If you come in on time, keep your head down, do your work and show you are a team player – surely your boss will realize your dedication right? And there’s no way your company will be able to overlook your hard work and above and beyond contributions right?
Related:How To Stand Out: Define Your Strengths
Wrong. In today’s world of work - hard work, being a team player, and adhering to basic professional standards are baseline expectations of all employees. Promotion, recognition, and reward more often land on professionals who have learned how to maximize their exposure to the right people and the right opportunities.
How To Increase Your Visibility At Work
Increasing your visibility at work isn’t about kissing up or brown nosing – it’s about positioning yourself in the right place to make your next best career move. Savvy professionals take the initiative to be relevant, contribute, and make sure their efforts are visible to people of influence within their industry and organization. Here are six ways to increase your visibility at work:
1. Volunteer For Special Projects
Unless you are in a very small company, there’s a wealth of action taking place outside of your desk, cube, department, and floor. And, chances are, the people making decisions aren’t sitting right across from you. Looking for special projects you can be a part of is a great way to get your name, skills, ideas, and performance in front of people who can help you make vertical and horizontal career moves.
2. Share Information With People Outside Of Your Normal Network
While your primary responsibilities may be in IT, spend some time browsing trends and insights in other areas. Did you come across an interesting article about marketing? Or, maybe you just found out about a new book related to leadership development. Pass a quick message onto someone outside your normal connections to start building new relationships and increasing your exposure.
3. Attend Those “Optional” Meetings And Events
Meetings, especially boring meetings can be the bane of existence for busy professionals. But… they can also be a good place to show your face with higher up required attendees. Show up, listen, contribute, and introduce yourself. Not only are you increasing your visibility, you are showing you are interested and getting first-hand experience of how things work outside your cube.
4. Ask For Bigger And Better Assignments
When a new project is announced, step up and ask for the lead role. The misstep here is one of two things: You either expect it will go to the usual person that gets put in charge of things, or you wait and hope you will be hand picked by your boss. Don’t wait for someone to be assigned or someone else to take the lead. Speak up and step up to ensure you are getting more responsibility and more opportunity for exposure.
5. Start A Group
Chances are there are other ambitious professionals looking to connect within your organization. If there are no existing opportunities to connect through something like a book club or
community service project, create one. This gives you a chance to practice and demonstrate leadership skills as well as build new relationships.
6. Learn How To Toot Your Own Horn
You can be the most productive, innovative results driven professional in your company, but if no one knows about it – it won’t help you build the career you want. Most of us know how to talk about ourselves – we share our successes with friends and family easily. The challenge here is to find a way that feels comfortable for you to communicate your accomplishments.
For tips on how to do this, check out this practical article from
Psychology Today:
How To Brag About Yourself Without Being Seen As Narcissistic.
There’s an old saying,
“out of sight, out of mind.” Help ensure you are never out of sight by using the tips above to increase your visibility at work. Being proactive about your exposure puts you exactly where you should be – in the driver seat of your career.
This post was originally published at an earlier date.Related Posts
How To Stand Out: Consider Your PassionsHow To Stand Out At Work4 Ways To Stand Out To Employers
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