HOW TO GET PROMOTED AT WORK 2022 🚀 7 Steps to get a promotion FAST & advance your career!

So you landed an awesome role at a killer company, and you're hungry to develop professionally, add immense value, and climb the ranks. Kudos to you 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

But promotions don't have a habit of just falling into your lap. Sure, you could leave it to chance and see what happens, but landing that promotion that could change the trajectory of your career is just too damn important to leave to chance, in my opinion. So let's get planning! 

Check out my YouTube video below, or just keep reading! 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

7 steps to get a promotion FAST and advance your career 🚀

1. Get clear on what a job promotion means to you

Before you make the ask, you've got to get clear on what exactly you're asking for. Is it a title or status change? More money? A change in role scope? The opportunity to expand your skill set by moving cross-functionally? What would a promotion look and feel like for you?

The opportunities are vast so you've got to nail down exactly what it is you want so you can be specific about what you're asking for.

2. Understand the rules of the job promotion game

Whether you like it or not, there will always be times when you've got to 'play the game' in the corporate world, and this is one of those times. 

Make sure you understand the HR processes in your company and the key dates throughout the year for performance reviews. More importantly, have a chat to your manager about what it looks like to be a leader, and what deliverables they need to see from you in order to get a promotion.

Make sure you're on the same page, so that when the time comes for your performance review, you'll know you've been showing up as a leader in a way that your manager recognises.

Instead of going in with the mindset of "I deserve it”, try asking yourself “how can I be trusted to add even more value”, because whilst getting a promotion is an amazing achievement for you, it's important to remember that a promotion is the opportunity and responsibility to add even more value to the company! 

3. Work at the level of the promotion you’re after. DON’T JUST WAIT!

What's holding you back? Don't feel like you are confined by your job title. Look at the skills and competencies that future you needs and get one step ahead. In the words of Nike, just do it. 

In addition to showing up as a leader and delivering high-level results, you can also capture wins in what we at Badass HQ like to call a ‘brag bank’. The name pretty much says it all, it's a place for you to spill every single achievement - big or small, they're worth celebrating 🎉

Even if you're not aiming for a promotion, a brag bank is an epic place to collect your weekly wins that you would otherwise forget about!

And before you say it, because I know some of you will, if you don't work in a data-driven role and you're thinking "I don't have any quantifiable results to brag about", try collecting concrete feedback from clients. You can gather this info proactively by sending out a survey once a quarter!

4. Up your visibility to pursue career advancement

I hate to break it to you, but it’s not always the hardest workers that get promoted. A lot of it comes down to the relationships you have and what people say when you’re not in the room, because you could be the hardest worker in the business, but if no one knows who you are then your name isn't going to be thrown in the mix when they're talking about who's getting a promotion. 

I can almost hear all of the introverts running for the hills at the thought of networking 😅 but rest assured, you don't have to be a loud, people loving extrovert in order to build relationships and make yourself known in your workplace!

Building relationships is about lots of little conversations over time. It's as simple as asking how a co-worker's weekend was while you're making a coffee, or seeing how your desk neighbour is getting on with their big project. Try it out, I dare you 😏

5. Filling in gaps is the best way to get a promotion

It's one thing to know you want a promotion, and what you want that promotion to look like, but you've got to ask yourself HOW am I actually going to get there? What's my roadmap from point A to point B?

I recommend designing a business case that outlines where you’re starting and where you need to go. Break it down into steps or milestones you need to achieve in order to reach the end goal. Some of the things you might like to consider are...

• How can I make my strengths shine in the next X months
• Who needs to know about this/what I’m doing?
• What does it look like to exceed expectations?
• What knowledge or skills gaps do I need to address in order to take things to the next level?

6. Ask for the promotion!

Once you're fully prepared, it's time to get in the driver's seat of your career and make shit happen! 

Set up a meeting with your manager and give them some context so they have time to prepare and aren’t taken by surprise. 

Present your desired promotion and show how determined and hungry you are to continue to add value to the company. Emphasise the journey you've been on with the company so far - who were you when you came into the role versus who you are now? How has this professional growth been reflected in the amount of value you bring to your current role?

Give them space to give you feedback and don't get disheartened if you don't get the result you were expecting. You've planted a seed, and instead of walking away with a “no” you can walk away with a “this is what needs to happen."

Getting a promotion is no easy feat. It takes passion, hunger, determination, grit, and resilience. But if I know anything, it's that my community of badasses are high achievers, goal-getters, and driven to achieve career success (whatever that may look like for them), so there's no doubt in my mind that you can go out there and get that promotion! 

Until next time, stay badass ⚡️

Rosie