How you can climb up the career ladder faster than everyone else

"Who wants to be CEO?" I once heard a CEO address the crowd at a leadership series with the words, “I suppose you’d like to know how to get my job one day.”

🙋‍♂️  Well, actually… yeah! It’s an interesting thought, isn’t it? How does one quickly grow at a company?

👀 You may have noticed how some people move up the ladder quicker than others. Sometimes, it's not just about the work you do that gets you promoted or recognized.

💼  This is where you need a life hack. A company growth life hack. Let’s talk about simple hacks you can do to get some quick wins and grow at an organization:

👂 Be heard and seen. A lot of getting promoted is about being recognized. Ideas to get more seen: Ask thoughtful questions at high-profile meetings or contribute to shared documentation that many people see.  

👋  Know the right people. I call this internal networking. Most people focus their networking efforts outward — but if you want to grow internally, then network with people at your company. 

Example: Find out who makes promotion decisions in your division and get on their radar. Reach out, ask what they do, and tell them you want to learn more to expand your scope. Most folks will be flattered by your request and willing to accommodate.

🔧  Diversify. Work with teams outside of your own and prioritize getting involved in projects that are cross-functional. You’ll meet new people (internal networking!) and learn how other teams work.

🪜  Volunteer.  Volunteering at every event can be a massive time suck. But, try to get involved in events that are supported and attended by leadership.

🤝  Get a mentor. I try to give you stuff a mentor might give you in your career in this email. But, it won't hurt getting more direction from more people in your field.

◀️  Work backwards. Having a clearer target or vision for your career is probably the most important tip I can give you. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Think about the experience, job titles, and people you need to work with to get there. Write it all down, and then work backwards.

One way to do this: Find people who are in positions you eventually want to be in, see their work history on their LinkedIn profile, and write down the kind of jobs they did and projects they worked on to get where they are. Use that as a framework to get started.

👉  What did I miss? Have you found other company hacks that people may find useful in growing quickly at their organization? Send them my way.

If you found this piece useful (or not), shoot me a super short reply or leave a review. I use your feedback to figure out what to write up next.

The bad news: most LinkedIn profiles suck. 

The good news: it's easy to fix.

And once you do, you'll instantly notice a difference. More profile views from people in your industry. More DMs from hiring managers. A ton more opportunities.

⚡ How? To start, go to LinkedIn Optimization. 

The tool will scan your profile in 15 seconds and give you a score.

It'll show you quick hacks you can do — like what keywords you should add to your profile — that will get you more connections on LinkedIn.

📈  That means you'll grow your network far more easily and connect with people like recruiters or VIPs in your industry, organically.

👉 Find out your LinkedIn profile's score now. 

Want your ad here? Fill out this form to get in touch.

Stayed at one company for a while? Make sure you do this on your resume.

Read the full article here.

🤷  To recruiters, job seekers who have worked at one company for years are a mixed bag.

✅  On one hand, it's extremely positive. Staying with one company shows that you aren’t a job hopper and are willing to stick around long-term. 

🤔  On the other hand, it can raise questions. Employers will be curious about why you stuck around so long. It could be for a good reason — maybe the job or pay was great or you really loved the work. 

...but it could also be for a bad one. Did you not want to progress beyond your current position? Are you not motivated to try?

👉 That's why there's one simple rule when it comes to writing a resume where you've stayed with one employer for a while: Show career progression at that company.

This article explains how to effectively do that with examples, even if you've spent your entire career at one company.  Two ideas from the article:

📈  Show promotions

The easiest way to show career progression is through promotions — i.e. you’ve been moving up within the same company. You can list the different job titles and roles you've held, and even emphasize a promotion using a bullet point like this:

• Promoted within 12 months due to strong performance and organizational impact - ahead of schedule by 12 months

🚀  Show a progression of roles and responsibilities

Include accomplishments that speak to career growth, like explicitly mentioning times you’ve taken on additional responsibilities or been entrusted with higher-level tasks, e.g. working directly with or presenting to senior-level employees, or working on significant projects.

🎯  To make sure your resume is effective, upload it to this tool. It'll tell you if you have shown enough leadership skills, plus you'll also find out how your resume scores on 20+ other key criteria hiring managers look for.

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