Getting to the top of the career ladder isn’t easy.
In today’s competitive work environment, you have to be prepared to work above and beyond the call of duty.
Sometimes working hard can be enough to get you a promotion, but waiting for your efforts to get recognised can sometimes take years.
If you want to get the top fast, you need to be a little more pro-active. Here are some ways that you fast-track your way to the top rung.
1. Educate yourself
Getting an education can sometimes fast-track you into many management roles. This generally must be a business-oriented degree-level qualification, like an online MBA related to your field. There are qualifications out there that can be obtained online such as an online engineering MBA. This might allow you to continue working and earning whilst studying.
2. Gain leadership experience
Having leadership experience can also be favourable to many employers looking to fill a management position. This could be leadership experience in another job or possibly in a club. It could be a leadership position you held at school such as being a prefect or the captain of a sports team. Teaching experience may also be valuable.
3. Get to know the company
If you want to hold a management position in a company, you need to understand the company’s goals. If you’re working your way up from the bottom of the ladder, you need to show an interest in the company’s values. Get involved in company events and ask your manager about the inner workings. You can even suggest improvement ideas to management, but should be careful of doing anything that could be seen as a challenge to their authority. Showing enough enthusiasm could get you noticed and help you get a position in management.
4. Get to know the boss
You don’t need to suck up to your boss, but you may want to try to get on friendly speaking terms. If you don’t get on with your boss or rarely talk to them, it’s unlikely you’ll ever get a promotion. If you feel you’ll never get on with your boss, you may want to consider looking for a job elsewhere.
5. Ask for a promotion
Sometimes you only get things by asking for them. Asking for a promotion can’t do any harm – if your employer says no, they’ll still you view you favourably in the future for showing the initiative to ask. If they say yes, then you’re one rung further up the career ladder.
6. Start your own business
Not everyone likes a career working for someone else. An easy way to fast-track yourself to management position is to start your own business from scratch. This option does take the most amount of work, but is the quickest option. Becoming your own boss allows you to create your own rules and work your own hours. Every good entrepreneur still needs advice and it requires a lot of self-motivation.
