Career Advice:

Climbing the Corporate Ladder

You still have the same position, same title, same salary after all of the hard work you have put in. You did everything right, worked overtime, attended seminars and meetings, have never been tardy and always did everything that was required of you and then some. You could manage your own manager! Still you are stuck in the same spot. Here's what you can do to change all that and get your career moving along to where you want and deserve to be.

Learn, Learn, Learn
As far as the position you currently have goes, you have to learn all that you can. Expand your skills in every conceivable way, even if the skill is not directly related to your current position. The more knowledge you have under your belt, the more leverage you have in negotiating that promotion when the time comes.

Go Beyond the Call of Duty
Take on new responsibilities whenever you possibly can and volunteer for whatever new work opportunities that may come up. Not only does this expand your horizons and your knowledge base, by taking on additional responsibilities while still actively and successfully completing your own duties you will call attention to yourself and your abilities. Managers notice this kind of thing and it proves to them that you are ready, willing and able to move on to bigger and better things.

What Are You Worth?
Do a little research and find out what the competition and other companies within your industry are paying for people of your stature. Reevaluate all of your accomplishments while with the company. Estimate how your work has brought in business as well as the time and money you have saved the company within your projects. In other words, estimate what you are worth to your company. You should also gather all memos, emails, etc that relate to your accomplishments and successes.

Make Your Move
Many people are afraid of seeming pushy or fear getting rejected and therefore shy away from taking the initiative to approach their managers about a promotion and instead wait to be noticed. Chances are you have been noticed but your manager has not taken the steps to do anything about it. After all, you aren?t the only employee he has to manage and he may not be focused on you completely. You have to step up and demand to be noticed. When you enter his office, be prepared to show how you can a fill a void by retaining a promotion. This will definitely increase your chances of being promoted. Also, get straight to the point. Don?t stammer or make small talk. Make it quick and state clearly exactly what you are looking for. Then listen. Think about where your boss is coming from and exactly what he thinks about your situation. You can learn a lot about how your boss feels about you, regardless of whether or not you get what you are looking for. You may not get what you are looking for even after all of your hard work, but your boss will remember your conversation and the next time a position becomes available, he may think of you first.