Congratulations! Your company’s [finally!] recognized your technical brilliance, hard work, and dedication; they’re offering you that promotion. Well done! You’re flattered, I’m sure. However, before you take that promotion, stop and think about it. Is taking it the right step for your career or the best thing for your personal growth? Asking yourself these six questions will help you to determine just that.
6 Questions to Ask Before You Accept a Promotion
1. Is this what you really want?
Too often tech professionals feel obligated to takce the promotion. Don’t be. Think long and hard about whether or not this is something that you want. Do you want to be a manager or would you rather stay focused on the technology? Do you want a new role, or just a different challenge in your current one? If you’d rather stay strictly on the tech side or just want a new project, don’t take the promotion. See, instead, if you can take on additional responsibilities. If managing others feels right to you, don’t accept it blindly either. Make sure you ask yourself these next five questions.
2. Will this promotion get you where you want to be?
What are your career goals? Will this role get you one step closer? For example, if you want to be a higher-up in design and architecture, will this Development Manager role get you to it? If not, it may be a smarter idea to pass on the promotion, even if you want to lead. A better decision would be to hone skills that will help you to get a role that will put you on your dream role path.
3. Do you know how to lead?
If this promotion will help you on your way to management, it’s a good idea to make sure that you also have the right managerial qualities. First of all? Leadership. Do you have any leadership experience? Do you have the qualities that will make you a good leader? Can you delegate, communicate, and treat people fairly?
If you don’t have this experience or these qualities, it may be hard for you to be successful in this role. You only get to be a good leader through practice, but on-the-job training in this capacity doesn’t bode well for you or your professional reputation.
4. Are you decisive?
In this role, it doesn’t matter how great of a technical mind you have or how well you can communicate with others. If you run the opposite way when it comes to decision-making, a promotion probably isn’t the right thing for you. They undoubtedly come with greater responsibility, and a greater say when it comes to directing a project. Can you handle the pressure of accepting the responsibility for decisions made?
5. Do you have the skills for this?
Can you do everything that is listed in the job description? While upper-management shouldn’t have tried to promote you for a role that you’re unqualified for, make sure that you have the qualifications and experiences for this role. If you don’t have the right skills, you won’t be able to effectively lead, and your tenure in this newly promoted role will be short. Don’t take a role for the extra money or prestige if it has the potential to harm your professional reputation. Visit ADL Embedded Solutions Inc.
6. Will you have the time?
How are you feeling in your current role? Strapped for time? Like you never see your family? Realize that whatever your current role situation is, inspiration 4 generations reviews , or a promotion and the added responsibility will add to that. If this promotion role will make you work 16 hours a day, 6 days a week, and you have a newborn child in the house, is this really the right time to tackle a new role? Take other aspects of your life into consideration when determining whether or not to take the promotion.
At the end of the day, taking a promotion isn’t just about whether or not you want the role. It’s about making sure that it’s the right career move for you and your family, and that you have the right skillset to make you successful. Don’t take a role for the money or the prestige if you’re not interested in it. It’s a surefire way to make yourself miserable, and harm your career.
What do you take into consideration when considering a promotion? Let us know in the comments section below, or join the conversation on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.
Thanks to gawd for the use of their image.
