When you first land a job, your manager knows you have the skills to do it. That’s why they picked you. You were the most qualified person for the role, and those qualifications were evident in your personal brand during the hiring process.
Once you’re in the job, however, you need to step up your game. If you ever want to move up in your company and get promoted, you must stand out as a star employee, just like you stood out as a job candidate. To do this, you need to continue maintaining your brand. Here’s how:
Boost your skills
An easy way to continue building your brand is to learn some new skills. Stop thinking about the skills necessary for your current position and start thinking about your future.
What does the person in charge of you know how to do that you don’t? Better yet, what doesn’t your manager know how to do that you can learn?
Set your sights on some hard skills you know will be beneficial and find a way to learn them. You can attend classes, webinars, or workshops–whatever works best for you.
In addition to picking up hard skills, aim to showcase your soft skills as well. Managers want to promote someone who demonstrates leadership, teamwork, strong communication, a good work ethic, and creative problem solving. In every task, from the mundane to the exciting, strive to exhibit these qualities. Your manager will remember when it comes time for a promotion.
Do extra work
On top of the new skills you pick up, you also need to show you’re a hard worker. The best way to do this is to volunteer for more responsibilities. Go above and beyond by pitching ideas during group brainstorms, stepping up to lead projects, and executing your work perfectly. You will look even more impressive if the extra work is relevant to the position you want to land.
By doing more than is asked of you, you are enhancing your personal brand. Show your manager you’re ready for the responsibilities of a promotion.
Be proud of your accomplishments
Another important piece of maintaining your brand is to take advantage of your success. When you accomplish something in your current job, make sure people know.
I don’t mean you should go around the office bragging, but keep track of your accomplishments. Add the big ones to your resume and share your hard-earned results on LinkedIn. The whole point of a personal brand is so people think of you and remember your successes.
When your manager is looking to hand out a promotion, remember to bring these things up in your interview. Show how your hard work benefited the company in a measurable way.
It’s very important to maintain your personal brand throughout the entirety of your career. Always be open to learning new skills, volunteering for extra work, and sharing your accomplishments with others.
If you are constantly grooming your reputation and accomplishing more goals, you’ll be much more successful when it comes to promotions and big career moves.
