Strategies to Advance into Management

 

Dear Terry, I’m stuck in a low-paying job after not being able to able to sustain my employment after getting a student loan for which I’m paying over $180 per month. Your articles on student loans were helpful. I was recently honored to be asked by upper management to apply for a better paying job in my company but they hired someone else instead. I really feel hurt and disillusioned.

Yes, I continue to receive numerous e-mails regarding student loans. Please accept my condolences about your company. Your employer doesn’t sound like a best-management practices company.

It might not seem like it now, but this is an opportunity for growth. There is always light after darkness.

Yes, for career advice, you have some options:

1.       Start reading inspirational books.

2.       Mount a campaign to market yourself inside your company.

3.       Market yourself externally. Go all out to find a better employer.

4.       Continue to read books, especially about subjects you enjoy for personal growth. Such footwork will energize you.

A good book of ideas is a work of art. It’s worth its weight in gold. Even in this digital age of instant communication, successful people profit from reading books.

Many years ago when struggling to jumpstart my career, I bought a paperback, “Moving Up: How to Get High-Salaried Jobs,” by Eli Djeddah. The 1971 book is out of print but it had timeless strategies and I’m sure copies are available online. My recollection is that the author presented several valuable insights on getting a promotion.

That includes techniques in one-to-one communications with bosses. In 1980, I set a sales record for a nationwide company with 34 locations and so my employer gave me a promotion. But it was in a recession. In terms of additional new responsibilities, I was given more but it was only with a minimal raise. It felt like a slap in the face. So I did some reading, rolled up my sleeves and got very busy.

As a result of reading Mr. Djeddah’s book, here’s what I did to earn more money within my company:

I looked for a problem that was marginally outside my realm of responsibilities that also needed to be solved for the overall welfare of the company. Once I solved it, I waited a couple of weeks and reported to my boss: “I thought you’d like to know what I did about a problem to increase efficiency and increase profit.”

Two weeks later, I identified another problem to solve and went through the same process. A month later, my employer began to smile at me more.

It was time to go for the jugular – a raise. I asked my boss for an appointment. When the boss asked why I wanted to meet, I said it had to do with “concerns about my career.” Much to my pleasant surprise, my supervisor wanted to see me right away. That was great because I’ve always preferred scheduling important meetings at 10 a.m. I drove to his office. As I sat down and before I said anything, he offered me a raise. But the raise was much less than what I felt I deserved. I didn’t complain, whine or point fingers at my boss. Instead, I calmly looked at the floor.

After about 10 seconds, my boss got the idea and said: “Okay, okay. I’ll review the budget. Let’s talk after lunch.”

When I returned from lunch, my boss upped the ante. That was my first lesson in detachment sales.

Actually, this floor-focused process worked for me again years later when I was negotiating my first consulting gig in radio station programming. Same thing – it wasn’t enough money. After I returned from lunch, the station manager sweetened the pot by offering to pick up my room and board for the two weeks I’d be visiting his station. That night I had steak and lobster for dinner.

It appears your company has weak management. So also putting out feelers would be productive.

Here’s what I’d suggest:

Analyze your weaknesses and strengths. Determine what you’d really like to do.  Set some goals, work daily on self improvement and hone your self-marketing skills.

What about your Internet presence? Social networking is fine but you should be listed prominently online, such as a professional in your field, chamber of commerce membership and as a community service enthusiast.

If you’ve been forced to work at a lot of jobs, dilute your resume’s focus on dates. Most people illogically put the date at the left of each job listing. The natural movement of the eye is to start on the left of a page and it moves to the right and down the right side of the page. You don’t want the dates to be the reader’s first focus. Therefore, list the date at the lower right following each job description paragraph.

If you bounced around to different industries, don’t list your jobs chronologically if it will hurt your chances. Such dates are almost immaterial. Later, you’ll be filling out an application chronologically with exact dates, so make sure your first impression, your resume, is the most-positive.

Be sure to write about the results of your work. Use third-person phrases, such as: “Jane worked her way up from…” It makes it easier for you to grandstand without being gauche – an example of SSP – shameless self-promotion.

Focus on the acronym, WIIFM. Employers will be asking themselves, “What’s in it for me?” Answer their questions in advance on your resume.

Unless you’re a baby boomer with a long work history, I’m an advocate of one-page resumes. Don’t even mention the word, references, or the phrase, “references provided upon request.” Let interviewers ask for references. Realistically, boomers should emphasize their experience but not their age.

Send a well-written thank you note to interviewers after every meeting. Cite specific examples of what you enjoyed about the meeting. Give a benefit statement on why you should be hired. Thank them for their consideration. And what ever their concerns are, prevent buyer’s remorse by reminding them that you’re the person who will provide the value they seek.

Network with others. That’s the best way to find a good job outside your company. If you don’t have one, start a network.

Here’s what I did: I contacted successful people via mail and followed up with a phone call to ask to meet with them briefly to get their advice on my career. I contacted people two levels above the job I wanted. They weren’t threatened by me. But people just above my level – sometimes they are insecure as supervisors – perceived me as threat. At the end of each meeting I would ask for the names of two other people with whom I might also discuss my career. Sometimes the process led to job offers. Even as a college junior, a TV executive once offered me a job as a staff announcer and I didn’t have any TV experience, just a couple of radio jobs.

Sometimes a lateral move works well to another company, if you sense ample opportunities for advancement.

Even in this era of casual dress, if you want to stand out in a crowd, remember to dress for management success. If a company is rigidly into casual dress, you might not want to work for them. But many good companies are complaining that casually dressed workers don’t perform as well as they once did. Look ahead. Today, dress at the level you want to achieve in five years.

When you’re able to do so time-wise, focus on community service.

Good luck! When you get into management, remember how you were treated this year and set a better example for your employees.

From the Coach’s Corner, an IBM study has some interesting conclusions for employers and job-seekers, alike, regarding leadership.

The study contends online gaming prowess is a plus. The study, “Leadership in a Distributed World: Lessons from online gaming,” concludes online gaming develops leadership skills and mental agility.

To see the study: www-935.ibm.com/services/us/index.wss/ibvstudy/gbs/a1028184