The majority of career-minded employees look to be promoted at some point in their career, whether they are aiming to earn more money, take on new responsibilities or get their dream job. Acquiring a much sought after promotion can be difficulthowever, especially if you are unwilling to make your intentions for promotion clear to your manager. If you are looking to advance your career now, there are a range of options that you can choose to stand out among the rest of your colleagues and increase your likelihood of being chosen for promotion.
Gain New Qualifications
Most Canadians are ready to quit their jobs, and the inability to get a promotion can be a large factor in unhappiness at work. Gaining new qualifications can have a number of benefits to those seeking promotion, including the ability to show that you have the skills and training necessary to perform the role to a high standard.
New qualifications can also help your resume to stand out from your other colleagues and show that you are serious about being promoted, and willing to constantly keep learning to achieve your goals. Also, many qualifications have a deep focus on leadership and managerial skills, especially degree and Masters level qualifications, meaning that you will not only be able to hone your skills, but also learn how to control and manage staff, deal with problems, and organize different factors such as finances and rotas. If you want to get promoted in the service sector, click here to find out more about Laurier’s Bachelor in Policy, which is appropriate for individuals with over a year’s experience in police work.
Consider Training Courses
Although there has been recent debate over whether employees in Canada financially benefit from promotions, training courses can also be extremely advantageous to those looking to be promoted as they will be able to give you the practical experience that you need to succeed. Additionally, training courses often focus on specific skills. This means that you are able to choose a course that focuses on a skill that you need to work on and improve, and something that may have previously hindered your attempts at promotion. From choosing to go on extra in-house training courses offered to you, to finding additional training courses run by professional bodies, these will give you the opportunity to focus on improvement without distraction and give you a flavor of managerial roles.
Ask to Shadow
If training courses are not available to you, you should try to get managerial experience by asking your manager whether there are any shadowing opportunities or employee exchange programs available to you. During these programs, you will get the opportunity to follow an employee at a managerial level for a number of days or weeks, learning what their duties and responsibilities are and how they do them. Employee exchange programs are similar but work like work experience or placements, wherein you will swap roles with another employee interested in your job for a number of days. During this time, you will be taught how to do their work and what their job consists of. This can then give you a first-hand insight as to whether you would enjoy this role and whether it is right for you, alongside gaining the experience that you need to take on a role with extra responsibilities and trust.
Use Your Annual Review
Most good managers and companies will conduct annual employee reviews to assess your progress within the company. This is a great opportunity to open up two-way communication between yourself and your manager and discuss any ideas that you may have. Workplace reviews are often a perfect time to discuss any issues that you may be having, how your employer can help you to work on skills that you may be lacking in, and give you the opportunity to set targets that you are able to work towards. The completion of these targets is important to prove to your employer that you are willing to make progress and learn, and you should ask whether one of your targets can be a promotion. Annual reviews are the best time to ask for a promotion and make it clear to your manager on a one-to-one basis where you would like to be in the company in the future and how they can help you to achieve this. If your manager knows that promotion is on your mind, they are much more likely to consider you for positions.
Start Networking
Your manager is also much less likely to promote you if they have no idea who you are or what your qualities are as an employee. Then, it is important that you make an effort to create a good working relationship with your manager in order to establish trust and even find out what they are looking for in who they promote. Networking at work is important as an employee, and you should try to connect with as many of your colleagues as possible to find out the latest news and information, which could include opportunities for promotion or chances to hone your skills.
Join Workplace Managerial Schemes
Additional to training schemes and shadowing, many workplaces now also run managerial schemes which can give employees the opportunity to be fast-tracked for promotion and learn the skills that they need to take on a leadership role. These are a good option as they will be specific to the company and you will be able to learn exactly what is expected of employees in leadership positions. Although many of these are solely for graduates, many workplaces create internal schemes that are available to anyone with an interest in getting ahead.
Show Good Habits
If you follow all of the above advice, and yet do not show good habits, it is unlikely that you will be able to receive a promotion in the near future. Employers are looking for people with good personality traits and skills such as good communication and interpersonal skills, a friendly and positive outlook including great customer service, job-specific skills, the ability to time keep and a high level of trust and reliability. These habits will often be noticeable to your employer and these will be reflected in your annual workplace report.
