How to get a promotion?
A job promotion advances an employee to a position with more challenging and complex responsibilities, a higher salary, and often a more rewarding and fulfilling career.
A strong work ethic, experience, and the right skills are standard requirements to earn a promotion, but there are other steps you can take. If you want to move up the corporate ladder, keep reading to learn tips for why, when, and how to earn a promotion.
Why ask for a promotion?
You’ve taken on a heavier workload – If you’re doing more work than what’s typical for your current position, you might be qualified for a promotion before you ask for a promotion question if this workload is sustainable for you. A promotion likely means you’ll continue working at this pace, so be sure you aren’t getting burnt out.
Your responsibilities have become more complex – Along with a heavier workload, are your tasks becoming more challenging? Check to see how these new responsibilities differ from your original job description.
You’ve reached your full potential – Are you bored at work? You will have achieved all your goals and then some at some point. If you feel you have developed all you can in this role, it’s probably time to ask for a promotion.
Don’t ask for a promotion when
The company is in a bad spot financially. Even if you’re deserving of a promotion, your request will most likely be denied due to finances.
Your motivation is a pay raise. In terms of promotions, financial gain should not be your motive. While promotions typically come with a salary bump, it also means more responsibility is added to your workload. However, if you feel you aren’t being compensated fairly, you can ask for a raise, but be warned you’ll still be required to prove yourself.
How to ask for a promotion
Inquire about future promotions
Instead of just asking for a promotion, ask what it will take to get one. Depending on your boss’s response, you might realize you actually aren’t quite ready. Discuss this with your supervisor if your goal is to reach a particular position. Your boss can provide invaluable feedback to help you identify your strengths and areas that need improving. You can create an action plan and work towards a future promotion with this information. With your boss aware of your goals and career plan, they’ll already have you in mind when your time comes.
Be prepared to defend your case
Don’t ask for a promotion just because you’ve been with the company for X amount of years. Seniority can help, but it doesn’t mean anything if you can’t prove yourself as a company asset. Collecting performance reviews and feedback from supervisors is one piece of evidence that can help build your case. Using these performance reviews, you can discuss areas and skills you’ve improved and mention what actions you’re currently taking to develop your career further. Provide data from specific projects and past work to prove your work ethic. Knowing how to quantify your value will go a long way when asking for a promotion.
Add value
How are you contributing to the company’s value? What can you do to add more value? Making a conscious effort to give value is a great way to get noticed and land that promotion.
Increase your value through upskilling, finding opportunities for career development,
Look at other people who’ve earned promotions
Think about colleagues who earned promotions. Look for common attributes and habits of those who’ve already reached this accomplishment. With your observations, look for ways to incorporate these habits into your own work. If you notice highly engaged employees being promoted, consider attending more work events, saying yes to extra responsibilities and being a team player.
Research the position
Before making any significant moves, get more information on your desired position. If you’ve been taking on more responsibilities lately, research the role to check if your new workload matches that of the role you want. Researching the position can provide an idea of what examples you should use when building your case.
Research doesn’t always just mean hopping on the computer and typing in a few words to Google. It can also include speaking with colleagues and other staff in a similar position to the one you want. As previously suggested, discuss with your supervisor to better understand what is required and what comes with this new role.
IT Recruitment Agency in Toronto | About Live Assets | IT Staffing Solutions
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We are a small, but productive team that works closely together and has had a 96% success rate for the past number of years!
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