Promote Yourself (23 page)

To start with, don't be sneaky about your agenda. If you come across as being dishonest or disingenuous, people will shut you out. Don't ask for a lot and give nothing back. Don't make a networking encounter feel like a business transaction (I'll do this for you if you do that for me…), and please don't pass out business cards to everyone in the room. Trying to meet everyone will ensure that you aren't able to spend enough time with anyone to actually get to know who they are. So focus on one or two of the best prospects.

Once you do start making connections, be careful that you don't move too far too quickly (is this sounding like dating advice again?). That means never badmouth your employer, or spread office gossip. The world is a small place these days and there's a really good chance that anything negative you say will get right back to the people you'll wish later hadn't heard it. It's also important to wait until you develop a genuine friendship with someone before you start opening up about your deepest, darkest secrets. Too much personal info too soon can make people feel uncomfortable—especially if they don't feel close enough to you to reciprocate.

 

Dealing with Adversaries

Very few people ever think about how they'd handle a fellow employee who is so focused on their own career that they'd think nothing of sabotaging their teammates if it meant they'd get a promotion or more recognition. Hopefully, this will never happen to you, but just in case, it's good to be prepared.

Always take the high road and never give in to the temptation to retaliate. If possible, ask the other person what the problem is and whether you might have done something to offend them. If you did, apologize. If the problem continues, tell the other person that you see what's going on and that you want to figure out a way to work together in a less adversarial way.

It's also important—to the extent possible—to ignore the negativity. Instead, surround yourself with friends and supporters and do what you can to bring more people into your camp. If all that fails, you'll need to talk to your boss about what's happening and ask for her help in resolving the issue.

Finally, keep your phone in your pocket. No texting, no e-mail checking. Don't even answer the phone unless your wife is in labor.

 

Using Projects to Develop Relationships Across Your Company

As we've discussed, working on projects is a great way to strengthen relationships with your teammates. In addition, because projects often involve more than one team, they're a great way to meet new people, learn new skills, and gain some valuable visibility outside your team. So keep your eyes open for opportunities to work on projects—especially ones that are cross-functional, meaning they involve two or more departments. For example, Operations and Marketing, or HR and Accounting.

Use your company's internal social networks or intranet to find projects. Ideally, you'd like to get on projects that have strong executive backing. Those will give you the most visibility. But as a junior person, that may not always be possible. So also keep your eye out for projects that other people won't do or have failed at.

Before you jump into a project that's outside your regular work responsibilities, make sure you get your manager's approval. If you aren't doing what you're being paid to do, he won't support you in your quest to venture into other areas.

At every step along the way, make sure you're a team player and a top performer. When you make other people look good by helping them achieve their goals, there's a good chance that they'll invite you to work with them on more—and more important—projects. It's always easier to network with people you worked with, so the more projects you're on the greater the networking possibilities.

 

Get Involved with Activities Outside the Office

Do you remember the old nine-to-five workplace? If you do, enjoy the memory, because there's no such thing as a nine-to-five job anymore. Sure, you may physically be in the office only eight or nine hours a day, but the line between your personal and professional lives has pretty much disappeared. That means it's not enough for you to shine only at the office. If you want to move your career forward, you're going to have to use your nonoffice time too.

The bad news about the blurred private/job line is that you're under the microscope 24/7. There's nowhere to hide, so you have to constantly be aware of your image and how you're being perceived by others. One snide comment about your boss, a few too many drinks when you're out with friends, being rude to the barista at Starbucks, or an ugly breakup of a romantic relationship with a coworker could come back to haunt you at work. But there's good news too. You now have hundreds of opportunities to build your brand, expand your network, and develop relationships with people who can help you further your career.

Keep in mind that not every single activity you do outside work has to be meaningful. Sometimes there are people you don't seem to click with on a work level but you might on a more personal level. Activities outside work can bridge the work-personal gap. For example, playing on a company softball team or serving meals at a homeless shelter with people from other departments might let you see their other side—and show you that you've got more in common than you'd thought.

I know this may sound like a lot of work, but chances are you're already doing it. Think back to when you were applying to college. Yes, you needed decent grades, good SAT scores, and a few glowing recommendations from teachers. But to make yourself into an especially attractive candidate, you needed to mention the clubs you were in, the work you did in your community, and a lot of other things you did outside high school. It was the same when you put together the résumé to land the job you have right now: You talked about your academic accomplishments and about any job experience you might have had. But most likely you also included at least a few lines about the social or professional groups you were in and maybe even your hobbies and interests.

A lot of young people are especially interested in social justice or charity projects. What's important to you? The economy? Education? Global warming? Animal rights? Whatever it is, it's definitely possible to save the world and get ahead. In other words, to do things that have a positive impact on the world and make you look good at the same time. When you're interested in things besides work, you become a more interesting person.

 

Why Do It?

There are a number of really good reasons to get involved in extracurricular activities:

 

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It makes you a well-rounded person.
And that's never a bad thing.

 

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It makes you a happier person.
Who wouldn't want a little more happy in their lives?

 

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It helps you build your network.
Being involved in extracurricular activities helps you meet more people. “I am part of the Full Circle Fund, a group that helps social entrepreneurs succeed. I had been involved for two years, fighting to improve the educational system and making contacts,” says Aaron McDaniel, Senior Director of Global Strategy & Business Development at AT&T. “Then at work I was part of a team that was tasked with developing our firm's education market strategy. The relationships and background helped me an incredible amount.”

