It doesn’t matter what field you have forged your career in, there will be times when you want to leap up the next rung of the ladder. Trying to secure a promotion is difficult when you find yourself wallowing in the same role for a few years, and you haven’t undertaken any professional development since you graduated from college. However, all is not lost. With determination and perseverance, and by following these simple steps, you can find yourself in a higher earnings bracket and enjoying the new challenges that a promotion can bring.
Put The Feelers Out
Networking can feel a bit foreign to those individuals who are more introverted and retrained at work. Putting the feelers out and letting your employers, colleagues and other industry insiders know that you are looking to broaden your career horizons can pay dividends. If you are a valued employee, your boss may endeavor to do everything within his or her power to ensure that you remain with your current company. It is not unheard of for companies to even create brand new positions to accommodate a seemingly irreplaceable employee.
Offer to take on more responsibility, prove your worth and get networking at industry events. While it may feel a little arrogant to blow your own trumpet, you need to go about selling yourself to secure a pay raise.
Skill Up
If you want a pay raise, you will have to offer something valuable to any future employer. By undertaking an industry specific qualification such as an MBA or an MSN program online, you are honing your skills and developing your talents for a niche market. You could even enroll in some more informal soft skill sessions in-house or in your own time to enhance your listening, communication or leadership skills.
While qualifications look great on paper, you also need the knowledge, charisma, and confidence to match. Explain at interview how you’ve utilized new methodologies within the workplace and demonstrate how much impact you have had in your current role. You want to leave any potential employer with the impression that they need you working within their company.
Applications
Don’t make the mistake of applying to every job you see and sending off the same standard job application for each role. Scatter-gunning could result in you applying for roles that you haven’t researched and wouldn’t even accept if you were offered them. You need to make a bespoke application for each position you think you are ideal for. Talk about the company, address the cover letter to a named person and explain how you can benefit the company and not the other way around. A well crafted application will get your foot through the door and give you the chance to shine at interview.
Applying for a job when you’ve been out of the game for a while and trying to secure a promotion is tough in a competitive job market. However, by following this advice, you will have every chance of securing a pay raise.
No Comments