Brittany I LOVE this look! And I love seeing the bright & sunny pictures of Houston. What I would give to see that again right now. Hope you are staying safe & dry!
xo,
Alice
I know it breaks my heart but hopefully it will come back soon!