How Women Can Climb the Corporate Ladder

Men tend to hold most senior-level roles within organisations – women, on the other hand, are constantly fighting to achieve equality on a senior level.

Times are changing, but perhaps not fast enough, many women are still struggling to climb the corporate ladder and the percentage of women declines as the job level increases.

However, there are always opportunities to climb the corporate ladder, if you have your eyes set on a bigger title, bigger salary or ready to take on more challenging responsibilities. What is not to like?

What is a Corporate Ladder?

‘Corporate ladder’ is a business jargon or phrase often used to describe the process of gaining promotion and moving to higher positions within a company or field.

How to Climb the Corporate Leader

Without further ado, here are three proven ways to grab your manager’s attention and learn how climb the corporate ladder.

1. Set a Clear Career Goal

Do you set career goals?

A career goal is the ideal job or specific role you are aiming for throughout your professional life as well as finding ways to grow by gaining the necessary skills that will enhance your work performance.

It is simply knowing what you want workwise and creating an action plan to get there.

I don’t mean a wide career goal like you want to be successful. Or you want to be a manager or director.

That’s definitely not a specific goal.

Career goals are targets that you have set your mind on to achieve. They help you direct your time, skills and energy in turning your dreams into reality.

Having clear specific goals will also provide you with the much-needed motivation and encouragement to keep on track.

Where would you like to be in one year? In five years? Write it down and great an action plan to get there using the SMART system of goal setting.

What is a smart goal?

‘SMART’ is an acronym that stands for

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable (or Achievable)
• Relevant
• Time-bound.

SMART goals help you set goals that are realistic and actionable.

For example, 12 months from today, I will build my leadership skills by taking on additional responsibilities that will help me develop my communication and conflict resolution skills.

2. Go the Extra Mile

It is always a good idea to go the extra mile to be noticed. It is often said that women must work harder to move up in the business world.

There is plenty of evidence arguing for this and against this. The fact remains that there are many more men in leadership roles than women.

If you want to be noticed for a promotion you need to go the extra mile. This doesn’t necessarily mean working twice as hard as your male colleagues, working long hours or over-committing to projects.

It could instead refer to taking on extra jobs and asking for additional responsibilities.

For example, taking on a supplementary work project will demonstrate your readiness to shoulder more responsibility.

When you go the extra mile at work, it’s likely that your colleagues and manager are going to notice., which could lead to a great career boost for you!

Think about this.

Every business and every job role have its problems and challenges. What are your managers and leaders always asking for? What problems are they looking to solve?

If you can provide them with what they want, then this will put you in a good light. This could be the difference between you and another colleague being offered a promotion.

By going that extra mile, you are not only achieving career success but, you may also inspire others on their journey to climbing the corporate ladder.

2. Sign Up to Educational Courses

If you want to advance your career, you might sign up for a degree or an evening class to gain additional qualifications.

And even if you don’t need certificates to climb the corporate ladder, signing up for a course teaches you discipline, new skills, and broadens your horizons.

For example, to be an effective manager, you will likely need to become more of a leader around your workplace.

There are online communication courses designed to help you develop your leadership skills. These courses will help you develop your communication skills in order to learn how to collaborate effectively and influence positive change in the workplace.

The good news is that there are variety of relevant courses that will benefit anyone looking to climb the corporate ladder.

The course you sign up for may depend on the sector you’re operating in and the type of business you want to climb up in.

Signing up for a course will show your manager that you have put in the work to be a suitable candidate for promotion.

The course doesn’t have to be expensive, either: plenty of universities and colleges offer free higher education courses online, and they’ll open up all manner of opportunities for you.

With online courses, you can learn what you like, whenever you like, at your own pace, in the comfort of your own home.

You may be able to get your course funded by your employer, if you show a willingness to grow and develop within your role.

Remember, the more you learn and know, the more of an asset you will be to your employer.

3. Look for A Mentor

Mentorship is one of the most undervalued aspects of building the foundation of a lasting and rewarding career.

Who is a mentor? A mentor is someone who can support, advise, motivate, provide regular feedback and guide you to reach your career goals.

Why do you even need a mentor?

Mentors play a crucial role in the lives of people looking to achieve new levels of success in any area of life and a good mentor inspires you, stretches you and keeps you accountable.

In most cases, mentors have the knowledge and experience you need to succeed in your field.

How do you find a mentor?

It may be best to search for someone you can learn from directly. Look within your organisation for a mentor and consider someone who is successful whom you admire.

You could ask them if they have any advice to share. You could also ask them if you can shadow them.

A workplace mentor can help outline what you need to do to climb the corporate ladder efficiently saving you a lot of time and mistakes by learning from their experience.

You can also look outside your company. Think of friends and family members who inspire you, then reach out to them for a coffee or a video call. The chances are that they’ll be more than happy to share their knowledge with you.

There are guides available online to help you find a mentor if you are unsure how to get started.

It may be best to find a woman who has found success in the workplace to mentor you. This could provide you with more relevant advice and could help you feel more confident.

You can also look for mentors online. Go through your LinkedIn connections for someone you admire and want to learn from.

You can also reach out to successful people in another sector or industry. They may be best placed to offer you relevant advice that you can apply to your work ethics, which could help accelerate your progress and climb the corporate ladder faster.

There is absolutely nothing stopping you from achieving your goals faster if you have the right mentor to help you do so, so why not try it?

Now it’s your turn!

Take a few minutes right Now to set a SMART goal and create an action that will help you climb the corporate ladder and start taking actions to move you closer to your career goals.