by Stacy Pursell, CPC, CERS
The VET Recruiter®
Almost everyone would like to receive a promotion. They’d like to receive one with their current employer, if possible, but if not, then some professionals would be open to receiving one by pursuing an employment opportunity with another organization.
Of course, receiving a promotion is easier said than done. However, it’s certainly not impossible, especially considering the conditions that currently exist in the employment marketplace.
I probably don’t have to tell you that it’s a candidate-driven market. That means employment opportunities are plentiful and qualified candidates to fill those openings are scarce. It also means that Animal Health and Veterinary organizations do NOT want to lose the valuable employees they have.
Consequently, some high performing professionals are in a good position to receive a promotion in the coming year. That’s because organizations want to keep their employees (especially their top employees) happy and satisfied, so that they stay and don’t explore other opportunities outside of the current organization.
However, this does not mean that a promotion is just going to be handed to you during the course of the next 12 months. Not at all. Just because conditions are currently positive and that you’re in a good position for advancement, you can’t assume that it’s going to happen. No matter how good conditions are right now, not everyone gets a promotion.
In fact, there are specific reasons why not everyone receives a promotion. According to a recent article by Business Insider, there are three good reasons why bosses decide not to promote someone. Those reasons are as follows:
#1—The person is reactive, as opposed to proactive.
#2—The person does their job just fine, but they don’t go above and beyond.
#3—The person appears to be on the verge of burnout.
If you’re suffering from burnout (or appear to be), then it makes sense that you’re not in a prime position for a promotion. And if you’re genuinely close to being burned out, then you probably don’t want a promotion, anyway.
I’ve addressed the issue of being proactive before. There are a number of reasons why it’s important to be proactive as opposed to reactive. From your employer’s perspective, though, the number-one reason that it wants to promote proactive employees is that people who act in a proactive fashion are better problem solvers.
In other words, they don’t just talk about doing what needs to be done. Instead, they do what needs to be done.
You can’t be reactive. A promotion is not just going to happen for no reason. If you want one, then you must be proactive about getting one. That’s the bottom line.
When you’re proactive, you create more options and opportunities for yourself, no matter the situation in which you’re in. And when you have more options and opportunities, you can make better decisions and enjoy more success. It’s a simple formula.
Another aspect of your promotion strategy is going above and beyond in the capacity of your work, which was #2 on the list above. This is also something that I’ve addressed before.
I keep coming back to the work of Napoleon Hill, and with good reason. Hill, an American self-help author, provided timeless wisdom for those seeking professional success. And as you might have already guessed, he has advice regarding the desire to go above and beyond to provide more value with the goal of receiving a promotion:
“Going the extra mile can give you insight and a good reputation, both of which attract opportunity. Many obvious opportunities are found in places no one else has bothered to venture. If you put in the extra effort to make a good project an even better one, or you get to know your equipment better than anyone else on your shift, you will see things others overlook and be in a position to make use of them. Leaders who need a job done think first of people they know will do it well. If other people respect you for the quantity and the quality of your work, you will find yourself advancing past others who regard their jobs as drudgery. For all the extra service that you’ve rendered, you’ll find yourself more than amply compensated by opportunities others never grasp.”
So as you can see, your strategy for receiving a promotion in 2020 is a rather simple one, and it all starts with your mindset.
First, you must be proactive and not reactive, both in terms of your current employment situation and your career. And second, you must not be satisfied with doing the bare minimum in terms of your production. Instead, make going above and beyond your default setting.
If you adhere to this simple strategy, then you will be positioning yourself for a promotion. That’s because this is a strategy that’s effective in all situations and circumstances, regardless of the industry in which you work or the state of the employment marketplace.
Be proactive. Go above and beyond. And get ready to enjoy the best year of your career in 2020.
We help support careers in one of two ways: 1. By helping Animal Health and Veterinary professionals to find the right opportunity when the time is right, and 2. By helping to recruit top talent for the critical needs of Animal Health and Veterinary organizations. If this is something that you would like to explore further, please send an email to stacy@thevetrecruiter.com.
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