How to get that job promotion without being a clown?

How to avoid being looked upon as a loser, and climb the career ladder in 10 steps?

Introduction

There’s a point where you’re feeling that the time of getting a promotion, whether it’s monetary or a better job position, has finally come. You’ve reached what we call “peak performance”, because you always make sure to give 200% on everything you do, in hopes of getting the rewards and recognition you deserve. The work you’ve produced so far is simply impeccable in terms of quality and cost-efficiency, and you’ve created a great record at your company. On top of that, you also have omitted to take any leave days, because those aren’t important now, are they? Everything is going fine in your mind, and you can’t wait until your boss calls you to discuss your future.

And then, and nothing really happens… You get no calls and no invitations from anybody. At that point, you’ll probably say: “What the heck?! I’ll talk to the boss myself, then.” So, you’ve managed to talk to your boss and express your thoughts, only to find out that your contribution to the company is barely acknowledged, and that the promotion you were dreaming of, remains just a dream. Even worse, your boss could have said: “Who are you?”

At this point, you might be saying: “How is this even possible?!” But take a close look at the picture below, and see if the guy in it reminds you of somebody.

Well, congratulations! You’ve made a fool out of yourself for giving too much and receiving nothing back.

All that anticipation and excitement for something special to happen after so long and so much hard work, just went down the drain. Now, you’re probably trying to decide whether you should hand over your resignation or keep being the clown you really have become, and that’s the point where we’re going to intervene, and help you out.

You see, although you would be absolutely right if you decide to find a new job, or just suck it up and be miserable for the rest of your professional career, consider doing the 10 following steps. Maybe things will turn out for the best, because there’s certainly something you’re doing wrong.

Here are the 10 steps to climb the career ladder

1. Make yourself “known” at your workplace

A critical step is to make yourself known at your workplace. By that, we don’t just mean people knowing your name and your profession, but your value. All your hard work and efforts mean nothing if nobody acknowledges them. Being the “quiet one” won’t get you anywhere.

Start by holding casual conversations with your coworkers. Then try to invite them for a cup of coffee or to a party, if you’re having one. If not, manage to get yourself invited, at least. It might not seem important to focus on the bottom of the hierarchy pyramid, but coworkers can make a difference, because people talk, and when they do, they talk a lot.

The chance of your boss getting “positive” feedback from your coworkers, after having earned their respect, is high. You might not know it, but in every workplace, your superiors get “unofficial” feedback about you from your coworkers. This means that, if your colleagues don’t like you, they’ll most likely speak ill of you, even though you have done nothing wrong. So, if you want to maintain a good image at your workplace, then do everything possible to get coworkers to vouch for you.

2. Get to know your boss

Now that we cleared out the 1st level of difficulty, let’s focus on your boss. Your boss is a human, just like you. He/she has likes and dislikes, and, trust me when I say it, many of his/her decisions are based on “gut feel” and personal preferences. If your boss gets a good vibe from you, your chance of earning more money in the near future, just got higher.

So, don’t hesitate to make a genuine acquaintance with your boss. He/she will acknowledge it and appreciate it. This is far from being a kissa**. If you are honest and the respect is mutual, both of you will be able to see through it, and create a perfectly balanced professional-personal relationship. Oh, and don’t mind if some people start pulling your leg about it. Just ignore it.

3. Cater to your appearance

It might seem shallow and out of place thinking that you could be excluded from a potential promotion just by your looks in 2021, but as we said, your boss and your colleagues are humans too, and can be equally disgusted or attracted by your looks, and your personal hygiene. We, as humans, are still far from being free of our natural instincts even during work time. So, if you have a habit of neglecting yourself or wearing lousy pants and shirts, you’re going to be looked upon as a person of insignificance. Even if your workplace lacks a dress code, you can still make yourself look presentable with a proper T-shirt, jeans, a nice pair of shoes, a decent watch, and a nice haircut. While you’re at it, don’t forget to apply some good perfume.

