From time to time, I’m asked as to the best way for people to position themselves for a promotion. Typically, people are wondering whether it makes sense to pursue an advanced degree, or specialized training; whether the value derived from the effort will justify its cost in time and money.

While that’s where the discussion generally starts, I usually end up speaking to two general approaches to personal advancement; whether the person wants to go the Do Be route, or pursue the path of Be Do.

Now, before anyone accuses me of riffing on a Sinatra Do-Be-Do-Be-Do vibe, let me explain the nature of these two approaches to career advancement.

The Do Be Approach

Do Be refers to doing a job before being in the job; isolating specific duties associated with the job you want to move into, then figuring out ways to start performing those duties, in addition to the work associated with your current job.

The Do Be approach positions you to perform whatever pieces of the job you can, demonstrating your ability and initiative to be a success in the job.

Do Be tactics may also include pursuing any specialized education or training required to perform the mission-critical duties of the job you want. But that’s not always the case, unless you don’t possess the minimum educational requirements for job, and they can’t be waived in consideration of your past experiences.

If you execute the Do Be approach, and manage to take on (and successfully perform) even 10-15% of the duties associated with the job you want, you will usually be the first internal candidate considered when the next opportunity opens up.

While Do Be is always a great way to demonstrate initiative and motivation, this approach is almost a gotta-do when the competition for the desired position is strong; when local, well-qualified candidates can be acquired with relative ease.

Under these market conditions, unless the employer has a culture or policy guaranteeing the consideration and promotion of internal candidates, the Do Be approach may be the only path you can take to enhance your chances for the job.

The Be Do Approach

Be Do, on the other hand, refers to asking to be given the job before actually doing any part of it.

In most cases, Be Do involves expressing your strong interest in a specific job you want, sharing information regarding your work performance and achievements (especially those relating to the mission-critical duties of the job you want), and assuring decision makers that, once promoted, you will do everything in your power to justify their faith in you.

At a minimum, succeeding with the Be Do path typically requires you to already have the minimum educational qualifications, as well as some strong ties between your current duties, and those of the job you want.

With this approach, unless you’re seeking a level promotion in your current job, you’re asking to be given the position you want on faith, before you’ve shown the ability or initiative to perform in the role.

While it’s always a good idea to let your employer know as to your career aspirations, even if it’s only part of an annual performance review or career planning session, unless you’re seeking a level promotion in your current organization, the Be Do approach will do little to advance your chances against other internal candidates, let alone applicants from outside the company.

As a result, Be Do will typically only work when the competition for the job you want is weak, when hiring local, well-qualified candidates is difficult, or impossible, regardless of the reasons why.

Given a healthy, local candidate pool for the job you want, even a strong company culture or policy supporting internal promotion may not be enough to enable the success of the Be Do approach if you’re pursuing opportunities outside your current career path.

Do Be versus Be Do…what you need to know before making your plan

Before advising anyone as to which of the two approaches they should consider taking, I will typically ask them to take a hard, objective look at the answers to the following questions:

1. How deep is the candidate pool for the job you want? How does supply stack up against demand? Is it a buyer’s or seller’s market? The hiring manager, or the internal recruiter supporting the job you want, can generally give you good guidance on this front.

The deeper/stronger, the candidate pool, and the more consideration you should give to the Do Be approach.

2. Are there important components of the job you want that can be carved out and performed by someone in your current job? If not, are there similar activities or duties that can be performed by someone in your current job?

If you want to pursue a Do Be approach, it’s best to first speak with hiring managers for the job you want, as well as members of their teams, to determine what activities or duties could potentially be performed by someone in your current job. Alternatively, you can ask them what experiences or training would qualify you to be considered for a move to their team. This activity will give you better insight to the job, while also demonstrating your strong interest in the job.

3. Does your employer actively promote internal advancement? Will your employer consider internal candidates for the position you desire?

Unless you can answer these two questions with a strong “Yes”, Be Do shouldn’t be pursued with any expectations of getting the job.

4. How did the people currently holding the job you want get the job? Did they come from inside, or outside the company? Of the people promoted into the job you want, what did they do to position themselves for promotion?

The best predictor for future behavior is past behavior. If your employer has a history of promoting internal candidates into the job you want, and you can identify the things other internal candidates have done to win a promotion, then you can construct a plan for you to follow in their footsteps.

5. If your employer has little to no history of promoting internal candidates into the job you want, is there a reason why? Will the reason keep your employer from considering you as a candidate for the job?

Sometimes, the only way to move into the job you want is to change companies. If your employer has some reason for not promoting internal candidates into the job you want, it’s best for you to find that out as soon as possible.

You can still pursue either the Do Be or Be Do approach to acquiring the job you want. You’ll just have to do so while exploring opportunities with other companies.