I loved my first job. I loved it so much that I stayed for three years. By the time I left, however, the elements that had attracted me in the first place had pretty much diminished. The truth is, I felt more than ready for my next challenge.

You may also love your job but really want a promotion. Are you ready for it? If you try too soon, you could fail spectacularly and unnecessarily. But, if you wait too long, you’ll be seen as unambitious and will never be offered promotion. It’s important to get the timing right. There are a number of signs that show you’re ready for it.

1. You could do your job blindfolded

When you first started your current job, it may have felt new and exciting. Some parts may even have felt positively terrifying, but you lived off adrenaline and used all your skills to get the job done without making mistakes.

After a while, you may have found yourself knowing what to do and how to do it and relishing the trickier parts of the job as well as any new problems or challenges. These days, however, you wake up in the morning and know that you’ll sail through the day without breaking a sweat, regardless of what comes up. In fact, frankly, you’re feeling a little bored. If you get to this stage, you’re definitely ready for a new role with new challenges.

2. You have more ideas than your manager

You may find yourself biting your tongue in meetings because you feel your ideas will have a bigger impact. You may sense that you have more drive and energy and could really lead the team onwards and upwards. Even more than that, you may be brimming with new ideas to make things better. You’re definitely ready for a new challenge. Now’s the time to turn those ideas into a cohesive plan, so that you can start discussions about your next career move.

3. You feel frustrated that you’re not the decision-maker

When you first joined the team, you may have felt very impressed by how your manager could make so many big decisions every day. Did you drive home wondering how managers deal with the pressure of all of those decisions? What if they were the wrong decisions? These days, however, you may feel differently. Not only does the thought of making those decisions not feel daunting, but you are itching to be the one who makes the important calls. You want to feel the challenge and reward of making tough calls.

4. You are chosen as the stand-in

When your boss goes on holiday or is ill, do your colleagues come to you for help? It may be that your boss has made you the official/unofficial number two, or simply that everyone knows that you’re the ‘go-to’ person in the boss’s absence. Either way, does everyone see you as being ready for the next step? Perhaps you should too!

5. You feel confident when you picture it

You may have always felt ambitious. In the past, when you imagined having your manager’s job, you’d feel a thrill of excitement, but it was perhaps overshadowed by a fear that you were out of your depth. These days, when you think of your future, you probably see yourself in a promoted position, and you feel excitement. The last barrier to your promotion, fear, has gone.

So, do you feel ready for promotion? If you want to progress, you’ll need to be. Either that, or feel resigned to your current role for a long time. As, in the words of American showman P. T. Barnum, “Without promotion, something terrible happens…nothing!” Enjoy making something happen.

About the Author: 

Heather Foley is a consultant at etsplc.com, a bespoke provider of HR software and consultancy.

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