Saturday, March 14, 2020

When its okay to say no to a promotion - TheJobNetwork

When its okay to say no to a aufsteigen - TheJobNetworkWe all know that promotions are wonderful and momentous occasions on our individual career journeysbut are they always the right move for us? The answer might notlage be as clear cut as you think. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) Sure, promotions typically come with new challenges and opportunities (and usually more prestige and a bigger paycheck), and bring you one step further up the ladder to professional success, but the truth is, theres a time and place for everythingincluding promotions. Depending on the situation, an opportunity for a promotion may arise at an inopportune time or under less-than-perfect circumstances, and its okay if youre not sure if its the right move for you or if youd like to turn it down.Yes, this may sound counterintuitive to everything youve been taught about getting ahead and moving forward, but the wrong move can actually have the reverse effectand lea d you in the wrong direction career-wise or make you feel less professionally satisfied and fulfilled than you were before you accepted the offer.Still skeptical? Consider the following scenarios, which for many may reflect situations in which it might be wise to say no to a promotion.The Second Job PromotionSometimes, getting a promotion isnt as much about shifting to a new job as it is about piling a bunch of new responsibilities on top of your current joband chances are you arent going to earn two full salaries to reflect the fact that youre about to be doing two jobs. This scenario is likely more of a road to burnout-syndrom than a recipe for happiness, and you may be platzsetting yourself up for failure if you cant shoulder the weight of all your newfound job tasks in addition to the ones you presently handle. If youve been offered a promotion and have the sneaking suspicion that it may fall into this category, you may want to think twice before quickly acceptingthe truth is, m any folks who do just this find themselves in a much less enjoyable position than they were in before, so consider yourself warned.The Off Track PromotionAfter being in the job market for a while and getting to know the ins and outs of the industry weve chosen to work in, most of us have a pretty good idea of how wed like our career paths to unfoldincluding the steps up the career ladder that promotions provide us. But what should you do if youre offered a promotion that could take you off-track? This type of promotion happens more often than you think, and it typically means weighing a set of pros and cons as you work towards making a decision.A step up the career ladder might mean more prestige, responsibility, and pay, but it also might set you on a different professional trajectory. Are you okay with that? Some folks who accept such a promotion unfortunately find out that their new gains come attached with losses in job satisfaction and struggles to get back onto their original career paths. When deciding whether or not to accept an off track promotion, be careful of blindly chasing short-term gains at the expense of long-term setbacks. If a step up isnt right for you in the long run, then turning down a promotion may be a wise move.The Unbalanced PromotionWhen we dream about our next promotions, we tend to automatically assume that the great new benefits it will bring will clearly outweigh any potential negatives. But what if this isnt true? If the offer being made comes with a price tag thats steeper than the rewards being offered (perhaps it requires a relocation or responsibilities that youre not eager or ready to take on, or maybe the new salary and benefits arent quite what you were expecting), it may make sense to pause and think carefully before accepting. Remember, when most employers make an offer they are not averse to negotiating the terms in an effort to make both sides happy. If handled carefully and professionally you might just get what you re hoping forand if you dont, it might make sense to say no.In many instances, an offer of a promotion is a real reason to celebratebut sometimes it may not be. If youve been presented with an offer, resist the urge to quicklyand blindlyaccept the offer and instead take some time to take a step back and fully weigh the pros and cons. If the deal isnt in your best interests, then be bold and negotiate in your best interest. In the end, if the offer just isnt right for you, it may be the wise thing to say no to a promotion and continue to do your current job to the best of your abilities until a better offer comes along.

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Following a Dress Code at Work Can Get You Promoted It Worked For Me

