Should you go for a promotion? That can be a difficult question to answer. Here are a few questions to ask yourself to help make this big decision.
Does it align with your professional goals? Do you aspire to be in this position in the future? If so, is there a chance it will open up when you are more willing to go for it? The promotion could be a necessary stepping stone to your ideal job.
Do you have the skills and qualifications necessary? This is probably the hardest question to answer, and we often say “no” before we should. Study the job description, talk to people who have been or are currently in the role or similar positions to learn more. If they know you well, ask them their thoughts on your qualifications. This might uncover other reasons for or against applying for the new position. If you tend to suffer from imposter syndrome, please ask yourself these questions first: do you deliver results in your current position? Do you get positive evaluations? If so, don’t let fear tell you that you are “not ready” when you probably are!
Do you think you would enjoy the job? Job satisfaction ranks very high for some and lower for others. If you have the necessary skills and are not as concerned with enjoying every minute of your job then the other factors could weigh more heavily, but that is up to you. For example, you might believe that salary is most important because of the flexibility it might provide to fund your other passions in life.
The next question you need to ask: Does the position align with your individual work/life balance goal? Consider that much of the time a promotion means added duties, stress, and/or time. You may be willing to sacrifice more time or take on more stress, but if you are not, the job may not be right for you.
Lastly, does the salary impact any of those above questions? Does the pay align with your financial goals? Is the salary is high enough or will it make enough of an impact on your financial goals to free up other “stressors” in your life. For example, you may be able to hire someone to take on other necessary life tasks like lawn care or house cleaning with more income.
When making these decisions it often helps to talk to someone or get an outside opinion, but be sure it is someone you trust who will listen to your reasoning and not just push their own agenda. It’s important that they see your reasoning so it’s good to go into these conversations after having answered some of these questions for yourself. At the end of the day you are the person who will have to live with your decision, and you probably spend the large portion of your waking time at your job so weigh your options and then make sure to express your interest if you are going to go for the promotion.
If you would like to discuss these questions with a career coach, click the button below to make an appointment.