Promotion Prep

Career Power Moves: 5 Gems to Get Your Name On The Short List For Promotion

Are you ready to level up to a promotion? This guide provides 5 proven career coaching strategies to help get your name on the short list for a promotion. No matter what career stage you’re in this guide is for you.

1. Crush Your Current Role!

The best way to crush your current role is to take the time to get crystal clear on what you are accountable for and how those accountabilities are measured. Clarity usually comes in the form of a conversation about objectives for the year with your manager or direct supervisor. Once you know what the expectation is in your current role, put it in writing and share it with your manager via email. Now that you are both on the same page systematically crush each objective by delivering strong results.

2. Document Your Accomplishments

While you are focused on crushing your objectives for the year there will be wins and milestones along the way; each time this happens send yourself an email including what the milestone was and how you accomplished it. There are always cross functional team members who you collaborate with to get the win. Don't be afraid to ask if they would send your manager an email telling him or her how valuable your contribution was to them. The more senior the person sending the email the better. I know what you are thinking…this is going to feel a little awkward and you’re right but, push past that feeling, these are your receipts.

3. Identify The Role And The Core Competencies Required

You need a solid understanding of what the role requires e.g. experience, education, people leadership, cross functional collaboration etc. If information is hard to access this is a great opportunity to network with purpose, work to create an opportunity to meet with someone who has been in the role before and informally interview them to learn more.

4. Build The Core Competencies You Need

Do the work to make yourself a strong candidate for consideration. Building capabilities is a great investment in your confidence and your competence, you will need both! You can build capabilities by asking for project work, reading books, watching YouTube videos and or taking courses that will help you learn; the key is putting what you learn into action through practice.

5. Explain The Benefits Of Having You In That Role

You know why you want the role, but I hate to break it to you no one cares what you want ☹. Managers care about how you can help them meet their objectives, tell them how promoting you into the role benefits them directly and the company overall. Putting the benefits to having you in the role in writing makes it easier for you manager to get others on board with the idea.

Ready to level up with a promotion? Reach out to gemsforthejourney.org for an expert developed Path to Promotion Plan.