How to Get Promoted

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Maximize your chances of getting promoted by following these suggestions:

1. Do your superiors like you and respect you?  Be honest with yourself: Do people at work like you? If not, why not?Are you too focused on work and not enough on personal interaction? Although that may sound counterintuitive, the culture in many workplaces requires a certain amount of chitchat to get along. Does yours and do you participate enough?

Do you have a good attitude? No one likes to be around someone who’s gloomy and morose all the time. Try smiling more. If it doesn’t come naturally to you — it is work after all! — fake it until you make it.

Do you have other behavior that’s getting in your way? Do you flirt too much with other employees? Take too long of a lunch break too often? Come in late? Candidly assess your behavior and change what you need to. Act like a professional and your management team will treat you like one.

Finally, although your superiors make the decision about promotions, be sure to be likable with your co-workers, too. There’s a reason companies emphasize the importance of being a team player; it’s a cliche, but it’s part of the culture of most companies.

2. Have you shown the ability to grow and learn? When you first get a new position, you might have to grow into it a bit. Management needs to see that you have the ability to step up and do what’s needed during that learning period. They want to see that you’re capable of and interested in growing and learning.

3. Do you identify and solve problems? Don’t present problems without a solution; be known as a problem-solver. It sounds basic, but think about your track record in this area. Leaders provide solutions; followers provide problems.

4. Can management trust you? Are you loyal? Honest? Many people have amazing memories for remembering dishonesty. Have you been caught in a lie about why you were late for work? You might need to figure out how to repair the damage before your supervisor will trust you again.

And never post anything on any social media site, no matter how private you think your settings are, that you would not want your boss to see. Ever.

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5. Do your supervisors know you want to get promoted? They might not be actively thinking about it. They might not know you care. They might think you’re perfectly happy doing what you’re doing and want to make sure you stay that way. Sometimes, you just have to ask, and be prepared to state the reasons why you deserve a new, better position.  These reasons should focus on the good you’ve done for your company, not your need for more money, prestige, etc.

6. Have you developed the skills required for the position you want? Ideally your company will pay for this training, but sometimes you’ll have to do it yourself. Make sure your employer knows about any skills you’ve developed, and point out how the company can make better use of these skills by promoting you.

Here’s an article from Forbes with more suggestions. And if you didn’t get the promotion you wanted, check out this article from US News.

What tips do you have for someone looking for a promotion? Please leave your comments below.

3 Comments

  1. Ghulam Muhammed Sheikh on 15 April 2013 at 4:47 am

    i have gone through some of your articles and have found them not only intersting but rather informative &practical too.I look forward to receive more articles to read for information and practical purpose as well.



  2. Meg_Bertini on 15 April 2013 at 4:19 pm

    Thanks so much! I appreciate the feedback, and look forward to your participation on this site.



  3. nicklas moyo on 16 April 2013 at 11:13 am

    i would love to get promoted from my current position