How to be seen at work and grow in your career

Shape up or ship out

Let’s face it — being in a toxic or draining work environment is one of the worst places to be when it comes to your career. Your job, whether you work a nine to five or are a business owner, is what takes up the majority of the waking hours of your day. This also means that your office or whatever space applies to where you choose to operate your business (location: Zoom included!) from isn’t just the place you drag yourself to in order to make a living for yourself. This place is your second home.

How you show up for yourself and for others in your second home matters, and how you are supported and seen in your second home matters. It contributes not only to your confidence, mindset, and creativity at work, but it also promotes more productivity, more action taken, and more fulfillment at work. And all of that results in growth.

Being seen isn’t necessarily about getting the spotlight and having all eyes be on you. Being seen means something different for everyone. For some, it’s about needing to be appreciated. For others, it’s about being understood and listened to. But across the board, I think to a certain degree, everybody at the very least would like to be treated as though they are standing in a room that knows that their purpose and place in that room is recognized and it matters.

It’s kind of like having a superpower of being invisible. Sure, it’s kind of cool to be a fly on the wall at times to see what people are saying when you’re not in the room. But any other time, I don’t know about you, but I would get pretty frustrated if I was trying to get someone’s attention or have a conversation and them not hearing or seeing me. You start to think with the mentality: what’s the point of all this, anyway?

So that’s what I’m tackling today: three ways to be seen at work and how this will promote growth in your career. Let’s get into it.

1. If you have something to say, SAY IT.

I know, this isn’t easy. Especially when you have to have a difficult conversation with a boss or if you have a fear of asking a 'stupid question’ (FYI, no question makes you look stupid. It just makes you look more interested!). But would you rather get through the conversation or ask the question and get out feeling lighter on the other side, or would you rather have it scratch away at your throat, just crawling to voice it out in the open?

When you keep things bottled up inside, no matter how small or big, you’re eventually going to explode. So just get it over with.

I’m not saying to let it rip with no filter, boundaries, or respect. I’m saying think about what’s been on your mind, how you can deliver it to stand up for your needs and get what you want, and what you’d like this to result in on the other side.

What are you confused about or want clarity on? How can you ask the question? What answer are you looking for on the other side?

What do you want to talk to your boss about? When can you schedule the meeting, how can you prepare for it, and how can you graciously communicate? What is the end result you’re looking for?

2. Collaboration is always the answer

Again, this is a challenge. Working with others is hard! People have different working styles, learning styles, and communication styles. You are not going to be everyone’s cup of tea either. But when it comes to the workplace, it’s business. No one’s going to see you if you’re slouching in your corner, trying to do all the work on your own.

To be seen at work, you need to put yourself in the position to be seen by others, and that includes being in service of others too. Collaboration isn’t just about how others can help you. Collaboration is also about how you can help others. As a result, you have the potential and the ability to create something even more amazing than if you were alone.

Depending on the industry, collaboration can mean offering to take on a new project with a colleague, or it can be something as simple as asking someone who doesn’t even work in your office but is in your industry to grab a cup of coffee to discuss a new idea you have, or quite literally, simply collaborating on a post with another creator on Instagram.

It doesn’t need to be big, it just needs to be impactful and move the needle. The results? More inspiration, more service, and greater rewards.

3. Show up online

In the job market today, everybody can see that things can change on a dime. One day, you can have a job and the next, you may not. Additionally in today’s job market, we are seeing more competition than ever, as I’ve emphasized in the past. So when it comes to being seen and making sure that you’re not going in the wrong direction when looking for work or just trying to hold onto your seat at the table for dear life, how do you stand out? Online, duh.

I hate to break it to you, but in case you didn’t already know, anyone can find out anything about you online if they really want to. Use that to your advantage and absolutely saturate your online presence with all of the incredible things that make you who you are! Yes, I am referring to your personal brand.

It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in today — everybody needs a personal brand and online presence showcasing that brand. It is a nonnegotiable if you want to make it in the workforce today. If you don’t have one, you will be forgotten and you will be disconnected with the rest of the people who do show up.

The best part about showing up online is that there are so many ways that you can choose to do this. You have full authority of how you want this to work for you. No way is better than another. The only right medium is the medium that works for you, whether that means posting an engaging on LinkedIn once a week, or if it means being a content creator on TikTok or writing on Substack and slapping that on your resume as a skill or side hustle. You can use it all to your advantage.

The purpose of an online presence is not to get attention, but rather to connect with others. When you do this, you naturally showcase your value, expertise, passion, and personality (which yes, people want to see!).

When a recruiter or when your current boss sees another part of you connecting with your community and leveraging the skills you already have on a platform, they feel like they’re truly getting to know you, or another part of you they’ve never met. It’s standing out. Oh, Susie loves filming videos of her cooking a new recipe she finds every week? I love that! And I kind of want that recipe. I see that she also got a degree in X from X school, and has these certifications, and this much experience here…wow. And I kind of wonder if she’d ever consider working with me in the future…

That’s how it works. Your brand will always back you. It’s sustainable and it can work like a magnet for more connections, more opportunities, and more money in your pocket if you just take the first step and show up, consistently.

I dare you to step through the fear of taking on any one of these challenges and seeing how much of a difference it makes in your professional (and personal) life. If you ever need a push, just say these words to yourself out loud: shape up or ship out. It’s either staying small and in the same place, or coming out on the other side with more information, more respect earned, and more credibility that you can add to your confidence bank. You decide.

I’m curious — how do you like to be seen at work and grow in your career? What are you struggling with? Let me know in the comments or reply to me via email!

Cheers,

Angelina