Looking for the Next Opportunity
You look at your current position and other positions in the organization and decide you are ready to make a move, but is the rest of the organization ready? Do you have the skill set to advance into the next position? Do others in the organization believe you would be the right fit? These are age-old questions many tenured employees may ask themselves as they look to expand their skill sets and move to the next level in their career. If you believe you are ready to move, but you are not sure how others in the organization feel, use these questions below to gain an understanding of where you stand. It is not enough for you to believe you are ready. Other decision makers need to feel you are ready as well.
- Be open minded when receiving feedback. The feedback you receive is meant to help you identify what you need to work on based on previous interactions and outcomes. The more open minded you are the easier it will be to implement those changes.
- Be realistic about your timetable. Most individuals want to move into a new role sooner rather than later. Be realistic about the timetable and understand time may be on your side.
- Build relationships with the right people. Let others know you are interested in growing with the organization. Building these relationships early will allow you to leverage what they know about the position and what their expectations are for the future.
- There may be other employees with whom you are competing. It may not be obvious that other employees are interested in the same position. Understanding that you are not the only person interested may heighten your desire for feedback and relationships.
- Entitlement can be a distraction. If you believe you are entitled to the next position because of tenure or some other non-performance behavior, think again. Entitlement is no longer a viable argument for landing the next position. What makes you the forerunner for the next position is your past performance, skill set, and attitude.
Having an attitude of entitlement can delay the movement for most employees. Entitlement can cause clouded judgment and an inability to accept the feedback necessary to advance. If you are ready to move, make sure the rest of the organization believes you are the best fit for the position. If you don’t, you may remain in your current position for an undefined period of time.
