Getting promoted is a process
I was recently asked about moving up from an entry-level position. I encounter this question regularly, especially when meeting with recent college graduates. "Entry level" describes such a wide range of positions that it can be tough to provide specifics, but some basics should be valuable to everyone from McDonald's cashier to Amazon.com software developer.
1) Make sure your manager knows you want to move up. This may seem obvious, and I used to assume this was unnecessary: who doesn't want to be advanced? But you rarely get what you don't ask for, and in most cases your manager has a lot of power and influence over promotion decisions for her team. Your manager can be a strong ally in shepherding your career.
2) Know what position you want next and what the process for promotion looks like. If you don't know what positions are available or which ones you want, ask your manager for help. Take your coworkers out to coffee and ask about what they do and how they got their position. Learn about what the review & promotion process looks like for your company. If possible, figure out what positions will actually be available. This shows your manager that you're serious, have done your research, and want something specific. Compare the following statements; which is more actionable and persuasive?
"I want to be promoted. What can I do to get promoted?"
"After the next review cycle, I want to be considered for the open Assistant Manager position. What do I need to do between now and then to show I'm the best candidate?
3) Figure out who the decision makers are. Every company is different, but someone is always the decision maker on whether you get promoted, and someone has the decision maker's ear. It might be your manager. It might be your manager's manager, with input from the rest of your team. Regardless, knowing who makes the decision will help you position yourself appropriately, and help you focus your energy on impressing the right people.
4) Get specific, measurable requirements from the decision makers. To move up, you will need to demonstrate that you meet the requirements for promotion. That's hard to do if you don't know what they are or how they're measured! Ask your manager to get as specific as possible. You want a list you can both look at during your next review. (If you don't get a regular review or don't have one coming up, ask for one.) The requirements should need minimal interpretation: "Improve selling skills" is vague and tough to measure, "sell 10% more products" is better.
Some employees inherit a set of their manager's goals, but if you have the opportunity to influence what you're measured on, take it! Whenever possible, ask to be measured on things in your direct control. For example, if I am a marketer responsible for generating sales leads, I would rather be measured on lead volume than on sales volume, because I have no control over how salespeople close the leads.
5) Beat the requirements. It's hard to say no to advancing someone who exceeds the specific requirements for promotion!
6) Stay focused. If you're a go-getter, it might be tempting to go into overdrive: taking on a bunch of extra work, spending extra time polishing a document, helping out every coworker who asks. Don't. You may impress people in the short run, but working extra-hard also means you are setting the bar for yourself artificially high. You may increase your chances of a promotion, but may regret it when the next review cycle comes around and you're measured against your own unsustainable level.