Prepare to Pop the Question

At the American Chemical Society's Careers blog this week, John Borchardt outlines ways to "focus on your strengths and emphasize using them in your current job assignment to obtain outstanding results and recognition from your management." In order to earn a promotion, researchers must often prepare a sufficient rationale for their employers. To do that, Borchardt suggests that researchers first identify their best strengths and accomplishments in their current positions and consider the responsibilities of their target job assignments. "Determine the strengths essential in the new position. Then decide which of these skills you have demonstrated in your current or previous job assignments," he says. "For you to be a strong candidate for the new job there should be a substantial overlap in these two lists." Next, rather than rushing to put in an application for the new job, researchers ought to hone in on potential opportunities to showcase their top two strengths in their current jobs. All the while, Borchardt suggest that researchers "keep an accomplishment sheet that summarizes each of your accomplishments and the strengths you drew on to accomplish them." That way, when it comes time to ask for a promotion, they will have proof of their efforts at hand. "Your supervisor may inform you of additional things you need to do to qualify for your desired promotion of job transfer," Borchardt says. "If you are prepared for this meeting, you may be able to cite things that will convince your supervisor that you are indeed quite qualified for the new job."