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You’re starting to plan your career roadmap for the 1, 3 and 5 year marks. Inherent in your outlook is a promotion. But advancing your career is about more than just working hard. It’s connecting with the right people and investing in your skill set. Here are some tips for getting promoted in your finance job.
Mentoring Relationships
One way to help further your career goals is to develop a relationship with a mentor. Even if your company doesn’t have a formalized mentoring program, it makes strategic sense to connect with someone who can help you grow professionally, navigate choppy political waters and be a sounding board should the need arise. Not sure about the value of a mentor? A recent study showed that 4 out of 5 people who got promoted had a mentoring relationship with a higher placed individual in their organization.
Read: Our blog, “From Junior Accountant to CFO – Why Everyone Needs a Mentor” details the importance of a mentor to your career.
Be Engaged
Engagement is more than just ticking boxes on a “to do” list. Engagement means being interested in what your colleagues and senior management have to say. It means getting involved with different initiatives and projects. Ultimately, you’re showing the people you work with and senior management that you’re invested in the organization.
Practice Self-Promotion
Self-promotion is fine – as long as you share the credit if someone else was key in generating a successful outcome. And while we’re not talking about shameless self-promotion, there’s nothing wrong with sending out an email that updates your boss each month on what you’ve done, the results of your actions and any accolades that have come your way.
Quantify Results
You’re an accountant, which means that you know that numbers can speak volumes. Make sure that when you do your self-assessment you quantify your success. Identify accomplishments. Explain how they directly impacted the bottom line. After all, your manager may not know how much value you have truly added.
Read: To learn how to write a self-assessment that will help you get promoted in your finance job, read this blog.
Professional Development
Expand your knowledge and skill set in areas that are critical to the organization. Keep current with industry news and events. Invest in professional development that will grow your skill set and increase your marketability.
Show Leadership
Show that you are ready to take on additional responsibility by leading a systems implementation, for example, or a new initiative or project. Be professional at all times. Demonstrate that you can excel individually, but that you have a collaborative communication style. Be highly ethical, solutions-focused and forward thinking. The company’s senior leadership needs to see you as a leader in order to buy-in.
Key Takeaways
If you want to get promoted in your accounting job, it’s not enough just to meet expectations – you need to exceed them on a number of fronts. Demonstrate leadership capability. Invest in your career through targeted professional development. Quantify your success and don’t be afraid of some strategic self-promotion. Most of all, build a relationship with a mentor. He or she can be the difference maker in moving your career forward.
Your Next Step
No one should walk the job search or hiring road alone. At Clarity Recruitment we help others realize their success through a process that marries proprietary technology with unwavering commitment. Contact us today to take control of your career, or to partner with us to hire well.
Clarity Recruitment, connecting exceptional people with remarkable companies.