Be just a little bit pushy about it. For example, if you re a system administrator, ask to head up contract negotiations with vendors. Or ask to be put in charge of an onerous project that management would love to give away. It may be tough to add the extra responsibility, but you get to put management experience on your resume. If you don t have an MBA, you re going to need to get some kind of management certificate or courses under your belt to take its place.
Education is a great equalizer in the workplace.
The best courses and certificates to earn are ones designed specifically for management or management within your industry. For example, New York University s Virtual College program offers an excellent certificate, the Management Techniques for New Managers Certificate. They also offer a series of courses in Hospitality, Tourism and Travel Management, and a series of individual courses for managers such as Management and Organization Principles, Practices and Techniques for Supervisors, and conflict management and negotiation for managers. These are exactly the kinds of courses current managers want to see that you have, and the best thing about the courses is that you can get them under your belt quickly. A plus is that you can earn the courses and certificates completely online.