5 Reasons Why You Didn’t Get Promoted

by Karin Singh 19/09/2017

Your ambition was always to make it big at your company, the best company in the fashion industry, which is considered as a great place to work. Recently one of the managers in your company (his name is Thomas Thaler) quit his job and you would have had a real chance to take over his job and get promoted.

You could see it happening, you could feel the excitement of having exactly that particular job. You were already daydreaming on how proud your family and friends would feel knowing that you got promoted. UNFORTUNATELY, someone else has been chosen. You are really devastated by this news and can’t understand why this great opportunity has not been given to you after working there for 4 years. In hindsight, you realise that these were the five reasons why you didn’t get promoted.

# 1 – You didn’t ask for it.

Every employee in the company knew that Mr Thomas Thaler quit his job and someone had to be replaced for his role. You were just waiting, hoping and assuming that the top management would automatically think of you as the perfect replacement. You didn’t take the initiative to express your keen interest for the position to the Hiring Manager and Top Management.

# 2 – You didn’t go beyond your job description.

You know that you worked for your company for four years, but you always carried out the same tasks. When new projects were being offered to you and others, you never wanted to get involved in new challenges and felt comfortable with your usual responsibilities. You were not prepared to go beyond your normal job duties for this great place to work.  You showed instead a lack of interest and leadership.

# 3 – You didn’t have the required soft skills.

You have great hard skills (nobody has the same in-depth knowledge in your subject matter as you have) but what was required for this job were soft skills. The so-called interpersonal skills that will help you to win new business, to make the business grow and to be ahead of the competition. More leadership, negotiation, problem solving and networking skills were the skills that the best company in the fashion industry was looking for.

# 4 – You had the mindset of an employee and not of a manager.

You were still thinking like an employee who did his job 9-5 and who was always keen to leave the office as soon as the clock stroke 5. You were hardly prepared to stay longer at the office to make sure that tasks were completed on time. It gave the impression as if you were just working for your pay check. You realise that that is not something that the best company would be proud of.

# 5 – Your unprofessional behaviour.

You remember that your attitude towards the company (officially awarded as a great place to work!) was often negative and pessimistic. Occasionally the HR Manager brought to your attention the fact that your business attire was not looking professional, that you were swearing during a conversation with a client and that you spent too much time on social media while at work. 

Always bear in mind that it’s not the end of the world when you don’t get promoted. However, if you want to increase your chances in the future make sure you take a more proactive and positive approach. Wishing you all the best!

by Karin Singh 19/09/2017

5 Reasons Why Nobody Wants to Network with You

5 Reasons Why Nobody Wants to Network With You

Imagine… you are attending a local networking event that allows you to meet many interesting and influential people. Your main goal of going there is to make new contacts. You hope you will win them as your future clients or dream of getting a job through networking. It’s time to get networking! The problem is that you notice from their behaviour that nobody wants to network with you. There are several reasons why that could be the case.

# 1 – You are overwhelming others with your overpowering sales pitch.

For you it’s all about selling your services and talking about the success of your company, but that’s not what people want to hear. Networking events should not be used as pure sales opportunities or solely with a purpose of getting a job through networking, it’s about making contacts and starting a relationship. People will see you as a pushy, needy, insensitive, desperate and gauche person. You focused on exchanging lots of business cards instead of trying to get to know the person first. Tip: The more genuine interest you show having in others, rather than you trying to impress others with your achievements, the better!

#  2 – Your lack of eye contact.

When you are talking to people are you always trying to look away instead of looking them straight in the eye? If so, you will give them the impression as if you would have something to hide. They will perceive you as a dishonest and untrustworthy person. Tip: Keep your eye contact to 80 % when holding a conversation, but make sure you don’t stare.

# 3 – You have body odour or a bad breath.

Why nobody wants to network with you could also be based on the fact that you might suffer from body odour or bad breath. Often people don’t realise this hygiene problem until someone tells them. Always remember to present yourself neatly and well-groomed. Do you really want to put other people off? Tip: A shower taken in the morning, the use of a deo and some mints can make a big difference.

# 4 – You are choosing the wrong small talk topics.

If apart from bombarding others with your company’s info and sales pitch you choose to talk about the wrong small talk topics, such as politics, sex, religion, gossip, money or divorce, people will surely distance themselves from you. Tip: Talk instead about topics that are not taboo, such as movies, books, hobbies, travel and personal traits.

# 5 – You went there to eat and drink.

If people get the impression that you are attending networking events mainly to fill your belly and get drunk, it will give a very bad impression on you. Nobody would want to network with you, they would feel embarrassed in your presence. Tip: Drink in moderation (non-alcoholic is always best!) and keep your food intake low by eating something before the event takes place. When networking, remember that it’s important to gain the trust from people first. Get to know them a bit better and start talking about what your company does at a later stage. You can turn the scenario of “nobody wants to network with you” into an “everyone will love to interact with you” if you are presentable, act professionally and show your genuine interest in others.

by Karin Singh 15/09/2017