8 Tips to Get the Promotion You Deserve in 2026

We all want to progress in our careers. It is what drives motivation and ambition, but it takes more than just doing your job.

When you want to get promoted at work, you have to prove you are worthy of it, show you are ready for a new role, and that the move will benefit the business as well as you.

Research from the Hays 2026 Salary and Recruitment Trends report shows that 62% of UK professionals plan to move jobs in the coming year, up from 57% the year before, and 48% feel there is limited scope for advancement at their current organisation. The good news is that when promotions do happen, they tend to come with real reward attached: the average pay rise on promotion in 2025 was 22.3%, according to Ravio's 2026 Compensation Trends report.

This blog will give you the tips you need to show your employer you have the skills, knowledge and dedication to professional development to earn a promotion or a pay rise.

1. Have clear goals and make your boss aware of them

To progress your career, you first need to know what you want to achieve. That tells you which roles to aim for, which skills to build and which conversations to have. Make sure your goals are realistic and strategic and have a backup plan in case the first route does not pan out as you hoped.

Once you know what you are aiming for, discuss it with your manager privately so they can help you get there. While talking to them about your ambitions, focus on the benefit your progression will bring to the business. Will it bring in more revenue, free up their time, or let you take on the work they need to delegate?

Be realistic about timing. Rather than asking for a promotion straight out, start by asking for more responsibility or oversight of people in your team so you can prove yourself first. And be careful about asking for a promotion or pay rise if the company is going through a difficult financial period or heading into a quiet quarter.

2. Be brilliant at your current job

It should go without saying that you need to be good at your job to get promoted, but plenty of employees spend so much time positioning for their next role that the one they are paid for slips. Remember that you are paid to do your current job. The bar to strive for is excellent.

Find the most efficient ways to handle your basic and reactive tasks (emails, meetings, weekly admin) so you have time to take on additional work that makes you visible to your employer.

Do not be afraid to take charge when leadership is needed. That shows you can lead without leaning on workplace hierarchy. Approach each day as if you already have the position you want, in attitude, presentation and the way you delegate or step back when appropriate.

The way you take on challenges in your current job tells your manager how you will perform in the next one. Have efficient processes, deliver projects ahead of time where you can, stay calm under pressure and solve the problems that come your way. Show commitment but try not to become so indispensable in your current role that nobody wants to move you out of it.

Where possible, focus on the areas of your work that save or make the business the most money. That shows you understand the business model and the longer-term commercial interests of your employer. Employees who show that kind of commercial awareness early tend to get promoted earlier.

3. Help others reach their potential

A great way to be recognised for a promotion is to be the person colleagues turn to. Offer to help when teammates are stuck and take a genuine interest in their success. It shows leadership without a title.

As well as supporting your colleagues, ask your manager if there is anything you can take off their plate. They will appreciate the team member who makes their life easier and makes them look good.

Challenge ideas where you have genuine doubts. That shows you think critically and can make independent decisions, which is exactly what employers look for in their next layer of managers.

Demonstrating that you care about helping others succeed signals that you care about the company and its people as a whole.

4. Make your boss aware of your achievements

Your manager may not notice how well you are doing unless they are actively looking. Keep them informed. Let them know when you have solved a problem, made a process more efficient or helped a colleague through something difficult.

Show them where you have added value. Have you brought in a new piece of business, saved time with a smarter process, or freed up capacity for the team to do more?

Be careful not to come across as boastful. Frame your team's achievements collectively where you can. That signals you are a positive influence on the people around you.

If you have achieved something meaningful outside of work, mention that too. It adds to your character and shows the kind of drive and follow-through employers value in senior people.

5. Keep investing in yourself

The work does not stop once you have mastered your current role. There is always somewhere to grow. Learn a new area of the business, deepen the skills you already have, or pick up a formal professional development course or management training programme.

Studying alongside your job demonstrates exactly the qualities employers promote for: the ability to grow, juggle competing priorities and stay committed to development. Industry-recognised qualifications like the CMI Level 3 in Principles of Management and Leadership and the CMI Level 5 in Management and Leadership are particularly powerful at this stage because they signal to your employer that you are serious about stepping up. Research consistently shows that continuing professional development can increase your salary over the course of a career.

A useful starting point is to ask your manager and peers for feedback so you can understand where you can improve. If there is somebody internally who can act as a mentor, ask them for guidance. And when you have your career conversation with your manager, ask explicitly what they think you need to work on to get to the next level.

6. Be more than your job title

Engage with the people in your workplace beyond your immediate team. Show interest in their work and their success, rather than getting drawn into office politics or gossip.

Volunteer for extra roles to demonstrate leadership skills, whether that is organising a charity fundraiser, hosting an internal lunch and learn, or helping with onboarding new starters. Use these moments to connect with senior people you might not normally cross paths with, and let them see your skills, attitude and achievements in a different setting.

7. Have the right attitude

Doing good work and being sociable is not quite enough. It is how you do those things that shapes how senior people see you. Stay positive about the difficult parts of work. That shows you genuinely enjoy your work, rather than performing enthusiasm when it suits you.

Be easy to work with. Build good relationships with the people across your team and the wider business, so you are seen as someone others want to work with. Approach what you do with confidence, which signals you are a capable employee who does not need close supervision.

Speak up in meetings and important discussions. Contribute thoughtfully to show you understand the issues and think strategically about them. But be considerate with what you say, and do not speak just for the sake of being heard. Listen as much as you contribute. That demonstrates you can collaborate, learn and lead at the same time.

8. Show your respect for the business

Managers do not want to promote people who are negative about the business. Demonstrate your belief in the company whenever it is genuine to do so. Share content from colleagues, post about open roles to attract good people, recommend the business to others.

Speak positively about your manager and your team when they are not in the room. It almost always gets back to them, and it builds trust. Acknowledge their support and the things they have done well. That helps your reputation as well as theirs.

Showing your priorities are aligned with the business, and that you are thinking about its long-term success, sets you up well to be considered when promotion opportunities arise.

What to do once you have got the promotion

You may not be getting promoted at this exact moment, but hopefully this has prompted some clear steps to work toward it. When the moment does come, here is how to handle it well.

• Confirm it in writing. Once your manager has offered you the promotion, follow the conversation up with an email (unless they do first). This confirms the offer and gives you both clarity on the new role.
• Be happy, but humble. Be thoughtful about how and when you tell colleagues. Be proud of the achievement, but not boastful, especially if peers were hoping for the same role.
• Keep delivering in your current job. Do not let your existing responsibilities slip while you transition. You do not want to leave your old team a backlog of unclear handovers.
• Stay in touch with old colleagues. If you are moving to a different department, keeping those relationships warm builds your internal network and your wider reputation in the business.

Demonstrating that you want to progress within a company is one of the strongest signals you can send that you intend to be there for the long term and are genuinely committed to its success.

Want to pursue career growth and secure a higher position or a pay rise? MOL offers professional development courses across management & leadership, HR, project management and property, designed to help working professionals build the skills, qualifications and confidence to step up. Explore our courses or get in touch with our Qualifications Advisors to find the right route for you.