SINGAPORE: Determined to climb the ranks, an employee took to social media to ask Singaporeans, “How does one become a manager quickly?”
“From what I see on LinkedIn, specifically in the tech industry, a manager is expected to have 8-10 years of experience on the ground before becoming one. How does one climb the corporate ladder quickly to become one? I have also seen comments that say becoming a manager is starting over again at the bottom of the ladder,” the employee wrote on r/askSingapore on Thursday (Feb 29).
“Don’t be fixated on meaningless job titles”
Singaporeans were quick to respond to the employee’s post, advising him to focus on honing his skills rather than rushing up the ladder and acquiring meaningless titles.
One Redditor said, “Not sure what nonsense you’re reading, but you first need to clarify what kind of manager you’re aspiring to be.
It certainly doesn’t take 8-10 years of experience to become a product manager, project manager, or even a people manager in small non MNCs.
My advice: don’t be fixated on meaningless job titles. The pursuit of mastery in your field of expertise is far more critical than how quickly you climb the corporate ladder.”
While another commented, “Job titles are worthless. You can be a Manager and manage nobody. In banks, everyone is an Assistant VP or VP. In some stat boards, everyone is an Assistant Director or Director.
You can start your own company and call yourself a Founder/CEO/President/Chairman or whatever you want.”
On the other hand, a few Redditors also gave him some advice rather than dismissing the employee’s ambitions. They said that the employee needs to be able to deliver more than his peers and demonstrate strong communication and planning skills.
A tech manager promoted early in his career joined the conversation and added:
“You gotta actually know your stuff, so if you are hoping to get into tech management and cruise around bossing people around without knowing anything, then you probably gotta revise your plan.
You might be able to get into tech management without knowing your stuff if you get promoted in time / later, due to some companies’ fixation on YoE, which is why there is so much inept tech management around.”
6 Steps to Becoming a Manager
The path to becoming a manager can be long and full of challenges. However, there have been numerous instances where an employee quickly rose through the ranks and became a manager in a few years.
Jobsite Indeed revealed the secret to achieving this feat, broken down into six steps.
Take the time to do research on the responsibilities of a manager. Before diving in and telling your boss right away that you want to be a manager, research the responsibilities of a manager so that you do not regret applying for the position in the future and are not completely clueless once you get it.
Read about what the role entails, such as the common job functions, essential skills, and typical salary ranges.
Determine your strengths and weaknesses. After researching the role, you’ll need to do a little assessment and determine your strengths, weaknesses, or areas that might need some tweaking.
Work towards improvement. After you have identified your areas of weakness, you can work to improve these skills. Then, to determine if you’re progressing. You may evaluate yourself or get feedback from your manager or coworkers.
Communicate your goals with your supervisor. In some cases, sharing your objectives with your supervisor can be beneficial, as they can provide honest feedback on your readiness and suggest ways to improve your skills before you apply.
Show your superiors that you have what it takes. After communicating your goals with them, demonstrate your qualifications for the position. Speak up during meetings, and show them you have excellent communication and problem-solving skills.
Be a mentor to the new employees. One of the best ways to get ready for this position is to train or guide the new team members in areas you excel at. This will demonstrate to your superiors that you can teach and lead others.
Read also: SG employee asks, “Can you truly be passionate in your job?”