5 TIPS TO ENSURING YOU GET NOTICED THE NEXT TIME YOU WANT TO BE NOTICED

Do you feel like you are doing everything right in your career, but you are still being passed up for that pay rise, promotion, or new job?

Changing how you think about how you work and how you turn up in person or virtually is essential to avoid the self-defeating behaviours that mean you don't get the recognition you deserve.

Don't get me wrong, I WISH we all got picked out of the line-up for how great we are. But the reality is we are all too busy to spend much attention on those around us. So, we have to ensure that we are getting recognized.

The problem starts because we all begin our professional careers with incorrect notions of what we need to do to get recognised. And worse still, these behaviours are the same things that we believe not only will get us recognised but if we DON'T do them, something awful or catastrophic will happen.

Things like 'I just need to work harder than everyone else' sometimes also translated into 'I just need to be at the office/online before everyone and leave the office/log off after everyone else'. Or I must check my emails and slack messages before bed and first thing in the morning, and throughout Saturdays and Sundays and they will see how committed I am

And another of my favourites, I need to make sure I answer my emails and slack messages within minutes of receiving them. A productivity killer. And believe me, it does not make you more productive or get you more recognition. What it does do is tell your team that they can expect this from you, which idiotically for us humans, we then resent it when we remove it.

The problem with changing these behaviours is two-fold.

Early on in our careers, if you are smart, these behaviours probably got you a long way. Working harder, or longer can create temporary great wins. The problem is that it only gets you so far. After a point, you have too many responsibilities and you need to start protecting your brain and thinking space for the more creative and strategic work. If you are on all the hours and never getting downtime you won't think in that way. But I digress... the issue, and why it's difficult to change, is that you've had some experience of this working. And it was also something that we are often told as children - work hard and you'll do well and get rewarded.

The second barrier to changing these behaviours is that most of us are resistant to change in this way. Especially if we've had some proof of their value.

Now that I've told you about some of the damaging habits that stop you from getting ahead, I want to share with you the tools you need to be using each day that ACTUALLY get you noticed!

1. DEFINE YOUR VALUE.

Whether you are focused on a new position, internally, or at a new company, one of the most important things you need the interviewer to understand is what value you bring.

You can talk about what you do and even your experiences all day long. But the people you are interviewing with want to know what makes you unique. And yes, even in for an internal promotion. Don't assume they really get your value.

As a leader your personal brand, as this uniqueness is often viewed, is not a nice-to-have, but essential. it is a promise of fit and performance. Done well, it clearly communicates your values, personalities (because remember you need to be a good fit as a leader, and if you are bland, they won't see you as a good or a bad fit, just neutral, and that won't land you the job).

If you are struggling with this, make a list of 3-5 things that bring the most satisfaction of work. Don't judge it. For example, if it is helping others or listening and your instinct is 'yes but that doesn't help me technically' you are doing yourself a disservice. If it brings you satisfaction you need this to be part of your brand because you'd actually hate a job where you didn't get valued for doing this.

Write all these down. THEN translate this into three key strengths. E.g., listening clearly allows me to identify what is really needed to satisfy key stakeholders. Or maybe something around enabling your team.

THEN practice saying these out loud. YES REALLY. It gets uncomfortable I know. But you need these to be at the tip of your tongue next time someone calls you out of the blue and asks you about your career. This is what real elevator pitches are about - that practice piece. It isn't about having a robotic-sounding paragraph that you've memorised that gets churned out on demand. Instead, it is having some key statements up your sleeve that you can churn out when appropriate.

2. INTRODUCE YOURSELF BY YOUR VALUE-ADDED NOT YOUR AGE AND JOB TITLE.

Ever introduced yourself with, ‘Hi, my name is Toni.’ OK not Toni, but you get my point. Maybe you add your surname, Toni Collis. Great, but please do not be the woman who's just Toni, or just Sarah, or just Catherine. You are who you are, not just your first name.

BUT the mistake I want to tackle here is just introducing yourself as Toni, I'm a ... well let's take my earlier role - An HPC Applications Consultant.

Hi I'm Toni, An HPC Applications Consultant.

Euh, and?

The problem with this is you are missing an amazing opportunity. You are not just your job title. You are that value you identified in the first step a few minutes ago. You have passion, and vision, and a need to contribute. THAT is what you bring to the table.

It's your value that is important not your job title.

So, prepare an introduction, practice it until it rolls off your tongue, but it’s highlights and keywords, not robotic memorization.

Then fill it with passion. Allow your voice to inflect when you are excited. Gesticulate. Give your energy and enthusiasm to what you are talking about. I am 100% certain that my passion is part of what got me to the C-Suite. So, don't be afraid to show it.

