Get Noticed at Work and Get Promoted
Posted in Graduate Experience on Feb 15th, 2009
We all like to be acknowledged for our efforts and even better still, that they have resulted in something quite exceptional. To be acknowledged for exceptional work a a graduate, you need to make time to work on “exceptions”. That is, work which is not operational. A project or a piece of analysis. Something that is exceptional by definition should be very different from the expected.
The results of operational work, that is work related to the core function of a department, are measured often and tallied at the end of a quarter, half-year or annually. Operational work is what you are expected to do.
Operational performance is usually measured relative to your peers and various benchmarks, so differentiation is challenging and highly competitive. If you beat your targets by 10% and everybody else has exceeded them by 10% too, then you are not going to standout. The spotlight will shine on the person who topped the group with 30%.
So why not be that person? It’s too much work and besides, you can work the hardest and smartest yet still be trumped by someone due to circumstance. Why risk it?
For example, if you are in sales and your colleague picks up a “windfall” client who proves to be exceptionally lucrative, you will be blown out of the water. Such clients are not available to target in every portfolio and can be down to luck more than effort.
