Whether you should ask for a promotion is a tricky issue for your career...]]> Is the present state of your career leaving you frustrated? Would you like to make a career forward move at work? If the answer to these questions is yes, you might consider trying career advancement by asking for a promotion.

Whether you should ask for a promotion is a tricky issue for your career. You need to consider various factors carefully before you ask your boss for one. It is not something you do on a whim.

A request for promotion can do many things. It may work in your favour, no doubt about that. But it might also do nothing for your career development; worse, it could do more harm than good to your career planning.

An important factor in deciding whether you should ask for a promotion or not is whether there is an opening. Do you really know the human resource requirement of your employers, now or in the near future? Timing, as they say, is everything.

If an open position does exist, it will greatly enhance your chances of getting a promotion. It is imperative that you are aware of the relevant career information at all times. You need to know if there are any open positions in the company, whether from inside sources, online recruitment portals, or even the local newspaper. As soon as you hear of one, you may consider asking your boss for a promotion.

How long you have been with your current employers is another big factor you need to take into account before you make that career forward move. Although a short period with your present employer does not necessarily rule you out, your chances of career advancement would be significantly higher with a longer period of employment. Many employers like to reward with promotions people who have been with them for a longer period of time. So you should always keep your tenure in the present concern in mind when deciding whether to ask for a promotion.

Your career planning goals are another important element that you should keep in mind when you make the decision whether you should ask for a promotion or not. Would you be willing to make a career transition in search of a job that offers better pay, better benefits or better prospects of career advancement? If you are inclined to do that, you might as well consider asking for a promotion.

The fact that you are considering moving on to greener pastures itself means that you have nothing to lose by asking for a promotion. The answer that you hear may in fact surprise you. Many companies will be ready to give out promotions or better terms to retain employees they do not want to lose.

When you are trying to decide whether you should ask for career advancement or not, you need to know the history of such attempts in the company. Getting that information from the office grapevine could be tricky business; you could yourself end up being the subject of workplace gossip. However, it is important for you to know if any other employees have in fact sought a promotion in the past. Did they succeed in their efforts? If not, were there any negative repercussions? Again, rather than gossiping around to get the information, you need to keep your eyes and ears open to get the answers.

A lot of tact and caution is necessary if you were to decide that you would ask your supervisor for a promotion. Your supervisors may not be fully aware of your achievements as an employee or your contribution to the company’s cause. Perhaps you have not worked personally with the decision makers either.

You need to try and get an appointment with those who matter in your quest for career development. Treat this meeting like a job interview and try to sell yourself. Point out delicately your contribution to the company’s success; also mention how important career advancement is for you.

The above factors are important when you finally decide if you are ready to step onto the next level of your career. Should you decide to do so, you need to be tactful and delicate and also confident enough to sell yourself. The bottomline is, do not get upset or feel insulted if your request for a promotion is rejected.

Now the flipside is you probably depend on your paycheck to discharge your financial obligations...]]> Are you unhappy with the overall situation of your career? Has it got something to do with your job profile or your company? If that is the case, the thought of career change must have crossed your mind.

Now the flipside is you probably depend on your paycheck to discharge your financial obligations. A career transition has to be pondered over in the right perspective. You want to make sure that a job shift is in the best interest of you and your family. If you have asked yourself these questions before, please read on!

A number of important factors need to be taken into consideration when you start thinking of making a career change. No two individuals are in an identical situation when it comes to relying on your salary. So these factors should be carefully considered, and then you can use them in your own personal situation. This way you can properly weigh out the pros and cons of a career transition.

Your current job’s paycheck is an important factor to be taken into consideration, before deciding if you want a career change. For instance, try to judge for yourself whether the salary you are getting in your current job is a fair salary. To find out, you can start by comparing your current salary with the salary that is being offered in job openings in the local newspapers, recruitment agencies or online recruitment portals. If you do that, you can find out by yourself whether it is difficult for you to earn the same salary elsewhere. Unless you are lucky enough to land a job in the upper tier of an organization, you might find yourself having to work your way up the ladder all over again.

