Moving up the Career Ladder in Tough Times
In the midst of what is the biggest economic crisis in our lifetime, many of us are worried about job security
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 sure you understand the criteria which is used to evaluate you and the expectations of the decision makers in your organization.
2. Be sure that your boss is successful and that his or her success is recognized by his/her superiors.
3. Establish yourself as the “go to” person when there is a problem or difficult project. Be the one most likely to offer good solutions to tough problems.
4. Be the kind of employee every manager wants; reliable, helpful, goal-oriented, and low maintenance.
5. Seek out the toughest challenges and projects.
6. Good cheer and a positive attitude can take people a long way in the workplace. Never engage in gossip or criticism of colleagues. No exceptions.
7. Learn to accept praise modestly and to share the credit for your successes with others. Even more important; learn to accept and react to criticism without anger or resentment.
8. Never stop developing new skills, especially those that are necessary but rare in your organization and your industry. Ttry to continually increase your value to your employer.
9. Organize yourself to maximize your output. Good organizational skills will be noticed, and will help you accomplish more.
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.
Remember that even if there is no way to move up in your current organization, you never know when an opportunity might present itself. Your task is to be ready when that opportunity comes, be it in your current workplace or in another.
Filed under: Careers