If you're interested in advancing in your career, the best argument for staying with one company for a while is potential promotion opportunities. If you have a good relationship with your boss, they probably know your strengths better than you could explain to someone in the course of an interview or in a 2-page resume. The trick is motivating your boss to see you as someone who should move up to the next level.

Use the resources you have
Whether or not you've been networking all along, you should definitely start to do it.

The "elevator pitch" isn't just for people looking for a job outside their current company - you should also have an elevator pitch developed about where you're looking to go in your career with your present employer. If you're not sure what an elevator pitch is, visit the articles section on our site and check out the one on "Developing a Job Search Elevator Pitch."

Also, use current projects as a way to "advertise" your strengths to others in the company. By doing a great job on projects and exceeding expectations, you'll be generating some positive publicity for yourself.

Get prepared
Find out who's picking the candidate for the promotion and what skills they're seeking for the job. Next, make sure you have the top four or five skills or the ability to produce them. Start checking out your marketing portfolio, resume, or anything else you can use. Organize your materials and make sure they clearly reflect the skills needed. Use examples to show the things you've already done in the company that have helped them succeed (or even exceed) their goals.

Come up with a strategy
Don't assume your boss knows you want that promotion. Just like you worked hard to get your current job, it takes effort to get a promotion.

• Have a meeting with your boss. Use this time to let them know what your professional goals are and how you'd like to go about achieving them. Be specific about it and ask them if you're on the right track. Whether you are or you aren't, you'll learn where you stand.
• If your boss doesn't bring up the subject of the promotion in this meeting, you ought to bring it up so it is at least discussed. You should mention you have an interest in it, and if they don't offer to help you get the promotion, ask them if you could be considered for it.
• Network within the company. Networking doesn't stop after the interview. Continue to keep your contacts and also make new ones. If the promotion is in another department, use your networking skills to your advantage. A simple "hi, how are you?" or "how was your weekend?" will open up the lines of communication between you and them. In turn, you'll be able to develop a relationship with them and lo and behold, you've made another contact.

Stay positive
When you go out for a promotion, you should always keep in mind that you no matter how qualified you are, you may not get it. The person may already have someone in mind or they may be several people ahead of you in line for the job. Make yourself known, and people will start to think of you as someone who strives to be the best. This way, if you don't get this one, you'll definitely be in line for the next one. No effort goes unnoticed, so think of your campaign for a promotion as a campaign for excellence!

About The Author
Scott Brown is the author of the Job Search Handbook (www.JobSearchHandbook.com). As editor of the HireSites.com weekly newsletter on job searching, Scott has written many articles on the subject. He wrote the Job Search Handbook to provide job seekers with a complete yet easy to use guide to finding a job effectively. To download your own free copy of the Job Search Handbook, visit http://www.JobSearchHandbook.com.