Following a Dress Code at Work Can Get You Promoted It Worked For Me When the Hogwarts Express pulls out of the station, the witches and wizards on board change into school uniform their student robes. Its their school dress code, and every student is expected to wear the saatkorn kind. Otherbeiwise, theyll get in trouble. (And if theres one thing that we can learn from Harry Potter, its that getting in trouble for a school dress code violation isnt the best thing to get in trouble for)Though you may not be in school (and you may not be a wizard), police officers, firefighters, doctors, nurses, chefs and workers across the world put on uniforms every day.Wearing a uniform is not about whether you prefer a polo shirt to wearing black tie attire or whether you hate t-shirts and love dress slacks. Its about using yur Photo via Instagram/rawlyboldRegardless of whether you spend your workday in a button-down shirt or strictly in business casual attire, the clothing you wear has a seriou s impact on your career path. By elevating what you wear to be more than just the official company dress code, you can also command respect, show your authority and easily establish yourself as the recognizable leader you want to be.Like it or not, youre judged by the clothes that you wear. And no matter how many times you complain that people should look at your work, your results, and your accomplishments when its time to promote you, they will also look at your pants, your shirts, and the other items you wear. Its not because theyre factoring your sense of fashion into your work performance. When your supervisor looks at your clothes, theyre actually asking themselves, Can I put this person in front of my boss? Can I send this person out to visit a customer and feel confident that she will represent the company in a way that we want to be seen?Eighty percent of executives surveyed said that what you wear is a factor in promoting you. If clothes have such a major impact, we need t o dress like it To start, wear clothes that mimic the style of the people who have the job you want. Imitating the style, uniform, and dress code of that level of management in your company will make you more promotable.Why does this work?I teach women to negotiate a skill you use every day, all day to get your peers, coworkers, direct employees, customers and vendors to agree. The most successful of these day-to-day agreements help us move forward without damaging our relationships, as well as make our relationships much better.Imagine youre in a meeting with your peers. Youre all wearing jeans and hoodies the standard dress code for your office. In walks a manager from a different group. She looks around the room and sees you, wearing jeans and a nice blazer. Shes also wearing jeans and a nice blazer, because thats the dress code for her level of management in your company. She needs help with something. Who is she likely to be most drawn to? The person who looks like her. Its human nature.Photo via Instagram/sistersinmediaWe trust people who look like us, who are wearing the same uniform.Choosing between wearing skirts and dress pants suddenly seems a lot more important, right? When we match our clothing with other individuals, we are subconsciously establishing a rapport. In general, building rapport is a powerful negotiation skill and a big part of coming to an agreement everyone feels good about. Making a connection can be as simple as finding things in common that we can talk about, shared films we love, or the school we graduated from.And yes, we do subconsciously bond over how we look. At work, this subconscious behavior is called mirroring. Its mostly used to describe when we subtly imitate speech patterns and body language, but can also be applied to your personal dress code.That doesnt mean you should ditch your closet of casual outfits in exchange for the cocktail dress that your boss wore to the holiday party, or the business attire that shes regularly seen in. Im not suggesting you cross the line and dress exactly like your boss, i.e. becoming her mini-me. Definitely avoid wearing the exact same thing, but dress similarly. Mirroring, at the most visible level of consciousness, shows that you are the same, and therefore more trustworthy.Dont believe it? Heres how I used mirroring to get promoted.We women have a complicated relationship with our clothing, especially compared to men. There were days in my past where I stood in front of a jam-packed closet full of navy blue button-down shirts and outfits tied to the companys formal dress code and wailed, I have nothing to wear But all of that changed when I adopted a work uniform.While school uniforms can feel restricting, work uniforms are the opposite. By focusing on already-worn pieces and a smart, casual look, I chose to fit in and to create a uniform that mirrored the culture of the company. This also made everyone comfortable with me, whether I was the highest- or low est-level person in the room. No one ever worried about what Id be wearing when I showed up for a meeting. Thats the beauty of mirroring. No one thought about the way I looked because I looked like them.Photo via Instagram/colleenfinneganAt the end of the day, what you wear to work is just a small part of getting ahead. But if wearing jeans can help you score a point with your boss, the small advantage that clothing provides will definitely help you get ahead.Ideally, youll find a place to work that perfectly fits the way you like to dress and act. Though it takes a lot of work to find and get a job at that place, you have a better chance of moving to that perfect job once you hit the next level in the company youre already at. You can adjust a few things in the way you show up at work for now, with the understanding that its not forever.Use mirroring as one of the tools in your professional toolbox to build rapport and help you get ahead.--What do you do when the unexpected happens ? That moment when the other person interrupts you or says something you werent prepared for? Melissa Hereford will teach you how to Negotiate With Confidence check out her website