How to Get That Promotion Without Even Asking For It

​Great news, the Director of Marketing moved onto a new company and now there is an open position for you to move up. However, it’s not just you who wants to move up, every senior manager in the company is now eyeing that position. You know you deserve a promotion. We know you deserve a promotion. However, does your boss know you deserve a promotion? If you want to prove that you are the one for the position, there are a few things you should do early in your career to prove you are Director Material.
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1) Celebrate Your Successes
Pay attention to what is important to your boss and do all you can to work on those specific areas in ways that will help your boss succeed. The whole point of making yourself visible is to make your boss’s job easier not harder. Although you should not boast, you should let your successes be known. Send your boss updates of what you are working on, and ask for feedback to know how you could be doing more to help him and the team reach the goals.  It is up to you to make yourself visible by allowing your boss to repeatedly have a direct window into the value you bring to the company.
 
2) Let Your Goals Be Known
As simple as it may seem, the best way to get the upper level position you’ve been striving for is to let your boss know your goals early on in your career and work toward them.  If you let your goals be known, the whole world will conspire to make it happen. You have already expressed the passion to excel and grow with the company, you have gone above and beyond in your work and have kept your boss updated on achievements, you’ve shown a great attitude and won everyone’s respect, so it makes their decision a no-brainer who to promote when a new position that matches your skills appears.
 
3) Be Open to Change
Not all jobs offer such rapid career development than others. If you are in a position where you have to wait for someone to retire to get promoted, you may want to look for opportunities in other office locations. Although your Marketing Director is young and in good health, the Marketing Director of the Latin America division just retired. You’re qualified for the position. The company has expressed interest in you. The only problem is the position is in Mexico City. You have two choices, remain stagnant in your position, or challenge yourself and advance your career. Allow yourself the opportunity to expand both professionally and personally.
 
4) Diversify Your Skill Set
What stands out about any person the most is their ability to take on new challenges. You get noticed when you are focused on solutions, rather than problems. Being focused in this way helps you see, recognize and seize opportunities others may not. You may eyeing the Director of Marketing position, but that does not mean all you should be doing is marketing based. When your boss comes to you asking for you to do market research for a new market the company is expanding into, accept the task as a challenge. Not only will you grow your skills, but you will prove yourself qualified to move to other areas of the company. You may find that you loved conducting market research, and your boss will be so impressed he may consider you for the new Director of Diversity and Multicultural position.
 
5) Know Your Career Progression
Thursday comes after Wednesday. Five comes after four, but what comes after Senior Manager? It’s not your boss’ job to make sure your career is progressing as it should. One of the main reasons people do not get promoted is because they do not know where they should be in their career. Always know what your next two steps will be and work toward them. Not sure what your next step is? Contact us to learn where you should be heading in your career. At DCAProSearch, we strive to equip you for success.