By Dr Kellen Kiambati
Doing a good job by itself does not get you ahead at work. At most companies, the reality is that employees who promote themselves move faster up the ladder than those who shy away from it. However, self-promotion need not equal selling out, nor bragging for its own sake. Your willingness to connect with co-workers is important, as well as putting their needs — and those of the company — above your own self-interest.
Build Positive Relationships. Forming positive relationships with influential people is essential for succeeding at any company. The key to making these relationships productive is your willingness to give something back. Follow-up notes and emails are part of this process, as well as complimenting co-workers when they succeed on a big project. Just avoid striking an overly calculating tone in these exchanges. You want to capitalize on opportunities to make contact, which wins supporters inside any company.
Commit to Your Job. Companies want to hire doers and problem-solvers. Fulfilling these roles is a natural way to promote yourself and your best qualities. Your employer may know how his competitors solve problems, for example, but will welcome your initiative in researching equally valid ideas from non-related industries. Similarly, bring up ways to accomplish tasks more efficiently or boost the bottom line to show your willingness to go beyond your job description.
Develop soft skills. Schmoozing is meaningless if you ignore “soft skills,” such as the ability to prioritize and work well in a team environment. These are the most important qualities that managers want from candidates, according to author Dan Schwabel, interviewed for a September 2013 “U.S. News & World Report” article. Employees who work well under pressure and deliver outstanding results — even under less than ideal conditions — are more valuable than those who don’t.
Put others’ needs first. Collaborative problem solving is important for companies trying to flourish in today’s global economy. Co-workers are more likely to rally around a colleague who puts other people’s needs first, instead of acting like the “lone ranger,” according to Schwabel. That means giving generously of your time, without expecting anything in return. Both sides benefit from the exchange, which builds goodwill with co-workers, as well as the social networks that you need to find the next job.
Show you are a Strategic Thinker. Effective self-promotion is really a process, but there is little point in talking up specific accomplishments for their own sake, according to Brown. Such behavior comes across as self-aggrandizing. Instead, build a track record of success that shows your skills as a strategic thinker. The more you develop these abilities beyond specific projects, the more likely that senior managers will seek your help in solving their own problems. Such qualities are vital in getting noticed and promoted. Some career experts say that the day you start a new job you should begin planning for your next job. And you know what? You should! Just make sure that you stay focused enough on the job you were hired for that you succeed and excel in that position before looking for the next one.
Promotions are not a given. It used to be that workers progressed along specific career paths during their careers, but the impact of technology, globalization, and flatter organizational structures, has changed that paradigm. Today, employees have to create and manage their own career paths — through one or multiple organizations. And remember that a promotion is not always an upward path. Sometimes — especially in today’s business environment — you may need to make a lateral move to position yourself for a later upward move.
But the question is how do you develop your promotion plan? Below are some strategies:-
1. Develop Mentoring Relationships
One recent study found that in four out of five promotions, those promoted had a mentoring relationship with someone higher in the company who helped spread the good word about them. Some companies have formal mentoring programs, but even if your company does not, there are still ways you can build relationships with people in higher positions in the company. Mentors can also be great sources for information and career guidance.
2. Quantify Results
While promotions are not necessarily based on your past performance, you can certainly make a much better case for a promotion by showing detailed information about your past successes. Those who get results get ahead. Keep a record of everything you do that enhances the company’s bottom line, that puts the company or your department in a good light, that is creative and innovative, and that shows your loyalty and commitment to the organization.
3. Practice Self-Promotion
We are taught by our families that modesty is a virtue, but just as with job-hunting, if no one knows how great you are, you simply won’t get ahead. Be a known quantity. If you have had major accomplishments or created new or award-winning programs, make sure people know about them — especially the people doing the promoting. Sell yourself — and let it be known that you are seeking a promotion.
4. Establish a Bond with your boss
It might help to think of your boss as one of those border guards between countries. S/he can either be raising the gate and waving you onward and upward to your next position within the company, or s/he can be keeping the gate down and blocking you from any movement within the company. Use all opportunities to make your boss a key supporter of your promotion. Use professional settings to seek counsel and stress your interest in staying with the company. Use performance appraisals not just to go over your accomplishments, but to talk with your boss about potential roadblocks to a promotion — and how to overcome those roadblocks. Some experts also suggest building rapport with your boss by learning more about his or her outside interests and hobbies — and then chatting about them during conferences, parties, or other informal activities.
5. Acquire New Knowledge and Skills
It goes without saying that one of the best ways to succeed in getting a promotion is to expand your knowledge and skills sets in areas that are critical to the organization. As technology and other environmental forces change rapidly, you need an ever-increasing skill set not only to perform your job, but to stay marketable. Experts also suggest that employees who want to get ahead should not only keep current with industry news and events, but to also pay attention to trends and events outside their specialty.
6. Build Your Network
The more people who know you, know your strengths and abilities, know your value to the organization, and know (at least some of) your ambitions, the more likely your name will be discussed when opportunities arise. An added benefit of networking is that you will learn much more about the company if you network with people in other areas of the organization. Learn more about networking here.
7. Ask for More Responsibilities
Volunteering to help out other departments or teams — or simply asking for more responsibilities — increases your value within the organization. Asking for more work shows your interest and desire to help your department and company to succeed — as well as putting a spotlight on your value to the organization.
8. Act Professionally at All Times
- Earn a reputation for being dependable, professional, and cooperative. Act and look the part.
- Dress professionally and neatly — even on business casual days.
- Ask questions when you are not sure how to do something.
- Dare to be different — make yourself stand out from the pack.
- Keep a positive outlook on things, even when in tough situations.
- Do not whine or complain – or blame others — when things do not go your way.
Make a name for yourself in your industry through conferences, articles, and speeches.
- Do not be a clock-watcher.
- Finally, be a problem-solver. Do not go to your boss with problems. If a difficult situation arises, be sure to come up with at least one solution before seeking your boss’s blessing for dealing with the situation. Problem-solvers get promoted. Complainers who expect the boss to solve all their problems don’t.
9. Be a Team Player
Because so much of work is now accomplished through teams departmental or cross-functional, it becomes even more important to share successes with your team and to avoid pointing your finger when there are failures. And by being a team player, you only build your reputation and increase your value to the organization.
10. Create Your Own Opportunities
After studying the needs and challenges of the organizations, if you see an area that has been neglected and you have key skills in that area write a proposal for a new position. And even if the company does not go for the new position, you have again shown your initiative, creativity, and value to the firm — and these things can only help you the next time you request a promotion.
Effective self-promotion is really more of a process, rather than an action. If out of the blue you start talking up some specific accomplishment, that will likely stick out as too self-aggrandizing. The approach should be less of “Gee, isn’t it great what I’m doing?” and more about demonstrating your value to a wide number of people at your company. You want to build a body of work that showcases how you think and the breadth of your thinking, and ideally goes beyond just project-specific knowledge, because this kind of strategic thinking is really what’s going to get you noticed and promoted.
