Saturday, December 27, 2008

Winning a Promotion in Bad Economic Times

By Robin Maxwell

With the economy in crisis, and daily news of massive layoffs, many of us are worried about hanging on to our jobs.

It would actually be more constructive for us to be thinking about positioning ourselves for promotion. After all, as there are fewer employees in an organization, those who survive the downsizing often have increased opportunities to move up. Here is how you can be poised for success when those opportunities arise.

1. Be absolutely certain you know what is expected of you and the factors will be in evaluating your readiness for promotion. If in doubt, ask and observe.

2. Do everything you can to ensure the success of your boss. And, share the credit for your successes with him/her.

3. Build a reputation as a problem solver. Never take a problem to a superior without at least one suggestion for solving it.

4. Be reliable. Be on time. Complete assignments ahead of schedule. Be low maintenance.

5. Accept challenges eagerly. In fact, seek them out.

6. Be cheerful and positive, especially in times of crisis. Offer your ideas in a constructive way, without overt or implied criticism of others.

7. Accept praise with humility. Accept criticism without anger or hurt.

8. What skills does your organization need that your colleagues do not have? Developing them will show initiative and greatly increase your value.

9. Do not neglect to take the time to organize yourself. Good organizational skills are always noted and valued. And, the higher up the employment pyramid you go, the more important it is to be well organized.

10. Continue to develop and maintain good relationships with co-workers. Be as helpful to them as possible, and be quick to offer encouragement and praise.

You never know when that next opportunity to move up the career ladder will come or whether it will be in your current workplace or somewhere else. But, by taking the steps above, you can put yourself in a great position to be a serious candidate.

About the Author:

No comments: