Top 4 Ways To Secure a Promotion Within 6 Months

If you're an ambitious hard worker who constantly strives to achieve the best results at work, but struggling to get a promotion, you're not the only one. In fact, only 33 percent of Americans are currently satisfied with their opportunities for a promotion at work, according to an analysis by the Pew Research Center.

Getting promoted generally takes anywhere from one to two years as you gain experience, although early promotions can and do occur according to the job-hunting platform Indeed. So how do you get promoted earlier?

Newsweek spoke to human resources experts to find out what you should do in order to get an early promotion. Below are the four top tips to secure yourself that step up in your career in just six months.

Four Top Tips To Get Promoted in Six Months

Lauren Winans, CEO and principal HR consultant for HR consulting firm Next Level Benefits, told Newsweek that while you may think securing a promotion during a time of global economic uncertainty—like at present—seems unlikely, as the labor market remains competitive and turnover for in-demand talent is high, now is as good a time as any to build your case.

She said: "Meet with your boss to make it known that you are looking for rewards and recognition for your contributions in the form of career advancement. In many cases, securing a promotion is more like campaigning for a promotion."

Winans added that campaigning for a promotion can take some time and it's not something that is handed out to everyone: "Most times you will need to build your case, advocate for yourself and your skills, capitalize on the right timing, and cite various examples before your employer will reward and recognize you with a career advancing opportunity."

Exceed Your Expectations

Winans' top tip to get promoted early is to exceed your expectations and show your boss that you're ready to take on this new challenge.

"Be a strong performer who is regularly meeting goals or ideally exceeding expectations. Employers are generally willing to invest more in talented, dedicated employees who make a tangible impact."

"Assuming you have met this price for entry, take an inventory of the wins you have had over the past 6-12 months. Were those wins influential in achieving your departmental goals or maybe even organizational goals? Did those wins result in cost savings or cost avoidance? Did those wins influence revenue or net profit?" she said, suggesting questions to weigh your impact.

Moreover, she recommended documenting how your successes have impacted the organization, using them as a "visual aid" when speaking to your boss about the value you have brought to the organization.

Tim Toterhi, chief HR officer and career coach at Plotline Leadership agreed, stating that in order to get promoted, doing a good job is not nearly enough and that you need to demonstrate your value.

He told Newsweek: "You have to prove, ideally with metrics, that you are consistently contributing more than other employees in similar roles. Give your boss monthly proof points on your progress [toward] goals and confirm that plans are still aligned during these informal conversations."

Show Your Boss How You Make Their Life Easier

A big part of campaigning for your promotion is striving to make your boss' job easier, but Winans warned there is a fine line between "being reasonably helpful" and "becoming a doormat."

"Employees who go above and beyond often don't just make themselves look good, but also their boss and their immediate team members. Take on additional responsibilities that you know you can handle within your current workload that others may not want to deal with.

"It may be a small task like agreeing to be the notetaker for every team meeting or a larger action like offering to meet with individual project stakeholders on behalf of your boss or team, but whatever the responsibility, if you offer to do it, your team will thank you. And other teams and leaders will notice too. Bring these examples up when speaking with your boss about your desire for a promotion," she said.

Gena Cox, the founder of the workplace coaching company Feels Human LLC, told Newsweek that even though six months is a short time to prepare for promotion, because of disruptions in the talent marketplace, employers are currently more inclined to promote employees more quickly than before. She agreed that making your boss' job easier is a great way to start, but you have to show them how you will make it easier.

She said: "Pay attention to what stresses out the manager of the job to which you want to be promoted. You can subtly bring up some of those challenges in the interviews and discuss how you could help address them. Plus, you can show empathy for the manager's challenges."

Prepare For The Job Now

In order to get to a higher position, you must show your boss that you're able to handle it. That's why you need to prepare for the job now, so that when an opening comes up you're ready.

Cox said: "Start now to develop one of the skills the new job requires. Use your free time to develop a skill needed for the new job that you do not currently have. Spend time networking with people who currently hold the job you want.

"This kind of purposeful networking will not only help you understand how to add value but will make you top-of-mind when the hiring manager asks her team about potential candidates for the job."

Ask For The Promotion

Are you waiting for the promotion to just come to you? That's probably not going to happen—you've got to ask for it yourself and you have to be clear about it.

When the time comes, you should ask your boss for the promotion and not be vague about it, according to Toterhi.

"Ask for what you want, and if you get a 'no,' be sure to get the reason why. If it's something you lack i.e. a skill or experience ask for an opportunity to fill the gap. If it's an external reason, such as budget or timing, start looking outside the organization," he said.

Toterhi said you should never let a company stifle your career, adding that this is especially true for early career professionals who often make more by job-hopping than standard promotion-prompted raises.

He said: "If you feel your manager/company is holding you back, check your value on the open market. If a like organization is willing to hire you at your desired level, chances are you have the skills. Of course, that action also forces a decision—stay or go."