Becoming unforgettable at work doesn’t always boil down to luck.
“Keep your head down, do the work, and opportunities and promotions will fall in your lap.”
Gone are the days when that advice actually works. These days just doing the work isn’t enough if you want to grow and thrive at your company.
Doing great work is just one ingredient to becoming unforgettable at work. Here are six other things you can do to boost your visibility and your chances of securing the promotions and opportunities you desire, whether you work remotely or in the office:
Decide what you want to be known for at work.
A common frustration from top performers at work is that other colleagues know they’re good at their jobs but don’t really know what they do. Another complaint is that others mistakenly think they do work that isn’t reflective of what they truly do. To fix this, you must take control of the narrative and decide what you would like to be known for at work.
For example, while you might be on the marketing team and manage many facets of various marketing campaigns, what element of marketing would you like to be known for? What particular results do you want your colleagues and senior leadership to think of when they think about your work? You get to decide how people see you and your work, but it starts with deciding how you’d like to be seen.
Proactively solve business challenges.
Even if your role isn’t a part of the major function of the business or doesn’t directly solve business problems, you need to understand how it impacts the business. Knowing how your role benefits the company can help you communicate your ideas, solutions, and accomplishments in a way that’s both effective and memorable.
For instance, if you work in the accounting department at an advertising agency, your role might not directly solve business needs the way an account executive might because you aren’t interacting with company clients. Still, your job does help the company make critical financial decisions. Framing your work in a way that speaks to that or proactively taking on opportunities that directly align with the core business challenges can help you increase your visibility amongst your team and other departments.
Celebrate yourself and allow others to celebrate you.
The truth is if you brush off your accomplishments, others will too. To test if you’ve been making this mistake, think back to the last time you celebrated or acknowledged something you did well at work. If you can’t remember, there’s a high chance that other people at work don’t remember either. Celebrating your accomplishments or even just acknowledging the good things you’ve done can be uncomfortable, especially if you’re worried that doing so will make you seem boastful. But, the more you appreciate the work you do and share it with others, the more memorable you become and the more likely it is that others think of you when they need to solve similar challenges.
Share your progress, not just your successes.
This is especially beneficial if you have a remote job where you’re not always able to interact with your manager or team face-to-face. Sharing your progress and providing status updates to your manager is a simple way to position you as a trusted team player and a reliable top performer. If you find that your boss always has to ask you for status updates on projects and initiatives, that means you’re not being proactive enough. Your goal should be to provide those details before it’s requested. Doing so will empower your manager to vouch for your work ethic and it will boost their trust that you can handle more responsibilities and opportunities that might align with the career growth you desire.
Build authentic connections at work.
As we’ve already established, keeping your head down at work can lead others to overlook you. This is why connecting with others at various levels of your company is so important because people can’t think of you for new opportunities if they don’t know you exist. Plus, people are less likely to include you or recommend you for future opportunities if they can’t remember your past contributions. So, by building genuine relationships with peers, senior leaders, and other colleagues, you’ll increase your chances of becoming a trusted resource and problem solver that people can easily advocate for because they know you and can speak to your value and track record.
Become the go-to expert.
At a time when many employees carry the burden of wearing multiple hats due to layoffs and heavy workloads, it might not be feasible or even appropriate to add more work to your plate, especially if you’re currently underpaid for the many hats you wear now.
However, if you are in a position where you can offer a hand or provide insight and quick solutions to others, then doing so can be very advantageous, particularly if the help you provide aligns with the work you’d like to be known for in your career. Becoming the go-to expert in a particular area and adding more stripes to your belt can further showcase your success in that subject matter. On top of that, it could help you increase your visibility at work and establish why you’re ready for that next step up the ladder once it’s time to discuss career growth and new opportunities with your manager.
Becoming unforgettable at work doesn’t always boil down to luck. It’s a skill that can be developed and mastered. By continuing to do great work, while also taking control of your career narrative and communicating your track record, you’ll position yourself to attract more career-defining opportunities at work that align with your personal goals. However, if after implementing these tips over a long period of time, you find that you’re still undervalued, unappreciated, and underutilized at work, then it might be time to start looking for a new role at a better company where you can successfully grow and thrive in your career.
Adunola Adeshola coaches corporate high-achievers on how to take their careers to the next level. She is the author of the guide How to Go From Zero Interviews to Dream Job Offers.
