With over 60% of American workers wanting a promotion, climbing the corporate ladder is at the forefront of many minds. But knowing how to get promoted in your organization isn’t always clear. Especially if a new position is something you’ve wanted for a while but so far failed to secure.
Sometimes, showing your bosses that you’re ready for a new roll comes at a cost. But if you’re truly set on achieving that goal, there are many things you can do to better your chances. So, if that’s your aim, check out our list of tips that can help when you want to know how to get promoted.
15 Tips On How to Get Promoted
1. Improve Your Skills with Continuing Education
Of course, moving to a higher position within an organization often entails increased responsibility and enhanced skills. So, if you want a solid chance at promotion, getting a head start on learning the necessary abilities is helpful. That way, you can demonstrate to those responsible for promoting that you already have the expertise needed to do the job well. One of the best ways of doing so is through continuing education.
Now, there are plenty of methods of continuing education available. Some require on-site training while others happen entirely online, through self-study courses. Regardless of whichever continuing education method you use to improve your skills, you should see personal and professional growth. Ultimately, learning is the first step toward promotion. And since you don’t have to wait to learn, there’s no reason to keep from seizing the opportunity.
2. Strengthen Your Communication Skills
Generally, a promotion won’t be a solitary enterprise. In simpler terms, the entire process takes collaboration and communication. So, if you have any hope of landing the position you’re after, you need to strengthen communication skills particularly. Knowing how to get your message across clearly and succinctly will greatly enhance your standing with promoting managers. Because that also demonstrates your ability to communicate similarly with anyone working under your leadership. In that sense, building your ability to communicate well
3. Exceed the Bare Minimum
Knowing how to get promoted means knowing how to go above and beyond. After all, promoting managers look for individuals who continually strive for greatness. That way, the company at large can reap the benefits of their efforts. So, if you’re looking to move up, make sure you do more than the bare minimum. For example, if you have to meet a quota of ten sales per week, shoot for fifteen. Don’t simply get to the minimum and then sit on your laurels.
The people responsible for promoting take notice of individuals who continually pull more than their part. So, go above and beyond in as many ways as you can. But also make sure you take care not to burn out. Because that could just as likely end your chances at a higher position.
4. Endear Yourself to Team Members
Depending on the occupation and workplace, promoting managers may seek input from your coworkers. After all, they’re the people you work closest with. So, they’ll have valuable insight on whether you’re right for a more authoritative roll in the company. As such, if you want the job, you should take care to endear yourself to your peers.
Now, that does not mean putting on a fake smile for the coworker you secretly loath. It also doesn’t mean bribing your way into others’ good graces. The best way to help other coworkers think highly of you is through respect. Show them you care about their wellbeing, and help them out with work tasks if you have time and means. Always be polite, and get to know them on a deeper level than pure convenience. This sort of care speaks for itself. So, if your bosses approach them, they can honestly recommend you as a strong candidate.
5. Demonstrate Leadership When Possible
Sometimes, in the midst of a project, strong leadership seems absent. So, if you encounter these sorts of situations, be willing to step up and help lead. Now, be extremely careful not to confuse this with subversion. If a designated authority figure doesn’t agree with your way of doing things, that doesn’t mean wrest control from them. That will likely land you in a far worse situation, potentially crippling your chances of promotion.
However, if you exhibit both your willingness to lead while listening to others, the accomplishments should speak for themselves. Volunteer for difficult tasks, offer your input when appropriate, and work as part of the team. Then, when necessary, step out on a limb and take the risk leadership presents. If things go well, you might find greater opportunity for advancement in your career.
6. Continually Motivate Yourself
Lack of motivation can devastate an employee’s chances at promotion. In fact, it can frustrate nearly every aspect of work if left unchecked. So, understanding how to get promoted also requires an interest in continual motivation. Sometimes, work or life bogs down any will we have to persevere and perform exceptionally. However, there are ways to stay motivated that can help overcome lethargy and unproductiveness. So, when you falter in your journey to promotion, make sure you have some tips close at hand for motivation. A few might include:
- Setting smaller goals
- Creating the perfect office setup
- Staying hydrated
However, there are plenty of other ways to stay motivated. So, if these don’t work for you, search until you find what does.
