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Promotions: What’s Getting in Your Way?

So you’ve worked at your current company for a handful of years and think you deserve a promotion. Unfortunately, if you are like many, you get passed by when promotions come around, and you just can’t figure out why. Are you missing in experience or skills? Probably not. What could you be doing to make yourself look more attractive as a job candidate for your company? Below, we take a closer look at the common pitfalls of employees turned down for promotions.

1.  Growth- If you are like many employees struggling to get ahead in your current position, you may wonder      why-if your employer knows you want to move up and grow with the company-they would not consider you      for a promotion. That’s just it. Unless you tell your boss that you want to grow with the company, they are      going to assume that you are just as content to stay in your current role with the same salary. Make sure      to speak up and let your employer know that you want to succeed with the company, and you are willing to      work hard to do it.

                                                                  2.  Competition-When it comes to getting ahead in your current job,                                                                        it will always involve competing with someone to get there.                                                                        Perhaps it is not as direct as a leg race but working hard every                                                                        day and showing your skills will make you look more valuable and                                                                        worthy of a promotion than your coworker who doesn’t try as                                                                        hard. Also, it is wise to remember that though you may feel like                                                                        friends with some of your coworkers, this does not mean that                                                                        they will not actively compete with you for a promotion, so be                                                                        vigilant and focus on your success.

                                                                  3.  Candidacy-One of the most common misnomers about employees                                                                        who miss out on promotions at work is that they just assume                                                                        that their employers know how hard they work and that they                                                                        have all the skill sets for the job or a move up. This is only                                                                        sometimes true. At large companies, it can be hard to keep track                                                                        of all employees in all departments, unless there is an incident                                                                        that stands out in the boss’ mind to make you stand out. This is                                                                        why you have to bring it to their attention directly. Arrange a                                                                        meeting or get an interview for the promotion and explain all that you do and why this makes you the perfect person for the promotion. You must be able to toot your own horn-because who else will?

4.  Extend Your Network- Another key issue when looking to get that promotion at work is that many      employees-especially at larger companies-concentrate all their efforts and networking in their own      department. Why? Because it is way easier! The wise thing to do is to make friends and network      throughout different departments with coworkers and other department superiors. The more people you      involve in your world at work, the more likely you are to not only have better references, but also have a      finger on the pulse of who’s hiring and which departments are looking to promote.

5.  Human Resources- Necessary to knowing the promotions and positions that become available before they      have passed you by, is to keep in touch with your HR department. Typically, your HR department will keep      regular listings on which positions are open for application. Moreover, if you make friends with a couple      people in the HR office, you are more likely to know the positions sooner than your coworkers, which gives      you more prep time and a better chance of obtaining that promotion.