Top tips: how to get promoted

- First, Ask yourself why you want to get promoted. Do you want to take on extra responsibility? Is this the right time for new challenges?
- Think about what your transferable skills are and how you can emphasise these in your current job.
- Network both internally and externally. Thisis particularly important if you work flexibly and are not in the office as much as your colleagues.
- Consider whether you need to get more qualifications to move up the career ladder and investigate whether your employer will allow you time off or fund part of your studies.
- Stay positive - don't whinge about not being given enough responsibility. Look eager to take on more tasks. This does not necessarily mean overworking. It means taking on new challenges.
- At the same time, learn to delegate. Look around you and what you will notice is that those who delegate have a better quality of work life and more time to devote to the Machiavellian skills of getting ahead. Note that women often think that the way to promotion is through working extra hard. Note also that men tend to get promoted more than women. What does this tell you?
- Identify a key person at work who you need to convince to give you more responsibility and plan well in advance how you will approach them. Write down why you feel that you need to change the way you work on and take on more tasks and remind them of recent successes you have had. Present a good business case for why giving you more responsibility will help the company.
- It may be that you have regular appraisals and can bring the subject up fairly directly by asking how your manager views your future progression.
- Be confident but not aggressive.
- Be persistent and don't give up. If you feel blocked within your own company, look for other outlets elsewhere.