 

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It can increase your visibility at work.
“I began volunteering for the Worldwide Employee Benefits Network (WEB) during my job search,” Carrie Hirst, Regional Marketing Coordinator at Allstate, told me. “I am now on the steering committee of that organization. My involvement in WEB has helped me stand out on the job. It also gives me some credibility when reaching out to more seasoned professionals in my industry.” A recent CNNMoney survey confirms Carrie's experience when it found that workers who help others organize social activities and who make an effort to become friends with their coworkers have a 40 percent greater chance of getting a promotion.

 

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It might help you when you're looking to change jobs
(or help you get one in the first place if you're ever unemployed). This is exactly what happened to Shane Dunn, Assistant Director of Student Engagement, Alumni Relations and Annual Giving, MIT Sloan School of Management. “I served on the Operations Committee of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE)—the professional organization that supports and promotes the work of educational fundraisers and alumni relations professionals. During the three days of the conference, I spent a considerable amount of time getting to know the other volunteer committee members—after all, alumni relations and fundraising are in the ‘relationship business' so it's natural to do so. Six months later, a woman who served on the Operations Committee with me called me in her new role as Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving at the MIT Sloan School of Management. She told me she had recently created a new position in the office and she wanted me to take the job. She asked me to interview with her team, which I ultimately did. Without a formal offer in hand, she offered me the job on the spot.”

 

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It will help you develop new skills that can help you do your job better.
Susan Gambardella, VP of Global Account Team at Coca-Cola, told me this story. “I had a young employee who would spend her vacation days volunteering at a high-security jail counseling inmates on how to develop career plans and business plans for when they are released. This young woman, as a result of these experiences with various felons, is not scared of any customer and is effective in very difficult negotiations.”

 

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It gets you thinking about things in a different way.
I often find that I have my best business ideas in the middle of a vacation (or even the middle of a shower) when my mind is as far from work as it can possibly be. I'm sure you've had the same experience. Giving your brain a break from work may very well help you come up with new ideas for how you can get noticed and get ahead when you finally do get back to the office.

 

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It can allow you to see other ways to use your strengths at work.
Here's how Rachel Handler, a young Editor at Groupon, described it to me. “I occasionally volunteer with 826CHI, helping local kids to improve their writing skills. Working with children and trying to explain the principles of writing to them allows me to look at words with fresher eyes—after I spend time with them, I feel a bit more creative and more in tune with the way I write.”

 

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It's just plain refreshing.
Giving yourself opportunities to shine (or do something meaningful) outside the office will make you feel better about yourself. And that sense of confidence almost always follows you to work.

 

Finding Outside-the-Office Activities

The best employees (and by “best” I mean the ones most likely to get promoted and move up in their careers) are very strategic in the ways they use their time outside the office. Let's talk about how that works.

The easiest place to start is with professional, company-, or industry-related activities that take place outside the office. This could be taking classes and doing the kind of soft skill and hard skill building that we talked about in previous chapters. Being around people with similar interests is a great way to build your network. Ditto for going to conferences. The time after the keynotes or between breakout sessions can be invaluable. Everyone else there has something in common with you, and that's a great jumping-off point. Consider becoming a member of whatever group is putting on the conference (if you're in marketing, for example, that might be the American Marketing Association). Then, over time, gradually increase your level of involvement. Volunteer to work on a subcommittee, join the planning group, and maybe even run for a board position. I talk to a lot of managers and executives and I guarantee you that they notice employees who show this kind of interest in their profession. “Professional networking groups that directly relate to our profession would be a great way for employees to further their knowledge and skills and gain an edge in the workplace,” says Travis Kessel, Vice President, Recruitment at Edelman Digital.

There are other work-related activities you can do on your own time. For example, you could start an industry-related blog, do some guest posts for other blogs, or become an active member of industry forums. You could also write articles for your local newspaper or relevant trade magazines. And you could pursue speaking opportunities. You could start by giving a talk at your alma mater about your company or your job. Once you get comfortable, you can apply to speak at industry conferences or even run workshops. As long as what you're doing complements what you're doing at work, the net result of all of this is that you're building your brand and boosting your visibility inside and outside your company.

Another easy place to build your outside-the-office profile is through non-work-related social activities you do with coworkers or colleagues. This might be joining your company softball team, getting a group together to enter a diabetes fundraising half-marathon. It could also be something more informal, such as going to retirement or birthday parties. Because activities like these often attract a lot of managers, this is an excellent way to get noticed.

Then there are philanthropic activities you might do on your own, things like becoming a Big Brother or Big Sister, volunteering at a local soup kitchen, or spending a weekend with Habitat for Humanity building homes for the homeless in your community. There is one small drawback to doing activities alone: All the great work you're doing may go unnoticed. That means you may have to do a little horn tooting at the office. When people are hanging out in the lunchroom talking about their weekend, you can always drop in something about what you did. But be very careful. It's critical that whatever you do, you do it sincerely. If people (especially managers) get the idea that you're doing some charitable work only because you want to build yourself up, you'll do yourself more harm than good. As the old saying goes, “Integrity is what you do when no one's watching.”