So, you’ve been on the job at your hospital for about three years now, and you really feel like you’re “killing it.” You’re always on time, you take on extra shifts when they need you to, you deliver excellent patient care — and your patients all seem to love you.
If you’re thinking, it’s about time for a promotion but no such offer has come my way from the manager. Is there any recourse? Could you actually broach the topic yourself?
Yes, say employment experts, as long as you go about it the right way. Here are a few of their top suggestions —
- First, make sure you really are “killing it.” Step out of your own shoes for a moment and into those of your manager to see how she or he might view your job performance. Are you doing all the right things at all the right times? If not, put your plans to ask for a promotion on hold until you truly live up to expectations.
- If you decide you aren’t really the stand-out employee you thought you were, look for ways to enhance your job performance. Volunteer to serve on committees or task forces, participate in hospital-related community service events, or ask your manager for additional tasks.
- But let’s say your personal assessment comes up positive. Now what? The best time to ask for a promotion would be during your annual or semi-annual review; but if you don’t want to wait that long, ask to set up a meeting with your manager. Be sure to clearly state the reason for the meeting is to examine your career potential at your hospital so they’ll have a “heads up” that you’re going to be asking about advancement. That way they can mull over the idea before you sit down in front of their desk and won’t be blindsided during the meeting itself.
- Be prepared to share all of your job-related accomplishments during the meeting. Make a list of the day-to-day factors that make you stand out from the crowd (such as never being late, taking on extra shifts, etc.). Also detail the “above and beyond” things you have done for the hospital and the department, such as participating in community service events and the like.
- Make the case for your promotion by talking about what you hope to accomplish in your new position and what you would do to help the department going forward. For example, if you are going after a day-shift supervisor position, explain how you would streamline scheduling processes or improve on current systems in place to oversee care delivery.
- Research local salaries for the job you’re seeking so you’ll have some concrete data to share with your manager if and/or when a promotion is offered, but don’t mention salary until you’ve actually been given the promotion. If you bring it up too soon, it could turn your manager off to the whole idea.
- If you don’t get the promotion right away, don’t despair. Continue to be the standout employee you’ve been and look for ways to do even more for your department. By speaking up, you’ve let your manager know you are interested in advancement. And as your manager sees you continue to excel on the job, they’re likely to find a way to make it happen because they don’t want to lose such a valuable employee.
