Move on up: top tips for salary and career progression

I’m increasingly asked how to increase your salary as an IT auditor, information security expert or IT assurance professional.

here are some top tips:

Increase your value to your current employer.
Demonstrate your value (which is a entirely different to just doing a good job). When were you last in the company newsletter? When did your clients last tell your boss how good you are? When did you last bring a job in under-budget? When did you go out of your way to share your expertise with others in your team?
Increase your value to prospective employers.
Get your employer to sponsor you to do relevant certifications, and if they won’t, dig into your wallet or collect coins from the street until you can do it yourself. Then tell your employer.
Build your reputation.
Get well known. Write for industry publications, attend professional seminars, do presentations, be a name. Don’t write a blog… I know it doesn’t help at all!
Build your skills.
Ask where you are seen to be weak and take on responsibilities that will help you improve. If you’re bad at firewall auditing, ask to do firewall reviews. If you’re bad at report writing, ask to write someone as well. If you’re bad at presentations, do one on a topic you are confident in. If you don’t like that idea, do a training course.
Focus on career development, not salary.
Riskmonkey’s company had no pay rises this year, but he’s been promoted twice, which increases salary and moves tour career forward. Take up opportunities, and if you’re not sure, at least find out more. Who knows what move might be right?
Ask.
It sounds obvious, but if you don’t ask, why should they offer? If they say no, don’t forget to ask shy not, you might learn something useful about yourself, or about the company. Many people never ask.
Leave.
Surprisingly, the average pay-boost from changing employers is not much over 5%, so think carefully – it’s a big upheaval, but if you’re not valued and can do better elsewhere, maybe it’s time to knock out those tent pegs and move on?