Day 3: Identify the opportunities. This post is part of Forbes’ Career Challenge: Position Yourself For A Promotion In 15 Days.
One of the most important steps to landing a promotion is knowing what roles you can be promoted into. Some companies have very clearly defined paths. In my very first job as a management consultant, the path to a promotion was obvious: you started as a team member on a project, managed projects, managed client relationships and finally developed your own client relationships.
However, you might work in a company that doesn’t have a clearly laid-out path. You might be the only person doing your job, so it’s not obvious where you belong or what else you could be doing. You might be in a group of just two—you and your boss—and lobbying for a promotion could be perceived as mutiny!
Here are seven places to look for promotion opportunities:
1. Ask your boss.
If your boss is supportive of your professional development, devote some time during your regular check-ins to discuss your career path. Don’t assume that your boss knows you’re interested in taking on more responsibility. Don’t assume that your boss will automatically bring up a promotion when they think you’re ready. Ask your boss what the logical next step is for you. Ask what the timetable is for that step and what you need to do to prove you’re ready.
2. Ask your mentor.
If your company doesn’t have a clear promotion ladder, then your boss may not know the right next step for you. They may not be aware of what else is available in the company. If you have a mentor elsewhere in the company who knows your work and your career goals, tap their counsel on how you can get more responsibility, higher title or both. At the very least, your mentor can ask around on your behalf to see what other departments, regional offices or even subsidiaries of the company might be hiring if there is nothing available in your location.
3. Ask around.
Speaking of asking around, you can do that yourself (though do so cautiously, especially if you’re not sure how your manager will react to the news that you’re looking for another role). If you have peers in other groups, find out what they’re working on and if there might be a bigger role there for you. If your company has affinity groups or employee resource groups, these can be great platforms for meeting people across the company. Don’t assume that only senior people know about senior roles—the plugged-in assistant who knows what everyone is working on might know about a new project or client looking for a leader.
4. Don’t forget about former colleagues.
Asking around your organization can help you glean useful insight into how the company works and what projects and roles are out there that fit your promotion aspirations. Former colleagues, especially those who've only recently departed, could also have useful information and may be more candid and willing to share. Former colleagues won’t be competing with you for these jobs. If they are ahead of you in their careers, they may even open up about their attempts at getting promotions and help you avoid their mistakes.
5. Review press releases for business developments.
Word of mouth isn't the only way to find out about promotion opportunities. Look at press releases, internal memos and other information about business developments within the company. Maybe there isn’t a formal job out there, so it’s not yet on anyone’s radar. If you see that the company is opening a new location or launching a new product or doing something that could use your background in a bigger role, then you might find a promotion opportunity before it’s even officially an open role.
6. Look at recent hires.
Another tip that there might be additional opportunity is recent hiring in an area. Let’s say that you’re in marketing, and you see the group has brought in a new head of lead generation. Formerly, the head of growth managed lead generation, but now this responsibility is being broken out and delegated to a new team member. Maybe that new teammate needs a manager. The new hire might come with their own team in mind, or they might come in and observe for a few months while figuring out exactly how to build out a team. In those few months, you could get to know that new hire and be top-of-mind as they build out their team.
7. Trade a smaller company for a bigger role.
Several of my former clients have moved from division-level management at large companies to executive titles at smaller companies. While it’s rare to move into a higher title by moving to a similar competitor, when you move to a smaller or less established company, you can often trade that shift in size or brand for a bigger role. If you are stymied in your attempts to move up within your current company, you may have to look outside.
Ready for the next challenge? Click here for Day 4: Consider the timing.
Miss a challenge? Click here for Day 2: Define your dream scenario.
