Solana Beach resident releases guide for getting promoted

Drawing from a 15-year career in human resources, Solana Beach resident B.J. Schone released an ebook, “The Essential Guide to Getting Promoted at Work,” with advice on how to get promoted and other career advancement tips.

B.J. Schone

(Courtesy)

“I’ve been in learning and development my whole career, so everything that I’ve always done is helping people grow, helping people build the skills they need and ultimately advance their career,” said Schone, who has worked for companies such as Atlassian, Autodesk and LPL Financial.

Schone wrote the 38-page guide as a pandemic side project, and because he had some friends who were having trouble progressing in their careers. The topics covered throughout the guide address some of the common concerns that he had heard them mention.

“Many people assume that if they blindly just work harder and work more, and put in more hours that it will just magically happen,” he said. “While that might work in some cases, it’s not the majority. Typically you need to focus very specifically and intently on your performance and what you deliver, the impact that you have on your team and making sure it’s visible to your manager.”

Schone said he also draws from his own experiences of being promoted on three different occasions.

“I’ve done something right or I’ve stumbled upon it a few different ways,” he said.

Chapters in the book include advancing your career, how promotions work, positioning yourself for a promotion and building your promotion plan. Schone added that it’s important for employees to “just mind your reputation and your own personal brand.”

“I feel like what’s in the guide can be relevant to someone whether they work in retail or corporate or anywhere else,” he said. “It’s general tips around performance and mindset and networking that I believe can help a pretty wide variety of people.”

The guide also includes tips for holding a conversation about promotions and career advancement for employees who aren’t sure what to say.

“It’s hopefully a guide that people find useful,” Schone said. “There are a bunch of tips, I tried to make it very practical, not a lot of fluff. It’s not a lot of theory, it’s more just here’s what you should probably pay attention to.”

Schone also said that the guide is aimed toward any career-driven, career-focused professionals looking for advice. Feedback so far has been positive overall, he added.

For more information, visit www.howtogetapromotion.com.