Feeling Invisible at Work

[BubbleFreak]

I have been working for the same company for almost 5 years. I've seen staff come and go, and I've also trained staff that have moved on to bigger and better things, such as promotions.

 

After 3 years (and at the end of my uni degree) I was headhunted and offered a fulltime job elsewhere... which I quit after 3 weeks because I realised I was an emotional reck (I found out my dad was dying). So.. I went back to my current job working as a casual.

 

As I said it's been almost 5 years now, and I'm still in the same position and feeling invisible, as I watch people I train move up the ranks and I am left behind. I know I'm a good worker so I feel so unappreciated and invisible. I am a consistent hard worker and easy to get along with, but I don't make efforts to socialise with anyone out of work.

 

Does anyone know what I could be doing wrong in my situation?

[D-Lish]

I have been working for the same company for almost 5 years. I've seen staff come and go, and I've also trained staff that have moved on to bigger and better things, such as promotions.

 

After 3 years (and at the end of my uni degree) I was headhunted and offered a fulltime job elsewhere... which I quit after 3 weeks because I realised I was an emotional reck (I found out my dad was dying). So.. I went back to my current job working as a casual.

 

As I said it's been almost 5 years now, and I'm still in the same position and feeling invisible, as I watch people I train move up the ranks and I am left behind. I know I'm a good worker so I feel so unappreciated and invisible. I am a consistent hard worker and easy to get along with, but I don't make efforts to socialise with anyone out of work.

 

Does anyone know what I could be doing wrong in my situation?

 

It may be the difference between showing you're enthusiasm for going above and beyond the call of duty and simply doing the minimum (what is required).

 

The people that get noticed are the people that take on more responsibility, take on extra hours, show a willingness to learn more, step in to fill a void even when it's not your responsibility to do so. A little ass kissing helps as well.

 

People that are liked as people will also rise quicker than those that don't demonstrate a desire to fit in.

 

Drive and enthusiasm will get you noticed. Offer to take on more responsibility and never complain. It will pay off if you are consistent with this.

[jean-luc sisko]

getting ahead is standing out and being noticed.

 

the idea that being long at a company is the key in getting ahead is a huge misconception.

[txsilkysmoothe]

Have you made your ambitions known to your supervisors? Could they be under the impression that you are content in your current position?

 

They may also think that you will leave again, therefore, don't want to move you into a higher position where they would rely on you more.

[D-Lish]

Have you made your ambitions known to your supervisors? Could they be under the impression that you are content in your current position?

 

They may also think that you will leave again, therefore, don't want to move you into a higher position where they would rely on you more.

 

Simply showing enthusiasm would go a long way, even in such a case as this.

[spookie]

I think it'd be acceptable to have a chat with your supervisor about how you'd like more responsibility, and ask what you can do, what projects you can work on, to demonstrate that you're ready for that promotion.

 

You can't expect anyone but you to care about your career.

[Green]

The way I see things you can't just rely on one company to take you where you need to get. You need to be willing to quit and start your own company or work for a different company that will give you what you want.

 

I suggest you either start getting things ready to start your own company and quit when that is ready.

 

If you don't want to start a business then while you are still working for your current company go out and look for the type of job/pay you want and then you can either quit your old job or use it as a tool to negotiate.

[jean-luc sisko]

I think it'd be acceptable to have a chat with your supervisor about how you'd like more responsibility, and ask what you can do, what projects you can work on, to demonstrate that you're ready for that promotion.

 

You can't expect anyone but you to care about your career.

 

i'd agree with this.

 

Also, ask your supervisor what skills/traits s/he is looking for when promoting an employee. Your boss would appreciate that you're looking to develop yourself.

[SarahRose]

You definitely have to toot your own horn and make people aware of what you are doing.

 

Do you know what role you want to take on next?

 

Go to your super and ask them what you need to do to get into that role.

 

Every day write down what you do at your job and especially those things that are above and beyond your job duties. Do you ask for extra work?

 

Put your hand up and volunteer for things.

 

At the end of each week send your status report to your supervisor and any other manager you work with.

 

Do you hang out with and socialize with your manager and other managers? You need to start doing this.

[imani]

The way I see things you can't just rely on one company to take you where you need to get. You need to be willing to quit and start your own company or work for a different company that will give you what you want.

 

I suggest you either start getting things ready to start your own company and quit when that is ready.

 

If you don't want to start a business then while you are still working for your current company go out and look for the type of job/pay you want and then you can either quit your old job or use it as a tool to negotiate.

 

This right here. Thumbs up. Actually a lot of these responses hold truth to them. OP, you may need to decide if this is a place you even want to be promted at. Ask yourself what career goals do you have and will this particular job help in getting you there. This also brings the question of do you want a job or a career?

[BubbleFreak]

Thanks for all your responses, I have considered them all and check, check, check to everything except socialising with superiors. I can't pretend to be who I'm not.

 

I'm friendly, I will always help others if I am able to, and most importantly I now know the importance of social policitics in order to get ahead. BUT, unless my life depended on it, I would never ever kiss ass.

 

What you see is what you get, that's how it is with me.

 

In many of my previous jobs I have been offered promotions based simply on my work performance but they were not a priority for me at the time. Now it is a priority for me, if only to make me feel I am not stuck in a rut, to have new challenges and responsibilities. It has been a good place for me to work while finishing off studies and grieving over my dad, but it is time to move on.

 

So, I am looking for a new job atm. (Yes, I was headhunted before I had even graduated, but I don't have much interest in the field I studied.) I am looking to take on an apprenticeship, follow a passion I put on the backburner years ago, so that one day once I am qualified I can be my own boss.

[Tayla]

WOW! I can totally relate, and no matter how much more responsibility you take on or step up to the plate, they will simply utilize that skill with no acknowledgment. Trust me I am rowing that boat down the same stream you are. I can truly say that some folks do the bear minimum and seem to get ahead, Cant make sense of it yet I do know this. When clocking out , Clock out and know you did your best. Some business management simply are clueless who are the real contributors for the company, and it sure sounds like you are a gem to have!

[Left in a Lurch]

Where I am now I never refuse work, have voluntarily taken on more products than anyone else, and have been told I can go up to the president of the company and slap his face and would not get fired.

 

Problem is, a couple of people have come in and been promoted over me. What those people did was openly take credit for other people's work and tout it loudly. In front of customers, without any technical knowledge they would claim credit for things other people developed and a lot of the customers were impressed. The more knowledgeable customers knew it was bs and when they threw technical questions and they would get answers like "220, 221, whatever it takes".

 

The impressed customers always tell the higher ups what a great asset those people were, but the more knowledgeable customers just take me aside and tell me I'm great and complain about the others to me. Over time most customers start coming directly to me. You get put in the position of either just helping the customer and letting it go or becoming the middle man passing complaints to your bosses, which is usually pointless.

 

The worst part is working until 3am 3 days in a row fixing an issue nobody else could or would even try to fix, and nobody so much as thanks me. When the other people go in and screw things up and that I spend another night working until 3 am to fix it, the customer sends a compliment about the other people.

 

What I have found is if you want to move up in a situation like you are in, pretend you know everything about everything. If someone challenges you, just answer them with bs and make it seem like you are talking above their level so they feel like they are the stupid one. If they give you a look of uncertainty, change the subject and fast talk them. If you screw something up, find someone that knows what they are doing and don't ask, just tell them they need to figure something out. If someone has a better idea than you, stick to your guns and pretend you know better.

 

Or if you are like me, just enjoy your job and let it go or move to another company where you are not type-cast. When you look for another company though, upsell yourself and if the job is a vertical move act like it is just a lateral move for you in the interviews.