Getting Ahead: How to get that office promotion

There is a lot of politicking that goes into pushing your career ahead at an office. Any job that requires you to stay in a confined space with other people for hours a day will have this trait. However, this doesn’t mean that the average person can just talk their way into a great promotion. In the few cases where this is possible, you probably wouldn’t even want the job in the first place.
Bosses who respond to intense flattery are far more likely to be difficult to work with. This is because they expect an unrealistic sense of perspective from both themselves and those who work under them. This could make you regret that you ever even wanted the promotion in the first place.

The truth is that the best way to get a promotion at any job is by working hard. A lot of people don’t really want to hear that. It isn’t easy, fun, and it doesn’t give you a quick and simple way to the top. In this way, getting ahead at work is a lot like losing weight and keeping it off. Try as you might, the only way to really fix the problem is with hard work and discipline. However, there is a little more to it than simply showing up and doing a great job.

You need to make yourself visible to your boss as much as possible. There’s no point in doing all of this extra work if your boss doesn’t recognize that you’re doing it. You should always volunteer for special projects whenever they come up. Always volunteer to stay late and make sure that you always produce top-quality work. Make it clear that you have a life outside of your work, as well. If you have no life outside of work, your boss may find that to be a little disconcerting.

Most importantly, learn how to take criticism with stride and integrate it into future work. Many people get embarrassed when a boss says that some work isn’t good enough. Only the truly exceptional employees are able to take criticism with a good nature and integrate that criticism into future work. The ability to take oneself out of the equation and put quality work before all else is truly desirable.

In the end, hard work and a strong work ethic will go a long way toward securing promotions. Employers don’t want to hand off greater amounts of responsibility to just anyone. You need to distinguish what makes you better than all other choices. Showing your desire to help the company succeed is absolutely pivotal.