Moving Higher Up in the Company: Why It's Not that Hard

Wondering why you didn't get that promotion? Or why Mr. Slick over here who joined the company just 6 months ago is ready to take your spot? Having to always look over your shoulder to secure your job status is never a good feeling. What happened to the days when good old hard work would give you tons of job security? The times have changed; companies are running more and more on an image, something that you will have to develop along with your sense of responsibility and your ability to do your job well. Here are some ways to crash your career through that glass ceiling:

Be Somebody

This one goes without saying - if your peers all know of you, sooner or later your boss will, and when it comes time to ask for that raise or promotion, he or she will have heard about you around the office (hopefully good things). Attend company picnics, meetings, whatever you can get your hands on. Be sure to get to know anyone and everyone in the company rather than just your colleagues and your supervisor. A company is composed of many more decision makers than your immediate supervisor, so make sure to have an influence around the other circles as well. If you give to the company in ways besides doing your job well, you are sure to have good things come back in time - sad to say it but promotions based solely on merit and achievement doesn't work that well (although this doesn't mean you can sweet talk your way into anything).

This goes without saying that the people who will determine your promotion should know of your newfound status. By letting them know that you would like to have a promotion or work higher up, you are expressing where you would like to be and where you see yourself later on, and they should understand that very well.

Interviews all Over Again

A lot of times (but not all the time), companies will have more than one person trying to move up at the same time, and in order to base the promotion on something like that of a job interview rather than the boss just choosing a person, you may be subject to an interview in which you will have to compete against your own colleagues and possibly other candidates from outside companies.

If the place you work for follows this pattern for promoting employees within the workplace. Make sure to take these seriously, as if you were being interviewed for a new job all over again. Don't treat it as a "I work here already so I have status" thing; your company may very well reject your application in favor of someone who is younger and smarter.

If you have been good to the company for some time and have done your job well, this could very well be your chance to "get known." Your supervisors will think that even though you have been here for some time, you are still willing to treat each new opportunity with sincerity and approach something as trivial as an inner-company interview with such diligence - you may very well deserve this promotion.

Broaden Your Horizons

If you work for a big corporation that handles a lot of situations at a time, you may very well be needed for your flexibility. More and more employees are learning all kinds of new skills that can prepare them for an array of different types of jobs - in other words they are ready for more than one opportunity. If you feel that your skill sets are a bit narrow, volunteer to go to different training sessions or work on a project not exactly related to what you were hired for. Of course, you will still need to do your own job well, but it couldn't hurt to become an employee that will someday be able to handle so many situations that the company will in 1000 years not think about releasing you. Someone that indispensable to a company will always be sought after (even though it is not explicitly stated); you can work your way into any position you want.

Develop a Silver Tongue

Learn to give compliments as you talk to your superiors. Many experienced complimenters apply their touches by saying something that is specifically meant for the person they are talking to (say, their boss). A simple "good job" or "good work" will no longer suffice, as it has been heard so many times that the meaning is drowned out. An employee who knows how to compliment his boss must utilize language in a way that only the boss can relate to. For example, if a deal was just closed out with a foreign manufacturing company, you can say something like "Mr. Smith, the way you handled that situation was great - I thought the deal was done for until I heard that you had developed a new assembly model line and they were pleased to hear about it."

Take that little bit of extra effort to structure a nice compliment around something that is personal to your supervisor. Even so, remember to not make it fake or strained in any way. Bosses that are experienced in what they do probably have a built in lie-detector. It's that effort to know a little bit more about the company and the supervisor in general that will really strike a chord in his or her heart. Next time you ask about that salary raise or that promotion, they won't be so quick to say no.

There's probably a reason you've worked so hard and haven't gone anywhere. Try to uncover what exactly those divisions you are lacking in are, and try to shape your niche into something that is well known and well liked by your bosses and peers alike (but mainly your boss).