30 Examples of Career Advancement

John Spacey, April 27, 2023

Career advancement is upward movement in your career that aligns to your goals in areas such as compensation, authority, influence, position, reputation, social status, career fulfillment and general happiness in areas such as work-life balance. The most obvious career advancements are promotions or being hired at a new company with a higher job title. However, there are many more subtle forms of advancement that can be extremely valuable such as a salesperson who is assigned to large opportunities and clients. The following are illustrative examples of career advancement.

Promotions	Career changes
Salary increases	Gaining a more prestigious job title
Moving to a more prestigious firm	Taking on leadership roles
Assignment to high profile work	Taking on larger deals and opportunities
Recognition and awards	Being mentored by someone in a high position
Expanded authority	Expanded budget
Managing larger teams	Managing larger projects
Expanded role with more responsibilities	Increased influence
Gaining professional qualifications	Being selected for leadership development programs
Being appointed as a successor for a high profile role	Transitioning to a team that has much influence and authority
Gaining professional reputation such that you are often influencing leadership	Building important professional relationships
Being appointed to a board or governance position	Being appointed to an important committee or working group
Being given an expanded mandate	Reporting to higher level individuals
Working closely with executives	Being assigned to manage important customers or partners
High profile work assignments such as public speaking at a conference	Becoming a trusted advisor of a powerful and influential executive