Golden rules: how to quickly get a promotion at work

Career success is not just about luck or the number of hours you work. JCat.Work will tell you how to navigate the route to the top of the career ladder and overcome resistance along the way.

The desire to succeed at work is a normal desire for every person. The opportunity for professional growth increases interest, motivates and energizes every day. But expectations and reality do not always coincide: the long-awaited empowerment and salary increase may not come even after years of hard work. To understand the reasons for failures or accelerate professional development, it is worth analyzing your activities and the factors that promote or hinder this process.

Factors that positively influence career growth

The career building process is very dynamic. The results of employees are constantly influenced by a variety of internal and external processes.

External factors for career growth

There are circumstances that do not depend on the person himself, but at the same time significantly influence his professional life. Among them:

• General social factors. This category conventionally includes all circumstances that arise at more global levels than one organization, and they do not depend on professional relationships. Vivid examples of general social factors are the characteristics of relationships in the family, the structure of the state, and the cultural level of the population.
• Special factors. They appear in connection with a specific job. They are otherwise called “professional conditions for career growth.” Leadership plays a major role in their development and influence. Also, we must not forget about a number of state laws. They often influence management decisions. These factors include features of personnel policy, team composition and relationships within the organization, working conditions, various legal norms that regulate these processes.

Some of these circumstances cannot be influenced by the best will (for example, by law it is impossible to promote a person whose experience is less than a year). However, when choosing a place to work, you can try to evaluate the organization’s policy regarding the career growth of employees: read reviews, check with employees how long it took them to achieve a promotion. This will allow you to indirectly assess your own chances of moving up the career ladder. If there is practically no chance of “taking off” in advance, then it is worth thinking again about the advisability of working in this organization.

Internal factors for career growth

Despite the desire to shift all responsibility to external circumstances, much in matters of career growth depends on the employee himself. Internal factors create a fruitful combination of motivation, self-confidence and objective results of a person’s development as a professional. Such an employee has every chance of getting a new position, and then another one, because he wants and can do even complex work with high quality and is ready for new responsibilities. Internal factors include:

• Ambition. There are “unhealthy” ambitions - these are about the desire for heights in a career, which is not supported by anything other than the desire to gain status and power. If a person is ready to work and at the same time soberly assesses his capabilities, then ambitions will inspire and motivate him.
• Knowledge and experience. The rapid advancement up the career ladder of employees without proper work experience and with visible “gaps” in knowledge only raises a number of questions about the integrity of management. Along with a new position, a person has new responsibilities, and he must know what to do with them. Therefore, only constant work on your knowledge base will help you quickly reach your cherished goal and “not lose face” in a new place.
• Professional interest. Without a sincere desire to gain new knowledge and experience, without involvement in work processes and the activities of the organization as a whole, it will not be possible to realize oneself in the chosen field.
• Capabilities. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to get what you want even after long and persistent efforts. Every person has a number of innate abilities, such as memory, concentration, determination and the ability to take responsibility.
• Psychological characteristics. Stress resistance, the ability to productively resolve conflicts and manage one’s emotions, as well as other properties of the human psyche also play an important role in one’s development at work.
• Personal qualities. Decency, responsibility, diligence, determination and a positive attitude towards life, combined with involvement in work, will accelerate your chances of promotion.

In some areas of activity, a person is subject to additional requirements for career growth - readiness to make certain “sacrifices” for the sake of work. All these factors must be taken into account in advance, even when choosing a place, so as not to end up in a situation where you have to choose between life and career.

How not to let yourself be broken

In order not to let yourself be broken, remember one important point: if you fully embody yourself in a certain position and are, to some extent, an irreplaceable employee, then at first the management will not advance you forward, since it is not profitable for them.

There is no need to be zealous, but at the same time we do not forget to serve our superiors in such a way as to delicately point out the mistakes of employees.

Be more proactive in telling management that you can provide insight into the entire production process. To prevent your idea from being a failure, you should not be dangerous to your own boss.

The career ladder is adventurism and perseverance, when you need to use all your own charm and ability to negotiate with other people.

What prevents you from moving up the career ladder?

To get a new position, sometimes it is enough to get rid of “anchors” - factors that hinder career advancement. These circumstances can also be divided into two groups. They differ in the ability of the person himself to influence the course of events:

• Limiting factors. They completely depend on a person’s resources - the level of his knowledge, physical characteristics, efforts and aspirations, diligence and perseverance.
• Factors of resistance. These circumstances are those that do not depend on a person. This could be an unfair “game” on the part of colleagues, unfair decisions by a manager, or the boss’s fear of creating competition for themselves.

The employee himself can only get rid of limiting factors. To do this, you need to honestly analyze your behavior and work on points such as:

• the ability to admit your mistakes and work on them;
• ability to make informed decisions;
• the power to keep promises and be responsible for your actions.

Excuses, laziness, inattention, a frivolous attitude towards work, as well as inadequate self-esteem often become the main obstacles to a successful career.

Tip #1. Set a goal

The main secret of competent self-PR is a clearly defined goal. Analyze your desires, experience and capabilities. Do they match? It may be worth taking advanced training courses or changing cities if there are no suitable vacancies in yours.

A career is a long-term project; you need to decide on its main milestones. Think like this: “now I’m here, and in a year I’ll be here, for this I need to do this, this and this.” For example: “Now I work as a secretary, in a year I want to become an assistant manager, for this I need to take English courses and implement my optimization ideas to get noticed.”

