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How to Get a Promotion

04 Jan 2016

Brightwater Recruitment

Even when you know you work hard and you deserve to be recognised, asking for a promotion can prove extremely stressful. Here's how to ask........

The old adage is true – if you don’t ask, you don’t get! In an ideal world, your achievements and success in work will always be rewarded by an automatic promotion. However many people assume that they will get the much hoped for promotion eventually and never make their management aware that they are ambitious for career progression. We have outlined some tips below on the best way to go about getting that promotion.

Be Realistic

There may not be any direct career progression in your current job. The present incumbent may not take kindly to you actively pursuing their role, so be aware of what career progression is actually available. Remember that career progression is not always upwards, it’s sometimes necessary to take a sideways move to gain a promotion of sorts.

It may mean shouldering a different area of responsibility while your managers see how you cope with new challenges before they decide on an actual promotion.

Succeed in Current Role

Always make sure that you succeed in every aspect of your current role before you ask to be promoted.

You need to clearly demonstrate that you have consistently reached targets, exceeded expectations, risen to challenges and created innovative campaigns where you made a difference to the bottom line.  Always ensure that you can take criticism constructively and work on any weaknesses that may have been highlighted in annual performance reviews.

Take the Lead

Volunteer to take on extra responsibility but make sure you can handle it before you volunteer.

Ask to do any courses that are on offer and that are of value to your team. Taking the lead also means applying for internal promotion roles yourself rather than assuming you will be considered for them.

Hone Your People Skills

Be a team player and help out members of your team. Although be careful that this is not to the detriment of your own workload. Just as you can benefit from having a mentor yourself, you can also benefit from acting as a mentor to someone else.

Volunteer to train new members of your team. This will clearly demonstrate your people skills to management.

Manager on Your Side

Discuss your ambitions with your manager either formally during your performance review or via an informal chat.

This shows that you are serious about your career with that company. It also means that you may be given clear and defined targets to reach in order to achieve the promotion.

Each month, ask for constructive criticism on your performance and make sure that you act upon it before your next review.

Internal Competition

Remember that when it comes to promotion opportunities, you may not be the only internal candidate. Treat each discussion meeting as if it were an interview and remind management of your value to the company.

For further advice on career progression, talk to your Brightwater Consultant by contacting our office on: 

Dublin | +353 1 662 1000 | [email protected]
Cork | +353 21 422 1000 | [email protected]