Keeping a job for 30,40 years or until retirement was commonplace until a decade ago. But as Generation Y seizes the scene, this way of making career is facing extinction. As opposed to Gen X and Baby Boomers, Gen Y chooses vertiginous -and sometimes unstable employment- change, to slow and steady growth. Nowadays, for those in their 20s and early 30s, waiting for years to get a promotion is a no-no.
The key to a successful career these days is to keep moving. The virtue of patience has been traded for a need for instant gratification. If the latter is not fulfilled within a very short period of time (1-2 years), you can kiss your Gen Y employee goodbye.
Getting promotions the Gen Y way
Gen Y never has time… for anything. Give me a job today, I’ll be asking for a promotion tomorrow. If what you want is to move up the food chain as fast as possible, try following these 7 field proven tips:
Differentiate from the competition
You already read about this in a hundred other blogs but this is what you haven’t read yet. To get noticed, you need to stand out of the crowd. One easy way of doing it is to acquire context. Start networking as soon as possible, specially outside of your company. One sure way to stand out from the competition in your current job is to have context awareness. If you know what’s going on in the industry you’ll have an edge: extra information.
Be the firefighter of your area
When someone needs a hand in a different unit or department, be the first one to volunteer. Helping others will not only bring recognition as a team player but you’ll also get to know how business is done in the other areas, the people who work there and it will turn you into a familiar face wherever you go. The day you get to the interview for that promotion you applied for, the hiring managers will most likely know who you are, because you’ve helped them before. Make your name be associated with words like teamwork and support.
Bump others before you bump yourself up
Some people go to work with a chainsaw in their briefcases. Their goal is to saw the floor away from whoever is above or next to them in order to get their jobs or prevent them from getting that management position they’ve been craving for. It may work but it’s a very short sighted strategy. You’ll make quite a few enemies and trust me, people will find out how you got there. Instead, try the opposite. Make every possible effort to make your boss or the guy in the cubicle next to you successful in his or her job. Help people get promoted. Better yet, make people get promoted. This will give you two key advantages. You’ll earn an ally, which once in a better position will be able to lobby for your promotion or endorse you. Secondly, once you get up there, there will be a welcoming hand ready to assist you and guide you through your new job. It’s basically scratching other people’s backs before they scratch yours.
Getting a promotion is also about good timing
The reason I got my first (double) promotion after 10 months at my current company wasn’t only because I did my job (and a bit more) but because I got there 9 months before the supervisor of the unit left. That gave me enough time to learn my job and make myself known as a valuable asset to the team. When the guy quit, I was already lining up for an interview.
Assess your environment and pinpoint possible growth opportunities as soon as you land on your new job and plan ahead. As soon as you know where you’ll be aiming, try to learn as much from that position as possible. That will give you an advantage over other people in your same position who could be applying for that job in the future.
Speaking about the 9th month
The perfect time to start looking for growth opportunities is during the 9th month, since you’ll be at your productivity peak in your current position and you won’t be burned out from it (unless you love what you are already doing)
Avoid dead ends
Be smart. A sidestep is not a bad move if there’s no movement above you in your current job. Even though you won’t be moving up, you’ll have the opportunity to widen your skill set, get to know more people (connections) and get some fresh air in a new working environment. If you hit a dead en in your company, start looking outside. But don’t stagnate. A sidestep is also a viable option
Play Chess
This may sound Machiavellian, but sailing through the corporate world is all about strategy. Turn your job into a chess board. Every move you make has too be well thought, considering the pros and cons of your actions, since they will resonate across the company.
Create an Avatar for when you are at work. This will shield you from possible weaknesses that you may have when you are yourself. This doesn’t mean that you have to become a different person while you are at work. Just trim your personality and the way you interact with others in a way that helps you blend in with the company’s culture and your job’s expectations but don’t stop being yourself.
Warning!
Moving up the chain of command is gratifying, makes your bank account bigger and can also become an addiction. Just like every other addiction in existence, there’s a negative side to uncontrolled growth. You have to know when to stop. Getting promoted without having learned all of the necessary skills, tricks and experience that every job require to master will throw you into your next and more responsibility-heavy position unprepared. Imagine going to college right after graduating from primary school… you get the idea. Know your limitations, learn to overcome them and then keep moving. Being a COO or a Director when you are 21 may look awesome in your Facebook profile or when flirting with chicks but it is also a sure way to get yourself smashed into the real world’s concrete wall… just don’t tell Mark Zuckerberg I said this, he would laugh at me.
Final Word
As like with everything else in life, this recipe does not apply to every person. Some people’s goals are far from climbing up (lightning fast). Their idea of success and fulfillment can be tied to other spheres of their lives, instead of work. Some people feel comfortable doing the same job for decades… and there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s all about choices.
Summarizing, if you are aiming to climb up the ladder lightning fast, this are some of the things you need to consider:
- Differentiate from the competition
- Be a firefighter
- Keep timing in mind
- Bump others up
- Avoid dead ends
- Play chess
- Know your limitations
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Article by Fernando
The guy in charge of this blog - husband, Psychologist, former Manager, Blogger, Job Coach, Recruiter and Information Junkie. Yes, I am all that.
Fernando has written 237 awesome articles for us at FT Careers Blog
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Good advice. But be warned. In general, many companies, including young professionals, still look for candidates that aren’t going to jump ship in a year. As a young professional, a few short term positions are understandable, but six or seven in a row, especially with different companies, is going to be a red flag in a resume before an interview. Be ready to have sound, good explanations for your short term positions, and make the interviewer feel secure that you’ll be around for the long haul. Whether it’s true or not.
Twitter: ftarnogol
September 2, 2010 at 1:32 am
Well said!!
I especially agree with “bump others up, before you bump yourself up”. I read something similar in Good to Great by Jim Collins about leadership. Managers should be committed to making people around them, even better leaders than they were, rather than showing themselves as superior. This ensures the future success of the business.
Good post Fernando.
Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed browsing your blog posts. In any case I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you write again soon!
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