Ready for a more senior role? Here's how to get it.

Here’s the truth. Working hard, taking on more responsibilities, being a good team worker. It’s not enough to get you promoted, especially to a senior level role.

Thursday 24 February 2022

Ready for a more senior role? Here's how to get it.

And yet it’s what a lot of us do. It’s what we been told: work hard and you’ll be rewarded. But here’s what I see with the women I coach; the reward for working hard, getting things done, is often simply more work. Sometimes to the point of burnout. And usually without recognition, reward, or promotion.

So, what do you do then? How do you stop yourself going down that route, and set yourself up for promotion into a senior role? It’s about working smarter, not harder. Here’s four steps that will help you.

Get a plan
I am really passionate about helping women to create a vision and a plan for their careers. Too many women still feel that there is almost something wrong in doing this, something almost selfish or self-centred in it.

I remember a female manager, many years ago, saying to me ‘Oh, I didn’t know you were that career minded’ in a very disapproving and disappointed tone, after I had applied for a new job. And this was after working in the same role for over 10 years - so I clearly wasn’t that career minded, and I definitely didn’t have a plan.

And things don’t seem to have changed that much. At my leadership development training courses, I regularly ask participants if they have a career plan, and so far, I have only had one woman who got out her notebook, with her plan, updated on a regular basis. For most of the others, it’s at best an idea about their next role, or where they might see themselves in the future.

So, I want you to get a plan. Think about your ideal senior role and get a timeline and plan in place. Think about what you have already achieved, your experience, skills and strengths and be ambitious about what else you want to achieve. Be brave with your timeline as well, where do you see yourself in the next couple of years, 5 years, 10 years.
The first step in getting that senior role is setting a vision for yourself, seeing yourself in that role and then putting the steps in place to get there.

Then you need to implement, manage and review that plan. Set time aside on a monthly basis to review your plan, and how you are getting on. It doesn’t need too take long, but you want to make sure that your plan doesn’t get forgotten or de-prioritised.

This isn’t about being selfish, or self-centred, it is about taking responsibility for yourself and your career. No one else is going to do it for you, not even the best manager. So, treat this as the most important project you have ever managed – because that is what it is.

Find support
Life is much easier when we don’t go it alone. So, find your support team. Talk to colleagues, friends and family members about your plan. Putting it into words will help you think it through and make it even more real for you. Listen to their advice and guidance, but here’s my tip, surround yourself with those who can uplift and energise you, where you all can cheer each other on, rather than those who will hold you back, criticise and deflate your vision.

Find yourself mentors. Look for people in those senior roles and reach out to them. It might be a bit challenging the first time you do it, but I guarantee you, people love being asked to be mentors. Make use of any mentoring schemes that are available both internally within your workplace, and externally, like the Women in Business mentoring scheme. Check out your professional body or association.

I’m a member of CIPD and I know they have a long standing mentoring programme in place and have just started a specific mentoring and development programme for members who want to move to a senior HR role. My tip here – look for mentors who are different from you, as well as those who are more similar. It’s easier to go for people who are like us, but in setting up my own business, I have learned so much from those people who have a very different skill set, experience and approach than I have.

And if you want to move quickly in your career, find yourself a coach. A coach will be able to help you with each stage of this, helping you to have the confidence and clarity to create your vision and plan, identify those small but powerful steps to move you forward, help you work through challenges and get unstuck, hold you accountable and celebrate your progress.

Visibility
This is a critical step in moving to a senior role, but one that can be challenging for many of us.

Think about your achievements and success. Too many women, in my experience, find it difficult to even own and acknowledge their achievements and success, let alone voice them to other people or take credit.

Start small. Think about how you present your work and your success with your immediate line manager. When you have check in meetings with him or her, or regular review meetings, how do you update them on your progress? It’s not bragging, it’s about being clear about what you have achieved and the impact this has had. Rather than focus on describing what you have done, focus on the outcome and the strategic impact. And if your line manager doesn’t have regular check in or review meetings, then ask for them. Use your initiative, but, remember to frame the meeting as something that will be useful for your manager, rather than simply a way of showing them what you have been doing.
Then think bigger.

Organisationally, are there projects that you could be involved in? Or, are you already involved in organisational wide projects but so focused on the nitty gritty of what needs done, that no one really knows what you are contributing? Speak up, take the opportunity to present, look for opportunities across the organisation to share what you have achieved, or what you could contribute.

Then think even bigger and wider. Network both inside and outside your organisation. Use social media. LinkedIn is a great way to network, share your ideas and showcase your knowledge, experience and achievements. Lots of people are on it, but very few people are actually posting. So, be brave and take the first step, and it’s an easy, but very powerful, way to build your profile.

Apply for the job
Research has shown that men are more likely than women to apply for jobs, especially where they don’t meet all the criteria. LinkedIn’s Gender Insights Report identified that women are 16% less likely to apply for positions they had viewed on the website, and 20% less likely to apply for positions that were more senior than their current position. My experience working with coaching clients, and in a previous large organisation, backs that research up.

But there is good news as well – the same research shows that women are 16% more likely to be hired when compared to men applying for the same position as them, and 18% more likely when apply for more senior positions.

So, look for opportunities. And, when opportunities come up, grab them. Don’t hold back waiting for that perfect role that completely matches your qualifications, skills and experiences – it doesn’t exist. Nor does that perfect time to move to a more senior role. And definitely don’t wait for someone to suggest that you apply for a role, or a role is created for you. Take control of your career.

Marie is an executive and leadership coach, facilitator, and trainer, and runs Thrive Coaching & Development, a Belfast based training and coaching consultancy. As a coach, she specialises in working with women in leadership roles, helping them to thrive, professionally and personally. Get in touch if you think she could help you, or connect on LinkedIn!