You’ve been putting a lot of effort into your work, completing projects, and doing well for a good period of time. However, you know that you can do even more and are looking for a new position. Although putting yourself out there might occasionally be nerve-racking, you can do it confidently if you are prepared. Here are some specific actions you may take to get prepared for a talk with your supervisor regarding a promotion.
Confirm that you’re Ready for a Promotion
An important first step is to confirm to yourself that you really have earned a promotion. Simply doing well in your job and getting work done doesn’t necessarily mean you have demonstrated to your employer that you are the right person to promote. Getting your work done on time and correctly is part of your current job. So, what have you done to show you can take on more responsibility? Identify areas where you haven’t just met expectations but exceeded them. Where have you gone above and beyond what is required in your job? When have you volunteered to take on extra work or help team members with their projects? These are all things your supervisor is going to be looking for to justify a promotion, so you should be able to identify them yourself. This should also help you get over any personal doubts about your readiness to take on a promotion.
Do Your Homework before Applying
Learn about opportunities for growth in your company. Does your current role lead to a well-defined career path? Is there a natural ‘next step’ for you to take in the company? Is that next step what you are looking for?
To determine the most typical activities, responsibilities, and skills, consult online career resources, such as articles written by industry groups.
Find out which jobs, responsibilities, and talents are most prevalent by reading numerous job specifications for the same role at different companies.
Once you know the role you are interested in applying for, ask team members in that role about their routine responsibilities and the abilities they employ to carry them out. How are they successful? What are their biggest challenges?
Get Ready To Pitch a Promotion
Define the role’s objectives: Identify for yourself the role the new position plays in the company, the issues it aims to solve, and the duties it includes. Then address how you are ready to meet each of the requirements of the new role.
Present your worth: This part is very important. You need to describe your qualifications for the job by listing the applicable skills you already have and your prior professional accomplishments. A lot of this will likely revolve around your performance in your current role. Go back to the first exercise and note all the areas where you showed you were ready to take on a more advanced role and where you exceeded expectations.
Imagine the future: Describe what you would do if you were promoted and how you would help your employer achieve their objectives. How will you excel in your new role? How can you impact the company more effectively following a promotion?
Set Up a Time to Talk with your Supervisor
The ideal approach is in person, but you can also ask for a meeting through an official email. Make it clear in your appointment request that you are prepared for the next phase of your professional growth and that you want to talk about the prospect of taking on more responsibility. It will provide your manager enough time to get ready for the conversation as well. Approaching your manager this way also shows maturity and readiness to take the next step in your career.
