PROMOTIONS - PLAY SMART TO REACH GOAL

Landing that top job doesn't just require hard work - you must time your run and make the most of opportunities. By BARBARA McCARTHY

This phenomenon is seen in other areas of life too, according to Laurence J. Peter, author of The Peter Principle. "In large organisations, individuals are promoted to their level of incompetence," he writes. Often, people are promoted to jobs which they are neither suited to nor capable of handling. On the football pitch, the team is foremost. In business however, when a member of staff who may not have the expereince and qualifications of another candidate is promoted, it can breed serious contempt, according to Peter.

Rowan Manahan of Fortify Services, the career management and outplacement firm agrees. "Everyone thinks that they are 'promotable' and most people will at some stage feel they were overlooked for pormotion," he says. "If the decision to overlook your talents takes you by surprise, then you are not managing your career properly and it is time to take a fresh look at how you present yourself (and are perceived) at work."

"Examine the successful candidate in severe detail and find out exactly what he or she has got that you haven't," Manahan recommends. The conclusion of this, he says, is that he or she is likely to be either (a) better than you or (b) better at politics.

"He or she may not be as diligent as you are but sadly, it's not about good old-fashioned IQ and hard work any more," Manahan says. "Anyone who thinks that it is very wrong. The notion of promotion based on sheer ability went out with the old shilling and the job for life. There's a world of difference between a good, sound candidate and a candidate who sounds good. Unfortunately, many interviewers can't tell the difference."

If the candidates who are beating you are better at playing the game, then it is important to learn from them. They have probably been eyeing up the promotion since day one and have achieved it by accomplishment combined with clever manoeuvring and careful networking. Nobody gets ahead by sitting pretty according to Louis Pasteur. "Chance favours the prepared mind," he famously said.

Working harder is probably not necessary (or enough), but that old cliché of working smarter is - and that means making sure that you get noticed. "If you don't create your own Greek chorus, you will probably get left behind," says Manahan. The diligent worker quietly going about his or her business can expect to be rewarded with a slap on the back and a gold watch when he retires - but nothing more.

John Raftery, a life coach, advises candidates who have been overlooked to try and see themselves through their boss's eyes. "The way your boss perceives you is not necessarily the way you perceive yourself," he says. "People often forget that managers have a completely different set of criteria than individuals do."

Research conduicted in America proves the point. Sandy J. Wayne, a management professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, asked 570 employees and 289 managers at a large US firm to rank the most important factors in influencing promotions. "For the employees, having an MBA from a top university came first. Their bosses gave leadership first place. Employees gave a high rank to having a mentor. Executives hardly mentioned this at all," says Wayne.

With this kind of knowledge, the candidate can increase his chances of promotion the next time. Those who are passed over a second time have bigger problems, however. "There are a number of possibilities: maybe you have the wrong attitude or your and your boss don't get on, or your boss is working to format and is looking for a 'certain type'," Raftery says.

On the other hand, you may be in the wrong job. "In this case, you should seriously consider leaving." Remember, Harrison Ford never made it as a carpenter, but he made it as a movie star and Westlife's Nicky Byrne was a few inches too short to be a goalkeeper for Leeds, but he became a pop star instead.

Those who are good at their jobs should recognise that this can be a problem in itself. "If you make yourself indispensible in the job you are doing, then you are making yourself difficult to replace." At the same time, senior management can feel threatened by those who seem to be especially talented, according to Raftery. "If you are unusually gifted, you boss may want to keep you at arm's length, where he still has complete control," he says. "It is a difficult situation to prove but, sadly, there is little you can do about it. If this is the case, you hve to recognise that it might not be worth working with someone who is intimidated by you."