Getting a promotion

“Plenty of men can do good work for a spurt and with immediate promotion in mind, but for promotion you want a man in whom good work has become a habit.”

------ Henry Doherty

A promotion opens the door to increased income, career advancement and experience. With rising costs of living and difficulties in meeting various expenditures, a promotion is a welcome development. But it is not easy to get; you have to be inspired to work and strong-minded in your approach.

How do you go about in getting that coveted elevation in your organization? Here are some tips:

·   Make your value known:  A promotion is just not possible without the endorsement of your boss. You have to create a favourable impression on him and convince him about your adeptness and sincerity. This can be done if you work hard and complete all assignments to the satisfaction of all and in best organizational interests. You could do this by working behind the curtain also, but it is necessary to get noticed and let your knack stand out. If your boss is witness to your hard work, he will definitely be impressed. And to impress him properly, besides being systematic in your approach, you need to also delegate responsibilities to juniors. All this may turn out to be nerve-racking, but you should be able to work under stress and strain as well. You have to establish your credibility and make your value known to be rewarded.

·   Boost the boss’ image as well:  You should not restrict your efforts in boosting your image only. You need to do so for the boss as well. This can be done if you apply yourself diligently to your work and adopt a positive attitude towards it. During routine conversations, he can be also spoken about for his abilities and that it is a great working experience to be part of his team. If an opportunity is afforded, you could team up with him for a special assignment. The crux of the matter is to endeavour to provide your best output; if you are noticed, your boss will feel good and will be more than willing to recommend a rise for you.

·   Be candid to ask for a promotion:  There is no harm in making your demand for a promotion known. You can seek an appointment with your boss and convince him that you have been working hard and to the satisfaction of all; and hence deserve a promotion. Remember that the reasons that you offer should be accurate, truthful and based on corroborated by factual information. You have to be persuasive and perceptive at the same time; the other person should also recognize your zeal to improve your skills. Normally, promotions are announced in bulk, but if you ask for one, you may get one subject to your boss being appreciative of you.

·   Project your image:  The best way to be included in a promotion list is by exerting yourself and giving more than the usual to your company. You need to go beyond your assigned charter of responsibilities to be acknowledged as a good employee. You have to work your way up and demonstrate that you really deserve a promotion. You could volunteer for additional responsibilities and even ask your boss if you could be of any assistance in his work. Of course, helping out your colleagues will always help you in getting recognized. There is no harm in occasionally staying after office hours once in a while to help others; but the most important aspect is to be punctual at all times.

A promotion is invariably accorded to those who toil the maximum and create for the company with what it requires to grow. And if your efforts help in generating profits, the better chance you have to be acknowledged and get a promotion.

You should not forget that your enthusiasm will always be the engine of your success. Remember that you were taken in by your company because you met their expectations; you need to surpass them to deserve a promotion.

What should my maiden job be?

A job does not imply an obligation for the next four decades. You should wait until you know all facts before forming an opinion about any possible career option. A truthful self-evaluation should also be conducted; besides helping you to generate a credible resume, it will prepare you to lever situations when you apply for jobs and during interviews. Therefore, it is essential that you:

·   Research and be aware about the assortment of career paths existing. 

·   Appreciate your capabilities, inadequacies and aspirations.

·   Have the ability to go with your handiness vis-à-vis the prospects ahead of you.

·   Be sentient to your prevailing state of affairs, domestic influences and liabilities. 

A plush job to start with is not possible. But you have to start somewhere down below, notwithstanding that you may have a string of degrees or diplomas attached to your name. You will have to gear up progressively to attain a position that you may be aspiring for. If this be so, you should always be on the lookout for occasions to talk with friends and associates; and in the process, get to know the plethora of openings that may exist.

To be able to get a toehold, your experience, albeit short or temporary will definitely count. Moreover, such experience will never be a restraining factor for you to shift elsewhere. Your prospective employer would see it as a manifestation of your drive and determination.

