Oftentimes employees believe that their manager will approach them with any internal opportunities. This is not always the case. Managers have a lot on their plate and unfortunately, don’t always have your career development on their minds. Additionally many managers are afraid of losing their talented employees even to a manger within the same company. For these and many other reasons it is up to the employee to manage their own career development. Don’t wait to be tapped on the shoulder, instead inform the hiring manager of your intent to apply.
A = Assess how your skills compare to the requirements of the higher level job.
B = Be mindful of other’s perception of you.
C = Communicate your desire to grow within the organization.
Getting promoted requires that you consistently take steps before a promotion opportunity becomes available. Start by letting your manager and others know that you are willing and able to accept stretch roles. Increase your professional popularity by volunteering to participate and lead special projects. Offer to cross train with someone in a different department and volunteer to take over someone else’s responsibilities if they are out on vacation. Offer to assist your manager with some of his/her projects. And always present yourself professionally (communication, appearance, etc.).
Be careful not to inundate people with your desire to grow.
You will also need to make sure that you, first, master your current role.
Pay attention to your reputation around the workplace. Managers are looking for people who stay out of trouble and make solid, ethical decisions. Tip: Gossiping and bullying in the workplace usually gets back to the manager and taints their image of the employees involved.
Make sure you know the policy for applying to internal positions. It is likely that you will have to go through the same interview process as external candidates. If you have to interview it is helpful to wear a business suit so that you are presenting yourself as professionally as the external candidates. Some companies require that employees be in their current position for a certain amount of time (6 months to 1 year) before they become eligible to apply for internal positions.
Although, depending on the company’s policy, it is not always necessary that you tell your boss that you intend to apply for an internal position you should get an idea of what types of feedback your manager would give if other managers ask them for an internal reference. It is almost inevitable that at some point the new manager or the recruiter will ask your current manager to verify that you are not an “at risk” employee which means that you do not have any discipline or performance issues that would make you ineligible.
Talk to the hiring manager, before you apply, to get an idea of what he/she is looking for. If you don’t have all the skills and experience for the position then offer to cross-train or create a plan as to how you will make up for your lack of experience.
If you are not chosen for the promotion opportunity ask the manager to provide constructive feedback to help prepare you for the next promotion opportunity. You can also ask your own manager to create a development plan for you. Remain positive at all times.
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