You love your job and your coworkers, but you also want to make sure that you are investing your time in an organization that is going to recognize your efforts and allow you to grow. Climbing the corporate ladder does not just come down to having talent or getting the job done; like most things in life, it requires a bit of strategizing.

So, what can you do to keep your career on the up and up? If you want to make sure that your name comes to mind when your managers are talking about yearly raises and promotions, consider the following three tips.

Focus on Building Relationships

It is only going to help your case for promotion if the decision-makers know who you are (assuming, of course, that they have a positive impression of you). Of course, you do not want to be a brownnoser, but the conversation also does not have to be all about work all of the time. By getting to know your managers’ backgrounds and interests, you can also improve your working relationship.

Create Your Own Opportunities

If you are just sitting around waiting for someone to offer you a new and exciting opportunity, you might be waiting for a long time. Instead, take the initiative! By raising your hand for more responsibilities – or by recognizing a problem and stepping up to fix it – you will quickly be recognized as a valued team player who is invested in the company. To that end, it might be helpful to keep a running list of the tasks that you have taken upon yourself (as well as your accomplishments) that you can refer to in your performance reviews.

Work Hard, but Stay Humble

When you are gunning for a promotion, it can sometimes be hard to focus on anything else. Obviously, it is important that you do the work to the best of your ability, that you show up on time (or early), and look for ways to go above and beyond. It can be tempting to try and overstate your responsibilities or accomplishments but never try to take credit for all of the work. Plus, this shows you to be a team player who values collaboration and is invested in making the end product as good as it possibly can be.

When it comes to climbing the corporate ladder, the bottom line is going to be doing your work and doing it well. Beyond that, building key relationships, creating your own opportunities, and staying humble will help you reach your professional goals faster.

Photo by Anne Nygård on Unsplash