7. Take Ownership of Tasks and Projects
In a similar vein to showing leadership prowess when able, you should take ownership of tasks and projects. Doing so shows a personal stake in the outcome of certain business functions. But moreover, it demonstrates to higher-ups your investment in the future of the company. This sort of initiative looks good when leaders begin searching for employees to promote. So, find ways to make projects your own, even when you’re not necessarily the person fully in charge. In other words, invest your time, energy, and abilities.
8. Prove Your Commitment to Company Success
Of course, this goes hand-in-hand with several other tips. But because of how important it is for promotion opportunities, we want to say it again. You need to continually show your investment in the success of a company. Promoting managers aren’t looking for employees who flee at the first sign of trouble. They want loyal individuals in positions of authority who can steer the ship in the right direction. So, even through hardships, you must demonstrate your willingness to stick with the company.
9. Vocalize Your Interest in Promotion
If you want to know how to get promoted, sometimes the best thing to do is voice it to a superior. After all, they can help lay out a path for you, and that’s easier than stumbling blindly along. Sometimes, managers may not realize you hope for the chance to move up in the company. So, without you letting them know, they could pass you over again and again, to your frustration. However, be sure not to pester others either. There’s a wide gulf between letting them know your hopes and asking about opportunities every day.
Ultimately, demonstrate tact when discussing your ambitions with promoting managers. They will likely appreciate your forthrightness and help instruct you on how to achieve your goals.
10. Determine Your Reason for Wanting a Promotion
In order to vocalize your reasons for asking how to get promoted, you need to know your personal reasons. After all, if you don’t know how to articulate the motivation you have, promoting managers might simply tune you out. Generally, honesty is a good approach. If you simply want more opportunity for better pay, let them know. If you’re hoping to help make decisions at an executive level someday, know how to state it. But never go into a conversation about how to get promoted without understanding your personal reasons for doing so. Furthermore, this will help hone your ambition, so you can focus on specific paths for accomplishing your goals.
11. Don’t Become Discouraged
Typically, employees might aim for promotion every three years. So, if your efforts don’t pan out immediately, try to keep from becoming discouraged. Similarly, if you find yourself waiting longer than three years, don’t fret. Because discouragement quickly turns into lack of motivation. Keep pushing forward despite setbacks. And if needed, discuss with higher-ups what might be preventing your chance at a more authoritative position.
12. Ask for Advice
Another way to know how to get promoted is simply asking bosses what you might do to improve in your work. This doesn’t necessarily have to relate directly to being promoted but can be a generic question. Because when you take the initiative to approach a manager and ask what you can do better, they see the desire to improve. Some employees do everything in their power to hide their mistakes, faults, and flaws. So, by presenting yours openly to your boss and inviting them into a conversation, you can exhibit loyalty and growth.
13. Be a Forerunner in Problem Solving
No matter the organization or project, problems arise. So, when they do, make sure you’re at the forefront of the problem solving effort. By enlisting yourself as a potential help in overcoming corporate obstacles and obstructions, you demonstrate willingness to lead. And that tenacious capability speaks volumes when it comes time for promotion. Even if you lack a solution, make sure to participate in discussions, brainstorming, and other efforts. That way, your name stands out in a positive way.
14. Understand Organizational Goals
If you demonstrate a lack of awareness for overall organizational goals, leaders can tell. So, if you want to grow into a leadership position yourself, you need to understand corporate purpose. After all, business authorities are responsible for steering the ship the right direction. So, if you don’t know what that direction is, you lack the ability to do what’s needed. Study the corporate culture, pay attention to the goals, and position yourself as a necessary part of accomplishing them.
15. Hold Yourself Accountable
Leaders hold quite a bit more responsibility than other employees. And that’s the case whether the business succeeds or fails. So, whenever you make mistakes, don’t attempt to sweep them under the rug. Hold yourself accountable, learn from them and know what to do better next time. Knowing how to get promoted includes constant personal and professional growth. So, if you never acknowledge your mistakes, you’ll find doing that incredible difficult. Contrastingly, if you do hold yourself accountable, promoting managers will soon view you as a person of integrity and promise. Then, when it comes time for promotion, they’ll take those qualities into account.
VTR Learning Can Help You Know How to Get Promoted
Of course, these tips can help with knowing how to get promoted, but sometimes it might take a little more. If you want to get a head start building the skills you need to move up in your organization, VTR Learning has you covered. We have multiple courses in topics of leadership and management that can help prepare you for the promotion you’re after. Or perhaps our professional growth course could help you gain the skills you need. Check them out now and start learning!
Article written by Braden Norwood
Last updated March 23, 2023
