Whilst a promotion can ever never be guaranteed, from the conversations we’ve had with people on our podcast (Is This Room Free?), one tactic has been mentioned time and time again as a method of how people have progressed their careers. I guess you could call it ‘The Stretch Methodology’.

Very simply, it’s the act of starting to get exposure to and experience of doing tasks typically associated with the position above you. The more exposure and experience you have of these things, the more knowledgeable you become in how to do them. You may even start to take on the responsibility and doing them and this is where the stretch aspect comes in – you’re not only doing the tasks associated with your job but stretching yourself by taking on additional workload to develop your skillset.

By starting to incorporate the responsibilities of the position above you when a vacancy becomes available (either internally or externally) then you are able to evidence your suitability as you’ve been performing those duties already. You’re a more attractive proposition than someone who also wants that step up but doesn’t have the proven experience of doing the job, unlike yourself.