Who isn’t impatient to get ahead?
According to a recent national workforce survey conducted by global market research firm IPSOS and the Jack Welch Management Institute, 31 percent of American professionals said they had been passed over for a promotion they felt they deserved — and 43 percent thought about quitting their jobs in the past year due to frustrations at work and limited opportunity for advancement.
While promotions can sometimes be limited by the growth of your organization and other factors outside of your control, there are always ways you can accelerate your climb up the ladder.
Some of Las Vegas’ most successful businesspeople offer these suggestions:
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Be more useful
“Do the job you were hired for, and do it better than what is expected. At the same time, see what else you can assist with while not neglecting your job. Learn some skills that look to be needed and make yourself useful. If you do these things and they are not appreciated, get a promotion by finding another position elsewhere.”
— Leo Bletnitsky, founder and president of LBA Networking Inc./Las Vegas Med I.T.
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Make noise
“Toot your own horn. I know it is hard for some people to promote themselves, but no one else is going to promote you; everyone else is looking out for themselves.”
— Denise L. Signorelli, biology professor at the College of Southern Nevada
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Ask the question
“The first mistake (people) make is not asking the person in charge of promoting them what they need to do to get promoted. It’s such a simple step, but it’s the only way to know. If you go around allegedly ‘working hard,’ you may be working on a whole bunch of stuff that matters not one bit in terms of you qualifying for a promotion. Also, when it comes time for your performance review, you need to be sure that the results you report on are actually results that are meaningful to your company and, specifically, to your boss. ... So, when your boss tells you, ‘You’ll qualify for promotion if your sales percentage is above 50 percent’ you set an example of professionalism in the office. That means being on time every day; you create new processes that reduce shrinkage in the store to a level of 5 percent or less; you type up the minutes to that meeting with your boss and then you email those notes back to him so there’s a written record of what qualifies you for a promotion. When it’s time for your performance review, you then have metrics your boss defined upon which to report. How much more powerful is it to come back to your performance review with a typed-out report listing the metrics your boss defined as meaning success in your role, along with the results of how you performed?”
— Regina Ford, vice president of diversity and inclusion at Caesars Entertainment Corp.
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Self-Promote
“Be a self-promoter and a (restrained) cheerleader. You don’t have to go overboard and become narcissistic or self-indulgent in shouting your own praises. But you do need to let people know about why you are such a valuable asset to your employer.”
— James Thomas Tucker of law firm Armstrong Teasdale
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Stand out
“I remember when I went to club volleyball tryouts and my high school coach told me to wear bright colors or something noticeable on my shirt, because hundreds of the other girls would be wearing black shorts and white tops. I’ve always thought about this at work. It’s not good to stand out by what you wear per se, but by your work ethic — going above and beyond for the business. Always be available to your manager and present solutions, not problems. Jump in when challenges present themselves.”
— Stephanie Mohr, director of customer care at SolarCity
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Deserve it daily
“Employees are on a stage every day, whether they realize it or not. Getting that promotion is a matter of proving it’s deserved through everyday interactions. When the time comes to formally ask, it requires little convincing.”
— Latoya Bembry, public relations director at the Ferraro Group
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Don’t take advantage
“I’ve had some employees use other work ‘offers’ to try to force or strong-arm a promotion when they know their employer is in a precarious situation in regards to its workforce. That is short-sighted. Even if they get the promotion, their days are numbered at the current job because no one enjoys being taken advantage of.”
— Judah Zakalik, partner at Peters & Associates
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Remember the bigger picture
“Remain connected to the ultimate objectives of the organization. By linking your work to meeting company objectives, your contributions will be more meaningful. It is important to understand how you fit into the bigger picture. Don’t compete with your peers in the organization; focus your energy on winning in the marketplace.”
— Micah E. Phillips, executive vice president and marketing director at Nevada State Bank
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Be involved
“Consider the company’s interest as much as your own. Present the problems or challenges you see impeding the company, and then be involved in presenting solutions. I look at this as ownership of the part that you play in the success of the company.”
— Lydia Wyatt, DDS
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Go above and beyond
“A strong work ethic is crucial. Always go above and beyond. People want to know that you are the kind of independent leader that they want on their team. Be the type of worker that works just as hard when no one is watching.”
— Tya Mathis-Coleman, director 1 at the Clark County School District
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Beat the clock
“It’s not just what you do between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. that will help you get the promotion. Often, it is what you do before 8 a.m. and after 5 p.m. that will set you apart and help get the promotion. Spending time on your own to become more knowledgeable regarding your profession, developing relationships that will help bring in new business or better serve customers and clients, or working on a charitable board all show initiative and position you to advance in your career.”
— Chris Wilcox, tax partner at Eide Bailly Las Vegas
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Perform well
“First, they have to be good at the job they’re doing. They must be dependable, enjoy learning, accept responsibility for the job they do now, ask good questions, and take on more responsibility to prepare for the next job.”
— Finley Cotrone, assistant professor and director of enrollment management at UNLV’s William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration