The last five years have seen unprecedented challenges for professionals wanting to move ahead.
We’ve all seen data (behind the official reports) showing struggling employment recovery and the growth of underemployment.
But there are always advancement opportunities to improve your job situation or get promoted.
In an increasingly competitive market the trick is to maximize your worth or value. Understand what you bring to the table, where the competition sits and position yourself to stand out.
No matter who you are, what is your background, or level of seniority, you can reach higher. But it takes a little understanding, real commitment, a plan and follow-up.
All this is obvious enough, but where do you begin? Depending on your specific needs and situation, there’s a few, very useful avenues of help offered, here:
Here are five tips that reflect current thinking on career planning in today’s market.
A hands-on, lifelong guide that walks managers and execs through the process of identifying essential skills needed to systematically improve promotional opportunities.
Provides 10 sound tips for how to be Mentored and improve your chances for business and career advancement.
Offers a quick review from an executive coach describing how advancement opportunities are harmed by weak executive presence and communication skills.
Provides insightful guidance on how to come on board a new job and immediately begin preparations for future promotion. Good perspective.
A common theme runs through all these recommendations; getting ahead and securing promotions is about self-development. Advancement requires you understand the skills you need, the attitude you must demonstrate and that you then both plan and invest accordingly.
And of course, you should be fundamentally good at your work, too!
Regardless of whether you’re staying put with your current company or needing a move to advance, you should watch out for warning signs in the workplace. If you see troubling characteristics, recognize early-on the real commitment you will need to secure promotion. Such tough circumstances might include:
Little or no growth. In a stagnant environment opportunities will be few. This may show up in weak Sales numbers, low Hiring activity or little Business expansion. Poor growth (often, not always) equates to diminished opportunity.
External hiring preference. It’s an unhealthy sign when new appointees are routinely hired-in; especially troubling when obviously qualified internal candidates exist.
Weak managers aren’t replaced. If poor performers aren’t replaced or moved aside to be more productive, it doesn’t bode well for having a healthy promotion environment.
Cronyism prevalent. Where friends and relatives are taking prime spots and they’re often not great appointees, you should be concerned.
Communication is weak. If the management environment is poor in sharing details of mission, objectives, successes and goals, it often signifies potential for weak people-policies. It could be a struggle moving upwards, here.
Management aloofness. When you feel separated or distant from your management team there may be little help, guidance, incentives and rewards coming your way. It’s better when you’re actively engaged in the workplace and know where you stand.
Even if you find yourself in one of the uninspiring environments above, you can and should still move towards that promotion you desire. Learn what skills that next job entails and develop a plan to upgrade yourself accordingly in preparation.
Unless you’re readied for promotion with skills that you have already prepared, it’s just not likely to happen. Even if the immediate path to that next level is not clear, what you should offer in the value you display usually is. After all, without your preparedness, the opportunities are very unlikely to arrive.
So, get ready and invest for that promotion; Learn, Plan and Prepare!
Ian R. Mackintosh is the author of Empower Your Inner Manager Twitter @ianrmackintosh