Lots of the women that I work with reach out to me in the first place because they’re feeling stuck at work. They want to get promoted but they feel like they’re being overlooked.
And they don’t know why.
It’s frustrating and demoralising. And when it keeps happening, that drip drip effect soon starts to wear down your confidence.
Today then I’m sharing some of my best tips that I share with the women who work with me.
And if reading this makes you realise that you’d love to have some hands-on support and careers advice uniquely tailored to your personal situation, find out how to work with me here. There’s no need to commit to a lengthy coaching programme. You can book a simple one-off 60 minute session with me.
How to get promoted and not get overlooked
Make your work visible
It’s not enough to work hard to get good results. Your work needs to be visible. Many of us really struggle with this one because we don’t want to be seen as boasting or self-aggrandising.
When you were at school, working hard got you good grades. But it doesn’t work like that in the office.
In the workplace you need to make your results visible. Ensure that your manager and your manager’s manager sees you and your work. Yes it’s self-promotion however I want you to think of it as ‘increasing your visibility’.
Quite frankly most managers are too busy to notice who’s doing good work. They’ll remember who TELLs them they’re doing good work. That’s what you need to do too.
Lift your team’s performance
One of the ways you get noticed is when your whole team is doing brilliant work.
You can support your team to lift their performance through coaching. If you’re not confident in your coaching skills, check out my Confident Conversations podcast in which I share three simple tools that will help you use coaching skills to lead more confidently.
Coaching your team doesn’t mean giving your team all the credit. It’s important that you recognise and acknowledge your role as the leader of your team. But when you lift your team’s performance, that has a positive impact on your own performance and promotion prospects.
Do more networking at the level you aspire to
How often do you go networking? I be it’s not enough. For some reason, women get uncomfortable about networking.
In order to get promoted, you need to do more networking at the level that you aspire to.
That could be networking internally within your organisation or at external events.
Not only is it good for your profile but you’ll get fabulous new insights and fresh perspective on the challenges that you face.
Express your ambitions
Don’t assume that your manager knows that you want to get promoted. Be explicit. Express your ambitions. Ask for the promotion.
There’s no perfect time to ask for promotion. Some organisations will only consider promotions as part of the annual review; others have a more ad hoc approach.
Find out what’s normal in your organisation. Tell your manager that you want promotion. If she thinks you’re not ready yet, ask “How will you know when I’m ready?” so that you know what you need to work towards.
Take responsibility for your own growth
I have had brilliant opportunities through some of my previous employers in terms of personal development and technical training.
Not everybody’s employer does this or does it well.
However at the same time, I have always taken responsibility for my own growth. Your employer will have a vested interest in funding certain types of development.
When you take responsibility for your own growth, it broadens your horizon. You can take classes, attend conferences, read books, listen to podcasts, get involved with user groups … there’s so much you can do.
Invest in your career
If your career is important to you, it’s worth investing in it. Investment doesn’t have to be expensive – for example a Get Promoted Power Hour with me is only £99. When you invest in coaching, you might pay anything from £1000 upwards. However think about the return on investment when you get the promotion and the pay rise that goes with it.
Or the confidence to negotiate a much higher starting salary if you decide to move on.
Investment doesn’t just have to be financial in the form of training or coaching.
It is also about investing your time – time to go to events after hours, time to attend networking events, time to watch a TED talk, time to read a personal development book.
What one thing could you do today to invest in your career?
Check you are doing work that the business values
One of the exercises I sometimes do with the women I work with, is to map out the work you do and the value it offers to the business.
A really powerful exercise when I work with business owners is the Value-Joy-Profit triangle. Where do your clients get the best value; what brings you the most joy; what gives you the most profit. The sweet spot is where those three (value, joy and profit) meet.
Your career needs a similar map.
What does the business most value about the work you do? What work brings you the most joy? What pays you the most?
Get those three balanced and the sweet spot is in the middle.
And THIS is often where women get it wrong. We’re so focused on doing ‘good work’ that we sometimes don’t see that we’re doing work that the business doesn’t value.
Don’t get caught up being too busy doing work that the business doesn’t value. Because if it’s work that the business doesn’t value, they won’t value your results, no matter how exceptional they are.
Getting promoted
Getting promoted might not be easy. It requires dedication, commitment and investment. However put these top tips into action, and you’ll soon find that you’re no longer being overlooked and you’re setting yourself up for promotion success.
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p.s. If you want to invest in your career and you’re ready for some hands-on support, I will make this super easy for you. Book a one-off Get Promoted Career Power Hour for just £99. And absolutely no ongoing commitment.
What you’ll get is 60 minutes of focused time with the UK’s leading career confidence coach. And I promise I’ll give you my very best practical and straight-talking careers advice so that you come away with a realistic action plan to stop getting overlooked and get promoted instead. It might take courage and resilience but it will be the best £99 you’ve invested for a long time.
Book here today. (Daytime and evening appointments available).
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