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Going for a Promotion? You May Be Moving Up, or Out
By Steven Ginsberg This is the question workers must answer when they repeatedly have tried to get a promotion and repeatedly have come up short. Then they're faced with these decisions: Is it time to leave? Is the writing on the wall starting to fade? Or, do you just need to stick it out, increase your skill base and wait for the next go-round? The answers depend on where you work. Government workers, for instance, will probably have to wait much longer for a promotion than an employee at a high-tech firm. But there are some things that all workers should do to ensure that they've maximized their chances, experts say. "Everyone wants to move up," said Mahan Tavakoli, director of Dale Carnegie Training for the Washington region. "But most often there's a lack of communication between people and management. Often [employees] haven't clearly communicated that they want the promotion." So, before any decision about your next move is made, Tavakoli recommends sitting down with your boss and talking through your situation. This may be a scary thing to do and you might not get the answers you were hoping for, but there's no sense in leaving any doubt about your intentions, he said. Beyond that, the best ways to distinguish yourself from the crowd -- and there is a huge crowd out there -- is to show initiative and broaden your skills. Being good at one aspect of a business is not enough to get ahead in today's work world. As far as getting that specific promotion, though, we spoke to experts in various fields and asked them what workers should do when they keep knocking their heads on the office upstairs. Here's what they said:
Mobility and the High-Tech Worker "If you do the right things, you're going to get a promotion," said Gary Labovich, vice president of the environmental systems group at Fairfax-based American Management Systems Inc. There are so many opportunities and so few skilled workers at technology companies that chances for advancement abound in the industry, Labovich said. But that doesn't mean it's going to happen on the first try. The hardest promotion for tech workers is usually the initial one, Labovich said. At AMS, the jump from the lowest rung of "member of professional staff" to "principal" normally takes four to seven years. After that, the path speeds up and smooths out a bit, but in the rapidly paced tech sector, many employees get antsy well before then. "Kids get phone calls every day from headhunters," Labovich said. "They have to ask themselves if they should stay here and wait to get promoted or if they should look at other opportunities." Those AMS employees who quit are most likely to do so at the three-year mark, he added. The key is doing those right things. Tech companies aren't just looking for specialized technicians that can decipher COBOL. They want the Renaissance man (or woman), someone who can handle a broad range of duties. According to Labovich, these are:
Do all these things and it's only a matter of time before you're on the fast track. But if you've been denied the promotion you want, chances are you're falling short in one or more of these areas, Labovich said. If that's the case, talk to your manager, pinpoint your shortcomings and set a timetable to show your improvement. The Government Glut On the other end of the spectrum is the federal government, where a multitude of qualified workers try to funnel into a handful of openings. "There've been known to be 100 to 200 applications for one position," said Vilma Colon, who runs Transition Matters, a human resources firm that advises government workers on how to manage their careers. "A lot of people are going to want a promotion in the same office." Commonly, government workers run into this sort of problem when they achieve "journeyman" status, which normally occurs after 12 to 15 years of service, Colon said. At that point, the field severely narrows and the more determined employees will get promoted, while those who simply sit back and expect their usual advancement will be waiting a long time, she said. Either way, because there are few positions, the chance to leap from journeyman to the next level within your current department takes at least three to four years and usually more than one try. So it's not necessarily a bad move to wait it out, but not to the exclusion of applying for other jobs. Given the lengthy time frame between opportunities, Colon recommends aggressively applying for similar jobs in other federal agencies, state governments and even the private sector. Government workers "need to be more open to transferring," Colon said. "You should always continue to try [within your department], but don't go stale in one place." To improve your chances, Colon endorses doing a couple of things government employees don't normally do: networking and volunteering. A high level of visibility and a willingness to take on tasks that aren't directly in your job description, but will elevate you above the masses, she said.
Publish or Perish And then there's higher education, where tenure is the difference between having a job and looking for one. Professors usually are up for tenure after two to three years at smaller schools, such as Mary Baldwin College, and after six to seven years at major universities. The process, which is generally completed each January, is twofold: First, a departmental decision is made and then a university-wide panel votes. Failure to gain approval from either means that tenure is withheld. At this point, most schools allow the professors to stick around for another year so they can conduct a job search, but then they must move on. Getting denied tenure can be a considerable setback. In addition to the scar it puts on your resume, the current job market for professors is supersaturated. On the upside, though, there is a clear path to regaining stature. "Getting published is absolutely the most important thing at that point," said John Portmann, assistant director of the Office of Career Planning and Placement at the University of Virginia. If, for instance, a professor is denied tenure at the University of Virginia, he should look to hook on at a smaller school where he can quickly make a name for himself, Portmann said. "Within three to five years, if you publish outstanding articles and they get great press and good reviews, other schools will want you to come," he said. Beyond making a name for yourself in academic circles, Portmann urges professors to become more involved in school activities. While teaching ability and research potential are driving forces behind tenure considerations, schools also heavily consider the contribution teachers make to the community. Remember, tenure means forever, so your peers essentially are deciding if they want to be around you for the rest of their professional lives. If you have questions about getting ahead, you can e-mail Steven Ginsberg at ginsbergs@washpost.com |
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