3 Ways NOT to Get Promoted

In years gone by simply being with a company for long enough would be sufficient to secure you that promotion, but these days things have changed.

Now your career path is determined by you, and if you aren’t taking strides towards where you want to be you could end up staying where you are forever…

For some of us, that’s okay, we’re happy with what we’re doing, but most of us have high hopes of clinching that management role, or starting our own companies, or making a complete career change altogether – we just don’t quite know how.

So where do we start?

Obviously your first step is to know what you’d like your career path to look like. When all is said and done, where would you like to end up?

Once you’ve figured that out, you can start to ask yourself, “from what position would I be promoted to that specific role?”, and work it backwards until you reach yourself in your current position today.

You may have to commit to some learning along the way, depending on what you already know and what you want to be doing, and you may have to make a lateral, as opposed to an upward move from time to time, but with perseverance you will get there.

Of course, if you’re happy in your job right now and have no plans of changing anything in the foreseeable future, you could always do the following:

(What NOT to do...)

1. Do nothing more than the job you are paid to do.

Say no to tasks that fall outside your particular job description – if you learn something new you might find it becomes a permanent job of yours, so avoid at all costs.

2. Loudly voice your complaints.

By letting everyone know exactly what’s wrong with the company and its clients, you’re both helping to make things better (for you) and ensuring that management overlook your name come time for promotions. SMART.

3. Be a team player - as long as it’s a team of one.

So much of our work these days consists of inter-departmental “group work”, that if we get involved we might find ourselves on a slippery slope up the corporate ladder. Go solo or not at all.

If, however, despite the title of this article you came here looking for tips on how TO get promoted, you’re in luck, I have a few of those too…

(What TO do...)

1. Have plans.

You should have a plan for where you want to go in your career, a plan for doing the best in the job you currently have, and a plan for what you are going to do at work today.

Things often don’t go to plan, but I assure you you’ll get a LOT closer to your goal when you’re at least aiming in the right direction.

2. Keep learning and asking for more.

Seize every opportunity you have to learn something new – keep expanding your knowledge base and ask questions when you don’t know how to do something. Ask for more responsibility when you feel you can manage it, and don’t be shy to let your managers know that you’d like a little more from the job – they’ll often be willing to accommodate you.

3. Be a solutions-orientated person.

Never highlight problems or make complaints to your management if you have no suggestions for how to fix them. People who come up with solutions to the problems they find are the ones that management look more closely at when filling senior roles within the company – moaners and complainers are the ones left behind. Choose your side carefully.

Staff Training is a soft skills training company offering courses from upliftment to management and leadership. Contact us for more info.