Collaborative work practices, flat team structures, and the absence of office chat can make the work day more enjoyable, but modern work styles also make promotions harder.
Promotions have dropped nearly 48% since the pandemic. If you want to advance in your career, it may be time to take a more strategic approach.
The need to excel, to demonstrate that you bring value to the company, and that you know how to lead rather than follow, is certainly important, but recognizing and overcoming less-obvious barriers to success is a surefire path to advancement.
Teamwork is essential, but it also makes it harder for managers to differentiate between individual work and identify those worth promoting. Likewise, flat team structures often mean no immediate progression for employees, making it difficult for managers and employees to identify new roles.
If you’re thinking about your future with your current employer, or if you’re looking to change roles and grow with a new employer, here are some tips to use. If you’re considering changing roles, the best place to start is the jobs section of kwgeek, which currently has dozens of job openings across all industries.
1. Lack of communication
Want to be CEO someday, but does your manager know? If you don’t clearly articulate your career goals, you risk not being considered for a promotion. Schedule regular meetings with your boss to discuss your performance and future plans.
Be prepared for harsh feedback. If your boss points out areas where you’re struggling, take the lead and ask for additional training or support to keep you up to speed. Not only does this help your career, but it also shows that you want to improve.
2. Lack of relationships
You can do the job, you actually do it better than your peers, but they keep getting promoted before you. Why? Probably because they have acquired soft skills that often help or hinder career advancement. They may be more outgoing, have friendly relationships with other teams, present themselves more professionally, or behave differently than you. Promotion should be based on merit alone, but that’s not the case.
3. Lack of career planning
What promotion do you want? If you’re not sure what your next title will be, it’s time to review your individual progression plan. Where do you want to be in five years, ten years from now, and identify promotions that can help you achieve your goals. By identifying your path to success, you can begin each step of this plan. This approach works especially well in horizontal structures where you may need to advocate for promotion.
4. Lack of initiative
Do you talk in meetings, make suggestions, or give your boss an idea? If you don’t show that you can lead, you will never be promoted. The leader speaks. They come up with new ways of doing things and inspire others to try new things and take on challenging projects.
If you’re nervous about attending a meeting, prepare ahead of time. Know what your thoughts or opinions are, have the necessary facts and figures, and consider any objections ahead of time so you know how to address them.
5. Lack of management support
Does your immediate supervisor support your promotion goals? While it’s not impossible to move forward without their support, the process is much easier if your manager has your back. The best way to start is to schedule an assessment interview and set an agenda ahead of time so you can both be prepared. At the meeting, ask to review your current work, outline your ambitions, and ask about areas you need to improve.
After the meeting, change the way you communicate with your boss and teammates. Communicate clearly and professionally, handle awkward conversations, address obstacles you find, and essentially show your boss that you can lead.
Explore all your options
It could also be that your boss doesn’t like you, or has never seen you in power – in which case your only option may be to leave and grow elsewhere. Here are some suggestions from companies currently hiring…
Want to join one of the largest banking institutions in the world? BNP Paribas is the second largest banking group in Europe, after HSBC, and the ninth largest banking group in the world. It also recruits business analysts and software developers in France.
Booking.com is hiring for several positions in Paris, including a user experience copy manager and a range of software developer roles. If you want to work in one of the world’s largest travel markets, check out other vacancies here.
You can also check out new work from CLIQ Digital. It is a streaming media provider specializing in the direct sale of affordable entertainment products to consumers around the world. The jobs offered are for back-end and front-end developers.
Dozens of companies are currently hiring in every department and at every level in kwgeek’s “Jobs” section – view all opportunities now.