Types of career growth

Successful career growth does not always occur in the classical sense of the term. Sometimes the increase may be minor and not even obvious.

Growth in an organization can be in two different directions:

• A vertical career is a traditional climb up the steps of a structural hierarchy.
• Horizontal career - expansion of the functional area of ​​activity. In this case, new responsibilities and more complex tasks may not be associated with obtaining a position. However, empowerment usually adequately changes the rewards of the job.

In addition, there are several development options depending on the location of self-realization as a professional:

• intra-organizational career - a path within one organization;
• interorganizational career - a person goes through stages of professional growth in different companies.

At the same time, an interorganizational career can be specialized (associated with one profession) and non-specialized.

You shouldn’t get caught up in the pursuit of classic vertical promotion. Career development work can be different. Every person has many opportunities to realize themselves in other ways.

Find a patron

A recent study found that 4 out of 5 employees who had a trusted relationship with someone higher up received a promotion. To be under the patronage of one of the respected people in the team means to have the opportunity to receive useful advice on how to speed up your success at work, as well as get a good review of your work. This type of relationship can be beneficial for those looking for a promotion, as someone in whose work environment you can enter will be sure to put in a good word for you. In addition, you can always stay up to date with interesting news and important matters, which already increases your chances of showing off your knowledge at the right moment (not as gossip, of course).

Making a Career Plan

To visualize your goals and determine how to achieve them, it is worth creating a career growth plan. Clearly outlined trajectories of professional growth allow you to focus on the main thing during work, motivate and allow you to evaluate your results already at intermediate stages.

To create a career plan, you only need to go through 5 steps:

1. Create your “expectation”. This is a full-fledged visualization of yourself in your career after some time, optimally after 5 years.
2. Determine your immediate work goals and the direction of your activities.
3. Carry out diagnostics. A job analysis will help you critically evaluate which constraints need to be addressed and which strengths need to be developed.
4. Make a concrete plan. It should include subgoals of already defined goals, as well as specific tasks that will achieve the desired result. It is important to indicate specific dates - open-ended planning most often remains “on paper”.
5. Go to action. This may be the most difficult point, but once you start moving towards your goals, the results will not be long in coming.

Thus, for career growth, it is important not just to dream about a promotion, but to be able to correctly analyze yourself and your work, while setting realistic, but quite ambitious goals.
It should be understood that a career is built daily, in small steps, and only daily persistent ascent will help you reach the top. Find strong candidates effortlessly on JCat.Job

How to beat your opponents

In the struggle for advancement, you must in any case try to become better than your opponents.

Here you can use the following tips:

• competently talk about your own arguments;
• there is no need to be afraid to talk about shortcomings;
• demonstrate how to make decisions more effectively in a given situation.

To achieve your desired goals, you must:

• constantly ask questions about unclear issues;
• in any case, obtain assistance from senior management;
• honestly point out your own shortcomings and try to correct them as quickly as possible in the future.

I want everything at once

Many will claim that you can get it all at once - a high salary, increased capitalization and interesting work. Someone will even say that they are currently working in such a job.

There are two possible options:

• You were really lucky, and this case is usually removed from the sample in statistics, because... he is more of a statistical outlier.
• Most likely, there are companies (Sberbank, , BCG, pwc, Deloitte, EY, other consulting companies, banks or large corporations) that can offer much more money for your expertise and experience than you earn now. Or, on the contrary, there are high-tech companies that are doing things that you have never even dreamed of, and that would give you much more in terms of capitalization growth.

Well, again, it is important to remember that “wages below the market” ≠ “low salaries.” An experienced developer at a startup can easily earn 300k or more. But there will always be corporations who will pay him 400k and more.

Develop relationships with employees

Trusting relationships with employees are just as important as relationships with your boss. Colleagues who know about your merits, appreciate your work and trust you in business can become assistants in promotion, because during the next discussion of a possible candidate for promotion, it could be you if your employees single you out as a useful employee. In addition, communicating with colleagues helps you obtain a lot of new information about your place of work, the characteristics of your superiors and the intricacies of the functioning of the company itself.

An additional bonus can be pleasant acquaintances that will help you enjoy being in the office.

What personal qualities will you need?

Career growth requires the development of such personal qualities as:

• determination;
• responsibility;
• hard work.

Accustom yourself to self-discipline, this will allow you to soberly assess your capabilities. Disciplined people command respect and are liked at all levels. Neglect of one's duties, unpunctuality, and failure to keep one's promises even once forms a negative impression of a person and closes the way to many opportunities for career and professional growth.

The ability to show yourself from the most advantageous side is also a form of professional growth. Self-PR is needed to get noticed by the right people, on whom your professional future depends. Once you create a positive impression, strive to maintain it. Success is achieved by the one whose name is well known, the one who has earned the respect and trust of management, clients and colleagues.

Motivate yourself to achieve new goals. Obstacles on your professional path should not stop you - perceive them as new impetuses for development. If you make excuses for not doing or being able to do the work instead of correcting your mistakes, you can forget about rapid career growth.

Know your worth. Even the most professional employee must be able to present himself competently. Do not try to fawn or grovel before your superiors - behave with dignity and confidence.

“You are greeted by your clothes” - this principle also applies in the professional world. Learn to take care of your appearance, dress appropriately for the occasion, and always come in clean and tidy clothes. Things don’t have to be expensive at all - you can pick up things in the mid-price category, the main thing is that they look presentable.