Are you eyeing that coveted promotion at work? Do you want to advance in your career and take on more responsibilities? Being ready for a promotion requires more than just wishful thinking — it takes strategic planning, hard work and a clear vision of your goals . In this article, we will explore the steps you need to take to position yourself for a promotion and stand out as a top candidate in your organization. Understanding the Promotion Landscape Leylaynr/Getty Images Signature Before getting too deep into the specifics of being ready for a promotion, understand the landscape of promotions within your organization. Each company has its own criteria and processes for evaluating employees for advancement. Familiarizing yourself with these can give you a significant advantage. Research Your Company’s Promotion Policy Jacob Lund Start by reviewing the employee handbook, which typically outlines the company’s promotion policies, providing valuable insights into the criteria and...

“There are two types of personalities when it comes to self-marketing. There are the Master Ps in business, who will market his products to absolute strangers at every single moment of his day. Then there’s the other 75% of people who have glossophobia , fear of public speaking. You may be in the latter group. You were never the artist in the ‘80s and ‘90s who would have a box of CDs or cassette tapes in your car, ready to have a mobile distribution destination in every parking lot nearby. The idea of walking up to someone with a postcard, a brochure or a clipboard is out of the question. You might be OK putting marketing material on people’s windshields, but you’d rather drink a jug of beet juice instead of encouraging people to come to your vendor booth. You know you need to sell a product. Likewise, you know the only way for someone to find out about your product is to actually search for that target demographic and share your pitch. But fear of rejection will make you avoid eye...

After investing long days, months, and years in the hope of a promotion, you finally receive it. However, it’s different from the rewarding leap you anticipated. Instead, it’s a dry promotion—a mere change in title with added responsibilities but no pay increase. Companies often resort to dry promotions to retain hardworking employees without increasing pay. While it may seem like a step up on paper, it’s primarily a tactic to prevent employees from seeking better opportunities elsewhere. This article dives into why companies are doing this, whether you should accept the promotion, and why a promotion should come with higher pay. Why Are Companies Doing This? There are different reasons why a company might function this way, but all of them indicate a lack of true appreciation for their employees’ performance. Some may argue it’s due to cost and the need to maintain a balanced budget, but that’s often just an excuse. In reality, dry promotions are a way for companies to get more...

Going straight out of school and into the professional world is a huge transition that leaves many feeling blindsided. Receiving guidance on how to navigate the change from someone with industry experience is invaluable, which is what makes mentors so impactful . That and the selflessness they exhibit by going out of their way to help you in whatever stage of your career you may be in so you can grow. Forming this kind of relationship can make it challenging to decide what to write in a retirement card for a mentor. An optimal message for a retirement card would be one that is fairly brief but sincere enough to convey the gratitude that person deserves. There is no shame in seeking inspiration for what to write in a retirement card for a mentor. Sometimes it is hard to convey feelings of gratitude and appreciation in the most appropriate words for the situation. These messages are a great start and can easily be edited to align with the card giver’s personal relationship with their...