You should keep your wits about and try to find out about job openings; and evaluate your suitability for them. To know more about what various qualitative requirements that prospective employers may be looking for, you must maintain regular liaison with your network or administrative department in case you are in a contractual appointment. Remember that even a temporary job can be transformed into a permanent one. Therefore, you should create the right impact because even if you are not there, your organization would surely recall your name whenever a post falls vacant.   

Sooner or later, you should be able to identify a field of work or type of organization that strikes a chord with you. Thereafter, you should embark upon a job hunt. Here again, success may evade you initially, but your efforts will be rewarding in themselves even if you are able to shoot out letters to prospective employers to solicit information about unpublicized positions.   

The crux of the matter is that you can be selective about the company you join. The factors that should prompt you towards this could well be its proprietorship, workforce strength, work ethics, administrative configuration and training facilities provided. Different people have different preferences; so you ought to decide what you want. While on job hunt, you should peruse each want ad carefully and weigh each prospective employer in the light of the following aspects so that you are able to perceive their good and bad points:

·   Details:  Does the advertisement talk explicitly about your charter or does it simply give a broad brush to what you would be expected to do? A good company would provide all possible details about it and your definite responsibilities.     

·   Exclusions:  You should be able to make out gaps in the information provided; they could be deliberate or inadvertent. It is a known fact that companies do not elucidate details in recruitment adverts. Therefore, you should ascertain all organizational information from the internet and through interaction with friends and acquaintances.

·   Approach:  Just as you want to be captured through your resume, so should be the company’s aim through any advertisement. Does its advertisement strike your consideration? You should be able to discern the seriousness of the organization, both in the projection of its image and recruitment of the best talent. 

·   Periodicity: If companies advertise frequently for recruitment, it is likely that they either suffer from a high rate of staff desertion because of poor management. Organizations like these are best avoided.

Windows of opportunity abound in the job market; all you need to do is identify one that is most suited for you and take a plunge. Your decision to do so has to be upbeat and hence you should refrain from accepting just any job.

Analyzing a job offer

Conjecture this – you have gone through a job interview and are confident that you will get a letter of appointment. And you do. But there are doubts coming in your mind. Is the job right for you or not? Are various promising aspects offered during the interview or as enumerated in the job letter true? Should you be accepting the job offer or refusing it?

Under the above circumstances, you should evaluate the job offer and draw your conclusions, based on which, you could accept or reject the same. But, you need to do this with due prudence so that your mind is free of reservations to avert making a poor career choice.   

Analysis of positive & negative aspects:  You need to ask yourself some pertinent questions to start with. If the answers are all “No”, then you have to keep your job search going. But if the answers are “Yes”, it is your good luck to have found a job that you haven aspiring for. However, if there is mix of “Yes” and “No”, then probably you need to weigh things seriously and take any step out with due caution. The questions are:

·   Is the job on offer in agreement with the criteria that I set ab initio?

·   Will the job on offer boost my professional and personal contentment levels?

·   Will  acceptance of the job facilitate attainment of my prospective objectives?

·   Is this job offering me additional pecuniary advantages vis-à-vis my previous jobs?

Analysis of financial angles: Nobody takes up a job just for the heck of it. Remuneration is an important concern; and though it may not be high on your priority, the fact is that it cannot be disregarded. You need to analyze all financial considerations for their true effect. And to do that, you need to carry out a holistic evaluation. If pecuniary factors are high on your agenda, you should remember that a couple of hundred additional rupees do not have the capability to transform an awful job into a superior one. You should make your mind up on whether the job is in tune with your personality and wants. The following aspects warrant consideration:

·   Salary offered.

·   Perquisites proposed.

·   Bonuses promised.

·   Relocation allowance, if you are required to move to another place.

Analysis of the minimum that you expect: The next stage is to settle on the minimum that you expect. What is the lowest remuneration that you will agree to? To illustrate the point, suppose if you actually need a monthly all-inclusive package of Rs 50000-00, then settling for even Rs 45000-00 will not be in order. You need to establish a bottom line, which, in this case should not, in any case be less than Rs 50100-00 – nothing less, nothing more. Setting the minimum that is okay with you renders your conciliation procedure easy.  The bottom line should never be divulged. On the contrary, you should wait for an employer to make the offer; in case it is exceeded, you can rejoice for striking a good deal. If the offer happens to be less, you have the option of saying ‘Thank you’ or sit across and make your expectations known.   