And if you struggle to be passionate about something, it might be time to have a look at what you are doing. After all, we spend the majority of our lives doing work. So honestly, it's super important that we are excited by what we do. If you are not sure yet, that's OK, but I want you to try different things, and if something isn't exciting to you, don't try it.

3. STOP MINIMIZING YOUR VALUE AND YOUR CONTRIBUTION.

Ever used the words 'Oh I just' or 'It’s not as important as it sounds,' or 'I kind of run the tech team'.

You might think you're being modest and humble. Or maybe you are just uncomfortable with your contribution.

The problem is that those around you will do one of two things:

They will take this at face value and believe you don't really do very much.

The other interpretation from those around you is that you lack confidence. And quite simply, if you want to be a leader, a prospective employer doesn't want to be working with you on your confidence. They want someone who is going to own the team they are leading, and not who is going to run to their boss and say, 'my team doesn't listen to me'. A leader who lacks confidence is not a good hire - even though many of us do.

So, I want you to start looking for when you minimise your description of work. Ask a friend to call you out if needed, but ideally work with a coach. If someone says, 'but hey don't you actually do this,' don't push back and say, 'oh no I can't own that.' Ask yourself genuinely if you can own that as an outcome.

Then start putting that smarter, less diminishing description of work everywhere, from LinkedIn to your Twitter bio to how you speak in informal chats.

4. TAKE THOSE HIGH PROFILE BUT UNCOMFORTABLE ASSIGNMENTS.

Do you feel like you are working all the hours, firing on all cylinders, possibly even drowning or nearing burnout?

So, someone says to you, would you attend this high-profile meeting, which you think deep down is just a waste of time with a lot of old white men sitting around a table discussing until nothing happens - you turn it down. Or when you are asked to take on a new project that's deemed optional, your default is, 'oh could you get someone else to do it - is that a possibility?'. I get it, I've been there.

If you've ever complained to anyone (including yourself!) about not being noticed, you cannot turn those high-profile assignments down.

Now don't get me wrong, I want you to also learn to say no. But I've noticed that sometimes when we first learn to say no it is so empowering, we start pushing back on all the things. And that's a mistake. Instead, we need to be saying no so we can take on the important things.

When you are asked to take on something important, graciously accept. Don't make a big deal of how busy you are - that's your problem to solve. Come up with a solution to shift your workload and present it to your boss.

Remember, if others have the confidence in you to take that job, then trust they know you well enough to take that on.

Request potentially risky but high-profile projects.

And volunteer to give presentations to senior management, or cross-group presentations. If you want recognition, you need to be known by more than just your manager.

5. DON’T WAIT TO BE NOTICED.

We all fall into the trap of 'I'll work harder and I'll get noticed' thinking at some point in our lives. Many of us spend much of our early careers this way. And in fact, those who stall, all too often, this is the number one thing that is holding them back.

But the good news is if you've done 1 through 4:

1. Define your value.

2. Introduce yourself by your value-added, not your age and job title.

3. Stop minimizing your value and contribution

4. Take those high profile but uncomfortable assignments

Then you are ready to make sure you really do get noticed.

If there is a round of promotions coming up ask about them. In fact, understand from your boss when you need to start talking about the case. All too often bosses are sufficiently overwhelmed that they forget about promotion cases until it is too late. OWN your promotion opportunities and bring it up in meetings. Be working on building your reputation and then be ready with the paperwork the moment it is possible.

If your company is downsizing, don't wait and see what happens, go and speak to bosses and HR about your value and without minimizing your contribution.

When you are ready to make a career move, TALK ABOUT IT. Don't hide, or just submit job applications. Use your network. Remember, 80% of jobs aren't advertised. So, the more you talk about it, the more likely you are to hear about the opportunities when they arise.

Continually showcase your achievements. Remember those values: bring them together with your wins and be ready to talk about them. Bring up your wins in weekly status meetings - what you achieved this week. Don't just bring up the exceptions. Own your team’s wins. Of course, be honest that it was the team, but that doesn't mean you don't own it. I see so many women saying 'I can't own that because I didn't do it,' and by I they mean 'I alone'. As a leader, you are responsible for your team's wins and failures.

Spend time ensuring your online profile talks about your values and achievements. Believe me, a LinkedIn profile that's empty just says 'couldn't be bothered.' A profile that is 5 years out of date says the same thing or worse 'they haven't improved.'

Finally, make sure you have a personal marketing plan. Envision the future you want, write it down, and some specific steps to get there.

For more about these 5 tips be sure to check out Episode 42 of the Leading Women in Tech Podcast: https://tonicollis.com/episode42