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Chicago — After some time in a role or amid accomplishments you're proud of, you might feel it’s time for a promotion within your company. You might be eyeing the next position, wondering if your manager will give you a shot at it or whether you even have what it takes to make that next career.
If so, here’s some tips for you to think about before pleading your case to company leaders.
Reflect
First, take the time to think about what you want and why. Connect the dots between those desires, the position of interest and the skills needed to be successful in that role. Even if you don’t check all the boxes, don’t be discouraged. Think about the experiences you have had and the lessons you’ve learned from them. Being able to articulate that value and showing hiring managers how those skills could be transferable in a new position will go a long way.
It doesn’t always matter if you garnered those lessons from an outside industry or field. Some leaders might view it as an advantage. I recently interviewed a successful HR leader who was hired because his boss was impressed with his background as a math teacher. I’ve also interviewed a few lawyers who draw their analytical skills from their time as an engineer. If they can do it, so can you.
What do you bring to the table?
Think realistically about the value you can bring to a new role. A good way of communicating that to hiring managers could be by painting a picture of your past accomplishments and successes with both real life examples in addition to results you’ve delivered from a birds-eye view. Before you plead your case to them, write about these things to jog your memory. Write about the times you’ve communicated effectively on a difficult project or how you came up with a creative solution to a complex problem. Accompany those details with the end result of a situation or project, using stats if you can. Managers report to their bosses, often repeating these same exercises in a periodic report. Your ability to mimic that process would make their jobs easier and their bosses happier.
Believe in yourself
If you’ve put in the work, that should bring a certain level of confidence as you plead your case to snag a new role in the company. But even if you head into the interview feeling nervous and uneasy, remember what you’ve been through to go to this point. Remember all the times you worked through projects you weren’t sure you’d finish. Recall the times you made mistakes, learned from them and saw the results of making the adjustments. Only you can tell that story and only you know the value of it.