Two Problems of getting a job promotion
Obstacles to getting a job promotion are probably the most straightforward career problems. There are two basic problems: one expectant and one extant. Rarely is either ever used as a mask for another problem. They are completely rational. And thankfully, both have equally straightforward solutions.
My current boss will think I'm disloyal.
If you're looking to move to a position in which you report to a different superior, this is almost always a real problem. In my experience, if you were masking an ego problem you'd in all likelihood use yourself as an excuse rather than your boss.
Rather than your boss's feelings, what's actually at issue here is his willingness to support your request, or at least not stand in your way. Do some research and thinking and develop a plan that will let you take the new position without it hurting your current boss or his department. This could involve offering suggestions for temporary or permanent replacements, or even offering to do double duty until your replacement is up to speed. The key is to be able to placate any and all of your current superior s legitimate concerns.
The secret to overcoming potential objections from your current boss is to focus on the personal, rather than business, trust that has developed between the two of you. Make it clear that you're coming to him as a friend, asking for help, not as a subordinate, asking for consent. Thank him for all that he has done for you as a person, not just as an employee. The idea is to make it difficult for him, as a friend, to stand in the way of your bettering your career. Few superiors, when faced with such a personal appeal, will feel they can be openly selfish enough to stand in your way.
That doesn't mean your superior won't try to keep you from jumping to another job. All it means is that he'll look for some practical reason for keeping you. Since you'll have developed the expertise to eliminate all the roadblocks to your current job's continued smooth operation, a recalcitrant boss will instead turn to your qualifications. Despite years of encouragement and positive reviews, you're apt to now hear criticism of your skills and abilities. You could be told you're not ready, or you're not up to the new challenge. The secret to this appeal is that it's really a no appeal. Say that you're surprised to hear such criticism, but that you have to respectfully disagree. Explain that you'll be leaving that judgment up to your boss's boss. Remember: you didn't come to him for his permission, just his support. If he won't support your promotion campaign simply let his boss know that he's loath to lose you. That way, your current boss's intransigence could do more for your image than even his support.
They turned down my request.
Since you'll have already established trust during your past job history, and in the interview process, all you'll need to do is continue showing the utmost respect for the process and the people involved.
The entire solution to this problem is an appeal. First, look behind the no to find out why you were turned down. Don't ask for the reason in a confrontational manner. Instead, present it as part of your ongoing program of self-improvement. Ask what your deficiencies were so you can work on them in the future.
Once you're given a reason for the rejection you can ask for a reconsideration based on new facts that you're providing which directly bear on that reason. For example, if you're told you don't have sufficient computer expertise, you can explain that you'd forgotten to make it known you'd taken two summer courses in just the kind of technical problems you would be facing.
One note of warning: if you're told the reason for your not getting the position is that another candidate was more qualified, do not criticize the winner. Instead, ask what there is about the winner that set her apart from you. Explain that you'd like to know, so in the future you can be as good a candidate as she was. Make note of the information for future use, but don't launch into an immediate rebuttal or try to show how you are equally qualified. Any further efforts you make at promoting your own candidacy, no matter how honest or evenhanded, will be seen as sour grapes and an attack on the successful candidate. This is one instance when an appeal would clearly backfire.
My current boss will think I'm disloyal.
If you're looking to move to a position in which you report to a different superior, this is almost always a real problem. In my experience, if you were masking an ego problem you'd in all likelihood use yourself as an excuse rather than your boss.
Rather than your boss's feelings, what's actually at issue here is his willingness to support your request, or at least not stand in your way. Do some research and thinking and develop a plan that will let you take the new position without it hurting your current boss or his department. This could involve offering suggestions for temporary or permanent replacements, or even offering to do double duty until your replacement is up to speed. The key is to be able to placate any and all of your current superior s legitimate concerns.
The secret to overcoming potential objections from your current boss is to focus on the personal, rather than business, trust that has developed between the two of you. Make it clear that you're coming to him as a friend, asking for help, not as a subordinate, asking for consent. Thank him for all that he has done for you as a person, not just as an employee. The idea is to make it difficult for him, as a friend, to stand in the way of your bettering your career. Few superiors, when faced with such a personal appeal, will feel they can be openly selfish enough to stand in your way.
That doesn't mean your superior won't try to keep you from jumping to another job. All it means is that he'll look for some practical reason for keeping you. Since you'll have developed the expertise to eliminate all the roadblocks to your current job's continued smooth operation, a recalcitrant boss will instead turn to your qualifications. Despite years of encouragement and positive reviews, you're apt to now hear criticism of your skills and abilities. You could be told you're not ready, or you're not up to the new challenge. The secret to this appeal is that it's really a no appeal. Say that you're surprised to hear such criticism, but that you have to respectfully disagree. Explain that you'll be leaving that judgment up to your boss's boss. Remember: you didn't come to him for his permission, just his support. If he won't support your promotion campaign simply let his boss know that he's loath to lose you. That way, your current boss's intransigence could do more for your image than even his support.
They turned down my request.
Since you'll have already established trust during your past job history, and in the interview process, all you'll need to do is continue showing the utmost respect for the process and the people involved.
The entire solution to this problem is an appeal. First, look behind the no to find out why you were turned down. Don't ask for the reason in a confrontational manner. Instead, present it as part of your ongoing program of self-improvement. Ask what your deficiencies were so you can work on them in the future.
Once you're given a reason for the rejection you can ask for a reconsideration based on new facts that you're providing which directly bear on that reason. For example, if you're told you don't have sufficient computer expertise, you can explain that you'd forgotten to make it known you'd taken two summer courses in just the kind of technical problems you would be facing.
One note of warning: if you're told the reason for your not getting the position is that another candidate was more qualified, do not criticize the winner. Instead, ask what there is about the winner that set her apart from you. Explain that you'd like to know, so in the future you can be as good a candidate as she was. Make note of the information for future use, but don't launch into an immediate rebuttal or try to show how you are equally qualified. Any further efforts you make at promoting your own candidacy, no matter how honest or evenhanded, will be seen as sour grapes and an attack on the successful candidate. This is one instance when an appeal would clearly backfire.
[posted by : OFP on Oct. 23, 2009]
TAGS: job