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How to get promoted at work

Written by: ICAEW Jobs
Published on: 28 Mar 2022

For anyone that’s looking to get promoted at work, they need to make sure that they impress the key decision makers at the company. It’s crucial that you have an excellent track record in your current job, which makes it easier to land that promotion you’ve wanted. 

Getting a promotion at work requires more than just hard work, you need to go above and beyond in your current position. By showing the decision makers in your performance reviews that you’ve got the potential to land a senior-level role in the company, it’ll increase your chances of securing that promotion. 

Our latest blog gives you some tips on how to get promoted at work, which can help with your long-term career goals and career path in your working life. 
 

Woman giving presentation to colleagues

Pic: Alena Darmell, Pexels

 

Find opportunities to get noticed by your boss at work  

You’ve performed extremely well in your current job, successfully managing projects. When you approach your boss, you want to present your case by outlining why you deserve to be promoted from an entry-level position to a more senior role. 

One way of doing this is to actively look and find opportunities to get noticed by your boss at work. Whether that’s through making constructive comments in team meetings or joining and participating in work-related groups and projects outside of your job, they can all play a part in helping you land that promotion. 


Be a team player when solving problems 

At work, you may find that your company has some issues trying to figure out why some departments are overspending their monthly budgets. Being a team player when figuring out these problems can have a positive impact not just towards getting promoted at work, but also with the team’s morale. 

Providing constructive criticism, thinking outside the box and looking for ways to solve problems can be beneficial to fellow colleagues at work. Utilising these problem solving skills and adding value to the company’s bottom line can show to your boss that you have  potential to be promoted to a higher level job position. 


Avoid participating in office politics  

It can be tempting to get involved in office politics, although it can do more harm than good when working to get that promotion at work. Not only can office politics affect your career,  it can also ruin relationships you’ve built with team members over a long period of time. 

By staying away from gossip and office politics, it’ll not only benefit you, but also your fellow team members. You’ll be seen by the decision makers inside the company as a dependable and trustworthy employee, making it easier at work to land that promotion. 


Demonstrating leadership skills in your job 

For senior-level accounting professionals, making that next step into an executive role requires demonstrating your leadership skills. Improving how you manage and lead teams with projects can make a big difference to your promotion prospects. 

  

Performing well with projects and taking advantage of leadership opportunities are a few things that can help improve your chances of securing a work promotion. By putting these leadership skills into practice, you’ll have presented a strong case to your boss that you’re ready to move from your current department to a management role.  


Ask fellow team members how you can improve  

Even if you are doing an excellent job in your current role at work, there’s always going to be gaps in your skills and knowledge that you need to fill in. By asking fellow team members and your boss how you could improve in your job, you can get better at handling feedback from colleagues without being defensive. 

Once you’ve applied that feedback into the work you do, you have a strong base for presenting your job promotion case to your boss. Highlighting your achievements and  commitment to advancing your career in accounting can help promote you from your current position to a new role in the company you work for. 


Conclusion 

Getting promoted at work is not an easy task. By using some of the tips we’ve listed in this blog, it’ll help when it comes to securing that dream job you’ve envisioned since you were a child.  

For any accounting professional who is looking to take the next step in their career, have a look at our job listings and careers advice on our website.