For most people, making the leap from team member to a management role is one of the most challenging steps faced in the early years of your career. Finding the time to develop leadership skills, especially when your day job is so fast paced, can be hard.

Even once you’ve honed the skills required, being recognized as potential management material is tricky. This is particularly true when your day-to-day work doesn’t necessarily allow you to show your abilities to their fullest.

But don’t panic. It might be hard, but it’s certainly very possible. And, for many of us, moving up to a first-line management role is an important step on the road to a healthy career.

It’s a time of truly accelerated development. Getting this role right can be a springboard to much bigger things, whether you get an internal promotion or even move to a new company to take on your first management position.

If you’re looking to up your game and move into the ranks of management, then there are some solid steps you can take to improve your chances. Here are our tips:

1. Be honest with yourself

Whenever you broach the subject of becoming a manager with your own boss (or apply for a job in a new company), you’re going to be asked what makes you suited to the role. An experienced manager looking for a sideways move will be able to show their fit by pointing to successes in their current job. But because it’s your first managerial job, what the recruiter really needs to see is your potential to step up.

A recruiter for an entry-level management role will know they can’t judge you purely on your past performance. Instead, they’ll want you to pull out the existing skills and experiences which you believe will transfer well into a management role.

To be able to do this, you’ll have to think carefully about what you do well. Solicit feedback from others, and form a clear view in your own mind of what type of manager you will be.

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Don’t forget to also consider what areas you still need to develop to be a successful manager. At this stage, your boss won’t be looking for the “finished article.” They know you still need to grow, so don’t be tempted to bluff the conversation.

Showing self-awareness — and articulating areas in which you would like to grow further — shows that you’re willing to learn, adapt and develop. And these are all key management skills.

2. Get noticed for the right reasons

When you’re looking for a promotion, or a management role outside of your organization, the most important thing is to do your job well. It’s highly unlikely that your boss will entertain a conversation about a promotion, if she doesn’t feel that you’re delivering against your current objectives.

However, simply doing a solid job isn’t, in itself, the best way to get noticed.

If you’re looking for an internal promotion, then you need to find ways to get on the radar of those who might make decisions. If you’re trying to move away from your current organization, then you’re going to have to demonstrate how you can go above and beyond the requirements of a staff level role.

Think about how you can do this in your current context. You might volunteer for projects or to help other teams with their tasks. You could take on roles such as inducting new team members or training newcomers to your department. There might be specific initiatives that you believe could improve how your team operates – work them into a proposal, and put them to your boss. By creating opportunities like this, you’ll catch the eye of those who matter.

3. Have a clear career plan, and share it with those who matter

If you want to go somewhere new, you’re probably going to need a map. Well, navigating your career is no different. If you’re hoping to progress to the ranks of management, then you should have a clear (but flexible) career plan, which helps set out the steps and milestones you need to consider to get to your dream job.

This is important because it shows that you’re thinking not only of your first management job, but of your longer-term career. Recruiters look for this level of ambition, and to know that someone they promote will stick around and continue to learn and grow. It’s a fantastic indicator of potential.

But having a clear career plan isn’t enough… you have to share it.

Make sure your plans are considered, and set out in writing. It can feel daunting to put down on paper your ambitions and goals, but you increase your chances of achieving them hugely by doing so. Once you have some thoughts on paper, talk your ideas through with your boss or HR manager. Ask them for advice and ideas, and to share their thoughts on where they feel your career might progress in the medium- to long-term.

Resource: 5 Things to Know About Your 401k Before Leaving a Job

If you’re anxious about having this conversation, practice it. Talk through your career plan by yourself and anticipate what questions or challenges you might face. Or, even better, find a friend of colleague you trust to go through your thoughts together.

4. Look internal first

When you feel you’re ready for a move into management, you will have to decide whether you want to push for your first management role in your current company, or begin to look outside for the next step. There are pros and cons to both approaches.

On the one hand, it’s easier in many ways if you stay with your current employer. You’re already known, you have a network in place, and you’ll have the support of your current boss to help you make the transition.

However, moving to an internal management position can be tough on the relationships you have with your peers, particularly if you end up managing people you were once working alongside. Succeeding here requires sensitivity and maturity from all involved, and can be a challenge.

That said, your role will change over and over again, and work-based relationships through that will change and evolve, too. For the sake of your longer-term career, getting used to this dynamic is important.

Your other choice is to look externally, and take your first managerial role with a new employer.

This can be exciting, avoids issues with dealing with your previous team, and might even result in a larger leap in pay. However, you’ll be recruited based on your perceived ability to perform. More importantly, you will be judged on how quickly you adapt and deliver in your new job. A new manager might not be as willing to give you time to grow into the, at least not compared to one who knows you.

If you go this route, you’d better be able to hit the ground running!

Related: 6 Ways to Use Your Commute to Further Your Career

The route you take depends very much on personal circumstance. However, if you want my two cents, I personally advocate looking for an internal promotion first. That way, you can draw on the emotional capital you’ve already accumulated.

If a team who already knows and respects you gives you a promotion, they sincerely want you to succeed. Someone (your boss or HR) has staked their own reputation on your ability, and that speaks volumes. You’re likely to find all the help you need to make the difficult transition into management, which can be better in the long run for your career prospects.

5. Manage office politics

If you decide to look for a promotion within your current organization (and even, to an extent, if you decide to leave), you’re going to have to deal with a bit of office politics on the road to success.

If you’re hoping to move up in the same business, you need to have your manager on side. Make sure your boss knows what you want, but think about framing this.

You’re looking to progress your career, and this is a good reflection on how your manager picks and develops talent — but they might feel like you’re abandoning ship. It’s a good idea to present a proposal covering how your tasks might be covered when you move on. For example, you might have identified a successor within the team, or you might offer to train a new colleague up to pick up from you when you’re gone.

If you decide to leave, you’ll probably still want to have some conversations with your manager about what prompted your decision. It’s a smart idea to keep things positive. You’re leaving because you have a better opportunity up ahead, not because you disliked your role, your team, or your manager.

Even if you did finish up hating your role, think about how to resign well. Burning bridges is never a good plan.

6. Be brave, and ask

Finally, be a bit creative. Be bold. There’s nothing wrong with asking outright for a promotion.

If you come across an opportunity, pursue it. This might not be a permanent role, especially if you’re still a little junior. If you spot a gap, see if you can fill it. Another manager taking time out to work on another project, or taking planned time off for health reasons, for example, could be your chance to take on additional responsibility and prove your worth.

If you do find yourself in this situation, think about how to manage it best. You don’t want to be seen as the colleague who is always willing to pick up the slack. This is about having an end goal in mind: a promotion.

Make sure that your boss knows this. Also make sure that there is some form of commitment to review your learning and readiness for promotion, after helping the team out in the short term.

Learn More: How to Invest In Yourself (Without Spending a Lot of Money)

Making a jump into a management role is both exciting and daunting, but seldom smooth. Expect it to be a roller coaster. There will be some inevitable moments of panic, as you wonder if you can really deliver, paired with the moments of genuine joy and satisfaction as you prove you can pull it off.

There might be setbacks and hurdles along the way. If you use these ideas as a starting point, though, you’ll be moving in the right direction in no time.

Topics: Careers

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