For any person who pursues their dream career, it’s more than clear that hard work, on its own, isn’t enough. In order to climb through the ranks, you need to possess something more. Naturally, in order to become eligible for a promotion, you need to convince your supervisors that by doing so you’re helping them gain value for their enterprise. So, here are five tips to quickly advance in your career.

1. Invest extra work

While there are some who believe that incentivizing employees by giving them a raise or a promotion is a good idea, the majority of the business world frowns upon this idea. After all, you should reward good behavior, not reward one because you hope it would motivate them to start acting better. So, in order to gain more favor in the office, you need to be ready and willing to invest some extra work. This may mean staying late or even accepting an additional responsibility that’s not necessarily tied to your own position in the company. This willingness to invest extra work is something that your employers will know how to appreciate.

2. Learn a thing or two about networking

The next thing you need to understand is the fact your advancement is, at the end of the day, always up to someone to decide. In order to do so, they’ll ask for your performance evaluation and talk to your direct supervisor, your coworker and even enter their own opinion of you into the mix. Keep in mind that this is never completely objective and unbiased. If you know how to work your way around people and make them like you, chances are that you’ll advance far more quickly through the rank and file. Reading Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People is a great way to start developing a much deeper understanding of how this all works.

3. Keep improving

Every time you advance, you’ll be required to learn new things and adapt to a new environment and new responsibilities. Therefore, people in charge of your advancement will have to ask – how willing/capable are you to keep improving over and over again? One of the best ways to prove that this is one of your many qualities is to demonstrate some self-initiative, find an educational organization like The Masters Institute of Creative Education and pick a course that’s relevant to your industry. The fact that you alone were willing to spend your own free time and resources in order to acquire new knowledge will reaffirm that you’re indeed the best pick for the job.

4. Fight for what’s yours

One more thing you need to understand is the fact that patience isn’t always a virtue. There are instances in which you need to show some initiative and ask for a promotion. Sometimes, there’s an opening in your organization that’s just ideal for you, even though the management may not even consider you for the job. There are also some scenarios in which this isn’t even a real promotion but a lateral move that puts you on the right track. Either way, you lose nothing by asking. The worst thing that can happen is that they refuse your request but they’ll still have your ambition and self-initiative in mind.

5. Don’t be afraid to leave

The very last thing you need to keep in mind is the fact that you shouldn’t be afraid to leave. In smaller companies, there’s not much room for you to advance. One or two advancements and you’ll find yourself in a position where the only person above you (in the hierarchy) is the owner of the company. Then, there are scenarios where your direct superiors have no intention of ever allowing you to move from this position. This is why you shouldn’t be afraid to leave.

Keep in mind that while quick advancement may be seen as a dream-come-true, the truth is that you shouldn’t be too optimistic in your expectations. Regardless of how skilled and gifted you are, you’ll still need to demonstrate some patience. The simplest way to get disappointed is to set unrealistic expectations. Just take it easy and wait for your opportunity to shine.