5 Strategies to Help You Get That Next Promotion

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GUEST BLOGGER

Glenn Bass, Director of Recruiting, SI Placement
Bethesda, MD

There’s more to a job promotion and climbing the career ladder than just simply putting in your time. With more than 15 years of recruiting experience, many of those years recruiting anti-fraud specialists, I’ve heard many instances of disappointment from candidates because they didn’t get that promotion they were expecting. With low unemployment and a very competitive landscape in the workforce, one has to have the mindset that promotions are not a given. Today, you have to create and manage your own career path.      

Given that, here are five strategies to help get you that next promotion:

  1. Be a rock star
    Get in the habit of working hard and delivering superior performance. Think of exceeding expectations every time. A track record of superior performance over several years is extremely convincing to management when it comes to decision making about promoting top performers. 
  2.  Education and certifications matter
    In many instances, a higher level of education and/or certifications are required to move up. If that is the case, then it’s a no brainer; you simply have to obtain them to be considered for a promotion. However, when it’s not a requirement and you show the initiative to earn a graduate degree or your CFE credential, it demonstrates a commitment to your career and profession. Expanding your knowledge and skills sets in areas that are critical to the organization and to the job is a sure way of aligning yourself for a promotion.
  3. There is no I in team
    Today’s current theme throughout many corporations is collaboration. So much work these days is accomplished through teams and cross-functional relationships that you can’t just be an individual contributor and expect a promotion. Having developed skills in working with others is critical. It has become more important than ever to share successes with the team and to avoid casting blame when there are failures.
  4. Communicating up
    Many times nerves get the better of people when speaking with management and executives resulting in what might appear to be shyness or lack of confidence. Unfortunately, this is not a great attribute when looking to be promoted. Being able to express yourself to authority will undoubtedly help you climb that corporate ladder. Speaking up and offering solutions to problems or thoughts in meetings are sure ways of getting recognized and will help position yourself for a promotion. Being both proactive and interactive shows you are interested and invested in the company, and you think of your position as more than just a "job."
  5. Do more
    Help your boss succeed. In a proactive manner, offer help for special projects or tasks. The important thing here is not waiting for your boss to delegate. Demonstrating a concerted effort to help your boss shows that you are loyal and dependable. These are phenomenal traits that can only help your career. 

These are just a few tips that will help align you for your next promotion. One thing is for sure, you can’t just take a back seat to your promotion and think it’s going to magically happen. You have to be proactive and make it happen.

Look for Glenn in the Professional Development Center at the upcoming 29th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference, June 17-22. He, along with other career experts, will be available for strategic work sessions, presentations and roundtable discussions.