(Image via Brooke Cagle)
Note: This is a contributed post.
If you feel like you are in a dead-end job, or you could do more, you will need to start thinking about how to improve your career prospects. Whether you are a sales associate and would like to progress into management, or work as an administrator and are seeking a director role, you will have to create a plan to improve your chances of a promotion. Below you will find a few tips on how to get started.
1. Ask for a Promotion
If you don’t ask for it, you will never get it. In case you are too shy to talk to your boss about your aspirations, think about the fact that your colleagues are probably not. Let them know that you are planning on progressing your career, but also give them a good reason to consider you for a promotion. Show them that you have a great work ethic, and you are keen on learning. You will need to prove that you want that position badly enough to make sacrifices.
2. Volunteer
In case you have a skills gap that prevents you from getting a promotion, and your company doesn’t offer training, you might consider volunteering. Your experience will look great on your resume, and you can get recommendations from the organization you are helping out in your spare time. While you might not have enough opportunities to showcase your talent at your workplace, you can do it outside of your company and gain recognition.
3. Online Education
Another great way of addressing your skills gap is enrolling in an online education course that will teach you new things that can be useful for your company. If you are in the healthcare industry, you might want to check out the future msn mba salary predictions and choose the program that will help you land in the position you are really dreaming of.
4. Help Out with Projects
If you would like to get noticed by your supervisors and redefine your career, you can volunteer to help out with projects. Whether it is testing a new system that is being implemented in your company or trying to find alternative suppliers, improving internal communication, or making suggestions for the marketing and PR department, you can step up your game and show how capable you really are. Your boss will appreciate you taking some work off their hands, too.
5. Improve Your Attitude
Sometimes getting the promotion depends on your attitude. Be the first to arrive, get more organized, provide constructive criticism and suggestions, and take on a management approach. If you don’t seem like a person who can manage their time and tasks seamlessly, you cannot expect your manager to trust you with leading a team.
To get a promotion you will need to become proactive. Talk to the human resource department or your immediate supervisor about your plan. Get support and help out where you can. Improve your work ethics, attitude, and your knowledge. By doing all of these things, you will increase your chances of becoming the top choice the next time around.
(Image via Tim Gouw)