Analysis of “Additionals’: Quite often, companies do not want their salary structures to be disturbed. The way out is to seek ‘additionals’ to boost your overall package. Some ways to do so is by demanding:

·   Joining bonus.

·   Performance linked and time-bound increments.

·   Benefits related to leave and house rent reimbursement allowance.

·   Allowances for conveyance, telephone and newspapers & magazines..

Having evaluated the offer and your aspirations are met, you should not delay its acceptance. An early acceptance will send signals of your interest and professional approach. However, if you have genuine doubts, there should not be any reluctance to seek clarifications. Pondering over unnecessarily will do no good. But in case you do not find the offer favourable and decide to reject it, there will never be a second chance. There will be many in the queue who will grab it. So you should take a decision with due diligence.

Career management – Pave the way for a successful career

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”
                                                                                      –Seneca

‘Career management’ is comprehended rather vaguely by a large majority of people. It is seen as an intangible element with fuzziness attached to it. But the truth is that career management is a very important and specialized course of action that facilitates professional success. It is something like maintaining a savings bank account; money you save stands you in good stead in your later life.

If you have to derive the maximum from your career, you should not be found wanting in your efforts. You have to care for it, just like you need to water a sapling for it to grow up. In case you fail to do so, your career may go outrageously directionless and simply wither away. And if you do not have in place an arrangement for proper management of your career, you will have a tendency to take things easy and dance to the tune of others. And sooner or later, your career will be administering you, whereas, it should be the other way round.  Resultantly, you will be unable to attain your objectives.

It is essential that you understand the nuts and bolts of career management. The basic tenets of career management are:

It is a constantly enduring practice:  Career management cannot be construed as a solitary affair. It is a part and parcel of your entire career voyage. You simply cannot afford to leave it to another time when you become conscious that a problem has confronted you out of the blue. A stitch in time saves nine - it is better to spend a little time to deal with problems or act right now than wait. If you wait until late, things will get worse, and it will take much longer to deal with them.

It is a dynamic process:  Like in any other activity, it is you who has to act. You cannot simply relax and expect that others will exert for you. Should that happen to be your attitude, you will find that either you are in somebody else’s career or somebody else is managing yours. Since it is your career, you have to be a dynamic and affianced partaker.

It is a logical procedure:  Career management will offer you the maximum benefits if you put it together well. If coherent arrangements are not in place, you will be inclined to disregard it till such time problems stare you in your face. A good structure facilitates balanced forward movement, in spite of what may be taking place around you.

It is about setting & pursuing objectives:  The crux of the matter is in comprehending what you are seeking to attain. For most people, this is a rather intricate matter. You should split your aims into smaller ones, which, once accomplished will lead to attainment of your overall objective. Thereafter, you can formulate a time table to plot each and every step that you take. It should be remembered that career management entails a regular evaluation of objectives and the progress made so that you do not languish at any stage. .  

It is about applying mid-term corrections:  Your career objectives are bound to change with the passage of time. Therefore, application of mid-term corrections will always be relevant. Every remedial action that you initiate will help you appreciate the true situation and devise ways and means to attain your objectives. Your route cannot be taken as sacrosanct; with every passing day, you will be able to identify detours, turns and roundabouts that are considered essential in the overall interests of your career.

By taking part in a well-formulated career management exercise, the significance of your career in your life is automatically taken care of. More often than not, a career is seen by most people as an opportunity to attain other individual aims, notable being acquisition of material assets, settling down on the domestic front and eventually becoming prosperous. Your endeavours take the maximum of your time; therefore allocating some to manage your career is undoubtedly a meaningful venture involving your oomph. Remember that good career management is being able to strike a balance between calculated and intuitive thinking.