Being in the human resources department has many advantages. One of those is that you probably know the salaries of the majority of employees, as well as their typical raises and bonuses that are given at various levels. This means that, like the accounting department, the HR department is in a pretty good spot to negotiate the right kind of pay increases. But of course that doesn’t mean you can do a mediocre job. You’ve got to earn the position you’re aiming for and you have to put forward an image of success.

Work Hard to Get Ahead, Right?

Yes, you’ve got to be a consistent and hard worker to get promoted. Your boss and other leadership will not promote someone who doesn’t put in the hours and the effort. Your dedication to doing your job is going to show and improve your chances of being given raises and potentially being selected for promotion. However, it’s not the entire picture. If you only work hard, you could be left behind. Especially if you have competition and they are paying attention to the big picture.

Be Present

Working hard is critical to success, and we all know it. But you can’t simply work hard and expect to get ahead. You also have to be a presence at your company. Your personality, your role as a member of a team, and your style will all leave an impression on those you want to impress.

It pays to attend company events, dinners, and holiday parties. You should make an effort to make a good impression on others at the company, not just higher ups who you want to impress. Being likeable is important. You are one member of a team, and the team relies on you to play a very important role as a member of the HR staff.

Being the Leader You Want to Be

As in any position, you’ve got to promote the image of yourself that you want to be a reality. In other words, if you want to succeed, you have to act like a success. That doesn’t mean going around tooting your own horn, it means acting responsibly, with integrity, and gaining the trust that your higher ups need. If your company can rely on you to be a leader, they’ll put you in a leadership position.

Approachability and Availability

Finally, if you work in HR, you already know that being approachable is important. You are the buffer between employees who may have problems and concerns and the upper echelons who are responsible for making changes in case of problems.

Your will only be successful in human resources if your co-workers trust you and feel they can rely on you. You’ve got to be available, too. While there may be a lot of employees who won’t have any say in whether or not you move up, your performance with them will play a role in the way you are viewed by company leadership.