How to Earn a Promotion
Some people want to find jobs, while others want careers. And what’s one of the most important aspects of any career? Advancement. Few people want to stay at the same level forever, even if they stay with the same company. Most people thrive on the challenges of increased responsibility and learning new skills. Scott Ginsberg, author of Stick Yourself and Get Them to Come to You, has come up with five tips to help ambitious employees know how to reach the “next steps” in their careers.
How to be More “PROMOTABLE”: Leveraging the Job
1. Learn how your work affects the bottom line. Calculate the value of your achievements. Compute the profitability of your productivity. This might require some research, an interview or two, or, God forbid, having lunch with someone from accounting. The secret is to evaluate and present your activities as having increased company profits, saved considerable time or decreased company expenses. Whatever it takes to learn how to connect what you do to the wallet of the organization. Ultimately, this insight will help position you as a profit-minded employee. ASK: How are your achievements making or saving your company money?
2. Document your achievements. This is the next step now that you’ve connected your work to the company’s wallet. And the first secret is that it crystallizes your timeline of credibility. Second, it reinforces that you’re a results-producing employee. Third, it’s a perfect self-selling/self-promoting tool when your boss requests evidence of promotability. And finally, documenting your achievements is a personal confidence booster and affirmative reinforcement of your victories. So, no matter how meaningless your accomplishments may seem, catalog them anyway. Be specific. And be sure to connect each achievement with the bottom line. Also, I suggest keeping and displaying a total tally of the amount of money you’ve made/saved the company over time. Almost like a Jerry Lewis telethon counter, this Noticeable Number makes an impression of increase. After all, if you don’t write it down, it never happened. Remember: Showcase your value. Because being the best without anybody knowing about it is like winking in the dark. ASK: What did you achieve this week?
3. What will it take to get people to see your name daily? And, what consistent value and promise will be attached to your name when they see it? Those are the big questions. And whether your answers involve blogging, tweeting, or updating your Facebook status, remember the secret: Meaningful Concrete Immediacy. Be relevant, be concise and be actionable. Still be human, of course. Just remember that “seeing your name daily” will start to get REALLY annoying if your updates include words like “My cat just,” “Waffles for breakfast” or “My idiot husband left the seat up again.” Remember: If you want to become a proven entity, trust comes from constant exposure. What do people think when they hear your name speak?
4. Be visible in your element. People need to see you doing what you do. Period. Nothing will make you more referable. So, seek out situations that vividly reveal your passions, talents, character and unique value – then made sure LOTS of people are watching. Then get it on video and publish it online everywhere you possibly can. Remember: The more people that see you singing the song that is natural for you to sing, in the way that is natural for you to sing it, the less likely it will be for them to escape your awesomeness. How many people have seen you do what you do?
5. Become a known entity. The next way to boost invokability is to create a game plan for remaining on people’s radars. This helps you achieve what I call “Radar Equity.” And it begins by asking yourself five few questions: Whose radar do I want to be on? What do I want to happen as a result of being on it? Who do I know that is already on that person’s radar? What steps have they taken to get there? What actions could I take to emulate those steps? Remember: The secret to Radar Equity is that you have to EARN the right to be on it. That means publishing. That means social networking. That means OFF-line networking. Whatever it takes. How can you position yourself so thousands of people whom you never met will get to know you instantly?
Getting a job, keeping a job and now, turning that job into a career with advancement opportunities is no mean feat; however, Scott Ginsberg has provided some guidelines that many ambitious job seekers might find helpful.
Scott Ginsberg is a fun, lively, energetic and experienced media guest who has been interviewed and featured in USA Today, CNN, NBC, 20/20, Fast Company, Redbook, the Wall St. Journal and dozens of radio and tv talk shows across the nation. Scott is a regular contributor to the St. Louis Small Business Monthly, INSTORE Magazine, PR Canada and Expert Village. His conversational, content-rich articles have appeared in hundreds of online and offline publications worldwide. Also, his work has been reprinted in dozens of textbooks and resource guides.
