Want a Promotion in 2018? Send Your Boss the Right Signals

January 2, 2017 in Career and Job Search Tips

 

 

New Year’s resolutions come in all shapes and sizes.

There’s the good: Spend more time with people I love.

The bad: Eat more fried food.

And the downright bizarre: Learn a new parlor trick and show it off at my next work party.

But regardless of a resolution’s merit, once the clock strikes midnight, it’s typically forgotten and “swept under the rug” like so much confetti.

If you’ve resolved to land a promotion in 2018, how can you start strong – and increase your chance of success?

First, read this post on moving beyond a career plateau. Then, look at yourself through your boss’s eyes. Do you present yourself as someone who is “coasting” – or driven to get ahead? Positive – or jaded? A team player – or entirely self-serving? Make sure you’re consistently sending your boss the right signals – so he thinks of you as “highly promotable”:

Communicate positively.

The way you talk and write about your organization, your colleagues, your workload and the food & beverage industry speaks volumes about how seriously you take your career. From the way you address co-workers in meetings, to the way you reference your employer on social media, consider how positive – or negative – your messaging is. If you want to get promoted, focus on intentional, positive communication across channels.

Push your own boundaries.

Most professionals do their jobs well. To show you’re worthy of promotion, you should do more to set yourself apart:

  • Volunteer for stretch assignments or to work on inter-departmental project teams.
  • Tackle jobs nobody else wants to do.
  • Look for solutions to your food & beverage organization’s problems.
  • Challenge yourself to learn a new skill (especially if it pushes you outside your comfort zone).

As you take on more, keep track of your additional responsibilities, new skills and measurable accomplishments. When the time is right, you’ll have an organized, written list of ways you’ve gone above and beyond to share with senior managers.

Make your intentions known.

Even if you’re sending subtle signs that you want to level up, don’t assume that your boss understands your intentions. Many successful food & beverage professionals are perfectly content in their current role, and your boss may (mistakenly) include you in this group.

So if you’re gunning for a promotion, and you’ve been putting in the hard work to warrant one, don’t be afraid to ask for it. Just make sure you go about it the right way:

  • Have something specific in mind. If you don’t have a definitive job title to propose, at least have a good idea of the types of responsibilities you’d like to take on (and why the promotion is the next logical step in your career progression).
  • Be ready to explain the reasons why you deserve a promotion. If you’ve been keeping track of the ways you’ve gone above and beyond (see above), you’ll be all set on this front.
  • Strike the right balance of humility and confidence. While you definitely want to put your best foot forward when approaching your boss, be careful not to cross the line from confident to cocky. Remember: your boss doesn’t “owe” you a promotion; you need to earn it.

Are you seeing signs that it’s time to move on?

If you’ve hit a plateau in your current organization and can’t make a step up internally, it might be time to make a move. Experts in food & beverage career management, Kinsa’s team of professional food & beverage recruiters can help you seize the right opportunity by:

  • providing access to unadvertised positions;
  • helping you assess your strengths, weaknesses and interests – to facilitate your long-term career development;
  • representing you confidentially to potential employers;
  • assessing your job offers to identify the best options for your career growth;
  • supplying the career guidance, resume feedback and interview assistance you need.

Ready to take the first step? Search professional food & beverage jobs here or submit your resume to Kinsa today.