Being promoted is one of the most significant milestones you can get in your career. It’s an integral part of career advancement that proves all your efforts and hard work are worth it. Now, they’re all paying off.
However, promotions aren’t always guaranteed. In fact, according to Forbes magazine, getting promoted in these competitive times is even more challenging. Employees are resigning in droves, while there is a widening skills gap. For those who were left behind still working, increasing demands aren’t met.
Still, even without the current employment issues companies face, getting promoted is tricky as you progress in your career. Added to this, companies are always looking for ways to spend less, and so, they aim for leaner structures, limiting opportunities for promotions. Colleagues pose as competition for coveted positions, too, further narrowing your chance of getting promoted.
When you think about all these challenges, it’s normal to think that people who get promoted may just be lucky. However, that is untrue.
If you look at successful people who get promoted, they have the same personalities, sharing the same characteristics. These same qualities are what managers are looking for when they’re aiming to promote employees. If you want to move up the ladder, it’ll help you know what these qualities are. This article aims to teach you more about these qualities. Here are the top five qualities you should have that can help accelerate your promotion.
1. Understand the Business Beyond Your Job
To be a successful candidate for promotion, you should look at the bigger picture about how the company you work for functions. Knowing how an organization operates its business can help you focus your actions on benefiting and advancing its goals. It can help you make decisions based on the objectives and plan of the company.
2. Work Beyond What Your Job Requires From You
You should show your enthusiasm to finish your job and eagerness to do more. For example, if you often see unattended surface clutter in your office or workplace, take the initiative to hire some cleaning services that will keep everything tidy and in order. It may not be your job, but at least you’ve shown your concern for the company.
You should also show your skills, which you’ve worked hard to attain in the first place. One of the best ways to go beyond your role is to provide mentorship of your skills. Teach subordinates how to add value to their jobs by allowing them to learn new skills. Let the management know that you’re willing to teach your co-workers. This will also show your eagerness to do more for the company.
3. Apply a Strategic Approach to Your Job
Even before you’re hired, think of ways to strengthen your work experience and skills. One of the best ways to do this is by choosing the right jobs to apply to. From the outset, you should have a plan on how you can move up the corporate ladder, from your first job to the next.
Once you’re hired, you can also apply a strategic approach to your assigned tasks. While it’s wise to accept jobs that are tasked to you, it’s also best to take the initiative to ask for assignments where you can excel. Simply put, request jobs where your skills and experience can be highlighted.
If you have enough skills and experiences under your name, you can move seamlessly to the next position you’re aiming for.
4. Enjoy the Challenges of Your Job
While knowing when to delegate tasks is a crucial leadership skill that you should have, now is not yet the time to do so. Wait until you’re a leader among the ranks before you delegate tasks to your staff. For now, learn how to take all the challenges that come with your job.
Challenges don’t always come in the form of issues related to your job or with the company’s goals. They are sometimes your responsibilities. Successful candidates, therefore, don’t back away from their responsibilities. You should see them as opportunities for growth and advancement.
Sometimes, challenges present themselves through a new project, new office, new co-worker, new client, or a new boss. Make sure that you are prepared for all these kinds of challenges in the workplace.
5. Be Open to Feedback
Successful candidates for promotion are professional enough to accept criticisms. Knowing this, you should take all feedback with a grain of salt. Company leaders and managers don’t criticize for the sole purpose of hurting employees’ emotions. They do it to encourage workers to improve their jobs, which is something that you should do. If you get negative feedback, it may be time to improve something with your work.
Accepting feedback professionally is also a sign that you are highly susceptible to mentoring. This means you can accept what the company teaches you. This also shows you can learn from your mistakes and can apply changes to where you’ve gone wrong.
Set Your Foundation Straight
According to employee tracking and scheduling expert, When I Work, these qualities can help you set your career’s foundation. With this in mind, make sure to cultivate these qualities and open up opportunities for your future promotion.