4. Report your work

A core problem that is a persistent hindrance in many people’s careers, is the lack of sufficient reporting of their work. Nobody really knows exactly what you’re doing or how hard you worked to achieve that result. All your boss sees is a task that he/she needs to be completed, and somebody to actually do it. He/she might not even know that you’re the one who managed to do it, especially if it’s a large company where the documentation is indirectly delivered to them by their secretary. That way, you lose all the possible recognition, and your promotion seems dim. Instead, do the following to avoid all that:

1. Avoid “off-the-record” discussions and reporting. Make sure everything you do is on the record;
2. Start by sending progress reports related to your tasks;
3. Make you sure you send completion reports as well;
4. Put the relevant managers in the CC fields in your e-mails;
5. Report your work even if you aren’t required to;
6. Use clean and simple reporting forms, or create one if there aren’t any available.

The bottom line is that your superiors need to be informed about your daily activities. If you make this your routine, all the upper management will know that there is a certain individual that gets things done, and will accept his/her request for an increased salary or better job position in the future.

5. Participate in meetings

Meetings can be very formal or simple discussions between colleagues, if the matter is just routine. As we discussed above, it’s important to make yourself and your achievements known to everybody. It’s in your best interest to participate in all of them, and present the relevant work you’ve completed. Be prepared, and don’t hesitate to express your ideas when engaging in dialogues. People will think you’re smart. Also, don’t forget to summarize your work. At the end of the meeting, people will start acknowledging you, and will think highly of you, which works to your benefit.

6. Work less

Yes, that’s right. Increasing your performance isn’t really about completing a certain volume of work, but about the recognition you’re receiving for it. All that pathological perfectionism you’re putting into your tasks is not really that important, and might even be redundant. Why would you spend 2-5 days writing and formatting a single page when you can spend just 15 minutes on it? Work smart, not hard.

If you’re an experienced professional, you definitely know the easy ways around your job. Just do that. Nobody cares about the extreme details in your document, unless it’s required by the nature of the document. By the end of the day, you’ll be more relaxed, less stressed, and you’ll have more energy to spend on yourself, and that will show on your face.

7. Fix your mood

Speaking about mood, if you find yourself being grumpy and not participating in any happenings or conversations, that might be another reason you’re continuously disregarded for a promotion. Keep an overall bright mood. Smile more. Acquire good manners. If your colleagues are making negative remarks related to you, ignore them and be light-hearted instead of firing up your inner “engine of rage.” Definitely, don’t try to get back at them. Instead, figure out what works best, so you can fix your relationship with them.

This will help you feel better on a daily basis, but also get what you want. Don’t forget, your job will last a long time before your retirement, so it’ll be much easier if you enjoy the ride.

8. Take your leave days (all of them)

If you think you should not miss a single day from your job, you might as well be a brainwashed corporate fool. Conversely, if your boss opposes you taking any vacations, makes you stay longer, or brings you to work on weekends, you should put your foot down. It’s within your legal rights, and you owe it to yourself. Being stress-free is crucial, and prevents you from work “burnouts.”

You should pay more attention to your health, than your job. So, respectfully disagree with any nonsense from your managers. If that doesn’t work, and they keep insisting, then you need to find a new job, because it won’t get better.

9. Confront your boss

Confront your boss when it comes to your promotion and the recognition of your contribution to the company. Show some backbone and don’t be afraid to argue about unrealistic expectations. If you stand up for yourself, you’ll save yourself from headaches and earn their respect. Trust me on this.

When you feel the time is right to do your move, then do so. Make your appointment and explain to your boss why you deserve that promotion, in a solid manner. There will be two possible outcomes of this discussion: a) you get your promotion, or b) you don’t. At least, you won’t have to ponder about it, and now you can move on without any regrets.

10. Don’t be afraid of change

Assuming that you’re doing all the above and your boss still appears to be reluctant to recognize your contribution to the company, consider changing your job. Bosses that are incapable of understanding you, never will. You’d be wasting your time by staying longer at that company.

If you feel insecure about leaving your current job, either because of your lack of confidence or because you’ve spent so many years in that company, please take a deep breath and take the first step. Remember, nobody will hesitate to kick you out even after 20+years of work. Overall, if your work is undervalued and people don’t respect you, then it’s a prime indication that you need to move to a better place.

Don’t be afraid. Make the leap. It’s completely understood that finding a job today, especially when you might have a family to feed, is challenging enough, but if you don’t take risks, you won’t get anything in return, and will remain stagnant for life. There’s no payoff without risks.

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