We’ve all been there, itching for that promotion at work or keen to build momentum travelling along our chosen career path. But how do you do it? In an increasingly competitive world, how do you get noticed at work and stick your head and shoulders above the rest of your colleagues? This article gives you some career advice in the form of top ten tips for excelling in the workplace and landing that dream promotion.
Be positive
A positive mental attitude will get you a long way towards promotion – be the person in the office that people go to when they need something done or need cheering up. This doesn’t mean you always have to say everything is wonderful, it just means that you should contribute positive thoughts to every situation. Even if you have some reservations about your boss’s new idea in a team meeting, never voice a concern without also giving a positive solution.
This means you will be noticed for creating a happy and productive atmosphere at work, and with the energising new ideas, rather than remembered as the person who points out everything that goes wrong!
Try to keep negative thoughts to yourself or discharge them to friends outside of the workplace. No one wants to go for a coffee break at work and have to listen to their colleague offload all of their stress!
Offer to help others
Work can be a stressful place – sometimes we have a bad day or take too much on. In those moments, everyone remembers the person that steps in and helps you out. To excel at work, you need to be that person! Being a great team player will get you noticed for being kind.
Imagine that you help someone get a report finished in time for a deadline, and then a few months later, they recommend you for a promotion? Build allies in the office and be the name on the tip of everyone’s tongue, the person they think of if they ever want to repay a favour.
Don’t get involved in office politics
The human drama that takes place in workplaces is legendary – and even been the subject of successful sitcoms in the UK and the US ‘The Office’. You probably spend more time with your work colleagues than most of your friends and family, and you go through a lot together. What’s more, you don’t choose them! This means that there are plenty of opportunities for fireworks between office members.
Despite how tempting it might be to join in on a conversation about Bill’s awful new tie, or whether Julia went home with Michael, or whether Matt ever does any work, just… don’t!
Keep your head down at work and then you will never find yourself in any uncomfortable office politics situations, where someone finds out you gossiped about them, or your boss overhears you gossiping rather than working.
Ask for development opportunities
You might have been promised development opportunities when you first took the job, but don’t wait for your boss to offer you them! Sometimes managers forget their promises, as your career development slips to the bottom of the pile with all their other duties.
Managers love it when employees initiate ‘that chat’ about learning new skills, taking on more work or supervising other colleagues. If you take responsibility for your own career, that is one less thing for your manager to take care of, and you will be remembered for it!
The next time your manager is thinking about who to give an exciting career opportunity to, you will be remembered as the one who wants it most!
Go the extra mile
To show that you are ready for a bigger challenge, you must show you are capable of doing more than your everyday job role. Try to add value to every task you undertake at work. For example, if you are asked to do a presentation using the company slides… make the slides better! Or if you are asked to train a new colleague, develop a training package for future.
This will get you a reputation for being someone who goes the extra mile, which means you are more likely to be promoted.
Meet deadlines
It sounds obvious, but as well as going the extra mile, make sure that you are never remembered for being an employee who doesn’t the meet basic milestones! This means, make sure you hand in every piece of work on time and to the highest possible standard. If you aren’t meeting your basic job requirements, you will never be given more responsibility and you will not excel at work. Instead, you may risk demotion or being made redundant!
Make suggestions
You won’t get noticed at work if you stay silent. As much as we all want to kick back and relax in meetings, and as tempting as it is to say nothing, it is so important that you contribute your ideas and suggestions. Be the ideas person that everyone wants around! If you don’t speak up, how will your colleagues know what you can offer?
If you struggle with anxiety or lack confidence in speaking up at work, then consider going on a training course to help you be more assertive at work or get some coaching to overcome any barriers with speaking up. This will help for the rest of your career.
Get to know your colleagues
Although it is important not to gossip at work, it is equally important to get to know the people you work with. Learn what they like to do in their spare time, what their favourite snacks are and the tell-tale signs that they are feeling down. This means that you will be able to support them if they are having a bad day or take part in office conversations. Being a fun, supportive and sensitive colleague that boosts morale will help you get promoted at work. You will be someone your manager wants around!
Know the company
If you want to get ahead in the company you are in, it really helps to know that company inside and out. Don’t just know your own department but make it your business to digest information about the whole package. This means that when you are in meetings or doing your own job, you can link it to the wider company aims!
You could also pitch in ideas on other peoples’ projects, or step in if someone is off sick. Knowing the company will guarantee that you never do something at work that goes counter to the company’s wider interests.
Do training outside of work
To get ahead in the workplace, you might need to put in some additional hours outside of work time. Nothing will impress your boss more than you casually mentioning that extra night course you’ve been taking to improve your skill set. This will not only show them that you are hungry for development opportunities, but it will also help you be better at your job and excel at work!
The right training course will boost your CV, skills and confidence, making it more likely that you will get a promotion. And, if the promotion doesn’t come fast enough for you, then you can use it as career development for that next opportunity in a new company.
We’ve considered ten tips for excelling in the workplace, and I hope they help you with some ideas to support your career developing. If you try all these things and are still not getting noticed, then maybe it is time to change your place of work! Sometimes no matter how hard you try, there are no career development opportunities in your current location, so it is important to keep your options open and be willing to move.
All of the tips listed here have the added bonus that they will help boost your CV and ensure that you get a great reference whatever your next step is!