Apart from the crucial factor of your salary to pay your bills and support your family, there is the matter of other benefits too. Health insurance is one such important factor when you are toying with the idea of a career transition. If your current employers provide health insurance benefits for yourself or for your whole family, you should attach a lot of importance to that. You may of course buy health insurance for yourself or an extension of your coverage, but you should keep in mind that it can be quite an expensive proposition.

When comparing the pay packet of your current job with career job opportunities elsewhere that don’t offer health insurance benefits, you should take into consideration the imputed cost of having to buy one. If you still decide to make a career change, you may want to schedule your doctor’s appointments, including the dentist and the ophthalmologist if the coverage permits, before you actually quit.

Another factor that needs looking into when you are on a job search is the current job scenario in your area. Do you already have a firm job offer in your pocket? If that is the case then there is little to worry about. If you haven’t, you will at least want to ensure that there is a good prospect of seeking employment elsewhere.

You need to remember that you might not be eligible for unemployment benefits if you leave your job of your own volition. In such a situation, you may need a backup plan if you have financial obligations like a family to support or bills to pay like rent or mortgage.

When you decide on a career change, you need to have all the career information at your fingertips. Keeping the current job scenario in mind, you have to look at all career job opportunities in your area for any required training, work experience, or education. It is no use realizing too late that you are not qualified for that career dream find. Instead, you should scrutinize the average job requirements by examining all available job openings in the local newspapers or online recruitment portals. If you find yourself lacking the necessary skills, you may consider enrolling in a career training course to improve your chances of finding a new job.

It must be quite clear by now that you should proceed very carefully when you think about a career transition. There are just so many vital factors that need to be considered. Keeping all this in mind, whether you really want a change is ultimately your call.

A lot of people have had their careers threatened by problems with their bosses or co-workers...]]> Have you ever been at the receiving end of trouble in office? If you have, rest assured that it is not just you. Conflicts at the workplace are a very common phenomenon.

A lot of people have had their careers threatened by problems with their bosses or co-workers. It is a really tricky situation; for your reaction to the conflict may well have serious repercussions on your career planning.

You have to consider your options carefully in order to tackle such conflicts and safeguard your career. The person or the situation in conflict with you is a key factor in determining what response would be appropriate under the circumstances. If you are facing trouble from a colleague, you could speak to one of the supervisors. If on the other hand it is a supervisor you are in conflict with, you have to approach the next higher level of the management.

An important aspect of career management is that you need to be very careful when you approach your supervisor with the problem of workplace conflict. All workplaces have groups and sets of people drawn together by their common traits or self-interest. Naturally you wouldn’t like the colleague in question and your supervisor to belong to the same clique. However, even if they are close, you still need to take your problem to your boss. The only thing is you must do so in an objective and matter-of-fact manner. The last thing you want is to come across as vindictive or malicious.

If on the other hand the conflict is with your supervisor, you will need to approach the next level in the office hierarchy. Of course if you are dealing directly with the owner, a career transition could be your only option. Serious conflict can arise from various issues - unfair treatment, unpaid overtime, and the like - and need resolving quickly. Naturally, especially since you are facing your boss’s manager, you need to be tactful and professional in your approach for the sake of your own career advancement. You will want to contact your boss’s supervisor to schedule an appointment. Divulge as little information to them as possible when asking for the appointment - conflict resolution might be quite low in their list of priorities at that point of time.

If you want to keep your career advancement aims on your sights, it is imperative that you maintain a professional mindset and an objective outlook in a workplace conflict situation. For example, such an approach could prompt you to methodically keep a record of events, and a summary of exactly how you were harassed or treated unfairly. It is a good idea to have documented evidence in support of any serious complaints you make or major problems that you face. You wouldn’t want to come off as the one with an attitude problem, would you? It would be disastrous for your career if such an impression is created in front of your boss or your boss’s supervisor.

Running to your bosses every time there is a small problem is bound to undermine your career development goals. Listen to your survival instinct: it will help you fit into most situations. Any small issue should be tackled on your own. If it is a serious problem, and persists even after your best efforts, you need to alert the higher-ups. However, if even that fails, as a last resort you might give career change a serious thought