Q:  I like my job, but want to be promoted to the next level at some point in time. But that may not be possible at my current employer. What do you recommend? 

A:  It’s great that you’ve found a job/company you enjoy. It’s also important to recognize where opportunities for growth exist.  You didn’t explain what your current job is, but there are some universal tips for positioning yourself to get to the next level – whether that’s at your current employer (in case you assumed incorrectly that there aren’t growth opportunities there) or whether you move to another company to get to the next level.

Once you’ve set your sights on moving up the career ladder, there are five things I recommend doing:

1. Analyze your current situation:  take a good look at the role you’re currently in and examine the day-to-day responsibilities you perform.  Start a list of the responsibilities you’re undertaking that correlate to the next level of performance.
2. Determine if you have the right credentials:  take a look at the requirements for the position you desire to see if there’s anything you can do to be more qualified for the role, such as taking courses to learn software relevant to the new job, getting certifications or attending graduate school.
3. Re-frame yourself:  highlight your work accomplishments and achievements (rather than the duties and responsibilities) on your resume and also use them to develop an elevator speech or ‘script’ that you can deliver when interviewing.
4. Practice interviewing:  appearing confident and capable during an interview is critical to winning a promotion.
5. Use your current situation to get more experience:  One way of gauging whether someone is ready to take on a higher level role is how long they’ve been at the job. You can also get more experience by asking to take on additional responsibilities while you’re in your current job.

About the Recruiter
Frank Gentile is a 20+ year veteran of the staffing industry and an experienced recruiter.  As a Senior Group Manager at Professional Staffing Group (PSG) Frank and his team place candidates in permanent positions in Corporate Accounting and Finance, Financial Services and Administrative roles