A nose for advancement (6)
I believe the answer is:
ascent
'advancement' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'a nose' is the wordplay.
'nose' becomes 'scent' ('scent' can be a synonym of 'nose').
'a'+'scent'='ASCENT'
'for' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for ascent that I've seen before include "way up the mountain" , "Uphill journey" , "Upward movement" , "A rise in status; climb" , "Maybe promotion" .)