Thousand of employees seek better positions in their current company but fall short in obtaining these roles for a myriad of reasons, including but not limited to: not seeking out leadership positions. If you’re looking to get ahead and present yourself as a leader, here are some ways to do so.

Be Clear About Your Intentions

When seeking a leadership role at a company, don’t beat around the bush. Make any intentions of moving up through the ranks clear early and often, even in your interview. Indicate that you are looking to advance your career so that when a position you’re interested in does become vacant, your name is the first one management considers. Far too many talented employees go unnoticed just because of their inability to speak up and ask for a chance to show what they’ve got.

Network, Network, Network

You’ve heard it before. It’s not about what you know, but who you know. That, and timing. Sometimes, being in the right place at the right time while talking to the right people is all that it takes to advance to a more desirable role. At the very least, you’ll be able to start a conversation about doing so. LinkedIn and other professional online networks are great, but take every opportunity to meet new people face to face and develop relationships with them whenever possible. These are the people who will ultimately decide who will receive the leadership roles in the future, and it’s often easier to get an accurate read on someone in person than online.

Further Your Education

While working hard in a current role is always a good practice, it may not be enough to move to the next level of leadership within the company. Sometimes, you may legitimately need to seek further education in order to be considered. If you already have a job, consider talking to management about receiving compensation for going back to school—it’ll look good for you and for them, in knowing that one of their employees can bring new skills to the company because of this. It’s a mutually beneficial situation, because you’ll be able to save money in tuition and fees, and also shows management that you’re willing to do whatever it takes to improve yourself. Your resume becomes more attractive, as well, and gives you a previously untapped network of people to discuss your career aspirations with.