5 Tips For Getting Promoted In 2011

Promotions are not just handed out arbitrarily. Employees who achieve are the ones who take action, who take matters into their own hands. In other words, promotions have to be earned not by completing your baseline expectations, but by showing initiative.

Showing initiative and actively striving to improve your work skills will invariably improve your work life in the process. Since 2011 is nearly upon us, what better time than now to start gearing up to make a much bigger splash in the New Year. To that end, we have put together five tips that will help you earn that promotion in no time.

5 Tips For Getting Promoted In 2011:

Tip #1. Keep Track Of Goals - Looking at the company's goals and your personal goals each morning is a great way to stay on top of what it is you hope to achieve in your career (beyond making a profit). When developing your personal goals, we recommend having a coworker review them and provide constructive criticism. You might even want to ask your supervisor to look at them.

Tip #2. Go Above And Beyond - There is a reason there are countless articles written about proactive employees. The people who go above their pay grade's expectations are the ones who get noticed. Dedication is a highly valued virtue. For example, something as simple as being the first one into work and the last one out will help make a name for yourself.

Tip #3. Seek More Responsibility - If you find your daily responsibilities no longer challenge you, speak up. Go to your supervisor and express an interest in contributing more to the company. They might not dole out more responsibility to you right away, but they will certainly take notice of your interest, and sooner or later you will undoubtedly find yourself juggling more and standing out as a result.

Tip #4. Assert Your Confidence - Confidence is an amazing, powerful quality. A lot of people are uncertain about displaying confidence in fear that it will be interpreted as arrogance. But when you know what you're doing and are sure of your skills and talents, there's nothing wrong with being assertive about it. Identifiable confidence is the trademark of a strong employee or leader.

Tip #5. Strive For Self-Improvement - Success in the business world demands adaptation. You need to be constantly learning in order to improve your existing skills. One way to go about this is to start a mentoring program with your boss or even the CEO. You could also hit the books again, so to speak, and take training classes. Whatever method you choose will send a clear message to your peers about your attitudes towards work.

Executive Summary: If you are serious about your professional life and want to achieve your aspirations, you need to take action. Organize your thoughts in goal form, push yourself to do more than what's expected of you in the work place and display your knowledge and expertise with confidence. Show your boss and your peers how invested you are in your job by showing initiative and dedication. Trust us, there's no faster way to a promotion than following these tips.