Here’s what most people get wrong about career advancement: they wait for the job posting.
They keep their head down, do great work, and hope someone notices when a role opens up. Then they scramble to position themselves as the obvious choice, updating their LinkedIn, networking with the hiring manager, crafting the perfect application.
By then, it’s too late.
The truth is, the most successful career moves happen long before there’s a vacancy. They happen when you’ve already built a reputation that makes people think of you when opportunity arises. Not because you’re the loudest person in the room, but because you’ve strategically positioned yourself as the person who gets it done.
Let me show you how.
The Gap Between What You Do and What People Know You For
Your role is what’s in your job description. Your reputation is what people say about you when you’re not in the room. And here’s the uncomfortable truth: they’re often not the same thing.
You might be exceptional at stakeholder management, but if all your boss sees is someone who “runs good meetings,” you’re being undervalued. You might be the person who quietly fixes broken processes, but if leadership only knows you as “the person who handles logistics,” you’re not positioned for strategic roles.
Research shows that visibility and perception often matter more than performance alone when it comes to advancement opportunities. The people who rise aren’t always the best performers. Instead, they’re the ones whose value is clearly understood and consistently communicated.
This isn’t about being inauthentic or playing politics. It’s about closing the gap between what you contribute and what people perceive you’re capable of contributing next.
Start With Strategic Clarity
Before you can position yourself effectively, you need to know what you’re positioning yourself for.
Not “I want the next level up.” That’s too vague. Instead, ask yourself:
- What kind of problems do I want to be known for solving?
- What skills or perspectives do I bring that aren’t abundant on my team?
- Where am I going in the next 2-3 years, and what reputation would support that path?
Write it down. Be specific. “I want to be seen as someone who can lead cross-functional initiatives” is better than “I want to be a better leader.”
This clarity becomes your north star, i.e., the filter through which you decide what to say yes to, what to share, and how to talk about your work.
If you’re doing work that matters, make it easy for the right people to know about it. This means strategic documentation.
Build Your Reputation Through Pattern, Not Performance
One great project doesn’t build a reputation, but a pattern does.
If you want to be known as someone who can navigate ambiguity, don’t just handle one messy project well—actively seek out opportunities to work through unclear situations and then make your process visible. If you want to be seen as a strategic thinker, consistently bring frameworks or long-term thinking to team discussions.
According to organizational psychology research, people form impressions based on consistent behavioral patterns rather than isolated incidents. This means your reputation is built through repeated demonstrations of specific capabilities and not one-off wins.
Here’s how to create those patterns:
- Volunteer strategically. Don’t just raise your hand for everything. Choose projects that align with where you’re going, not just where you’ve been.
- Share your thinking, not just your outputs. When you solve a problem, explain your approach. When you make a decision, share your framework. This positions you as someone with judgment, not just execution skills.
- Connect the dots publicly. In meetings, emails, or 1:1s, draw connections between your work and bigger business goals. “This process improvement will reduce our cycle time by 30%, which should help us hit our Q2 targets” is stronger than “I improved the process.”
Make Your Work Findable
You know what’s invisible? Excellence that lives only in your head or in private Slack threads.
If you’re doing work that matters, make it easy for the right people to know about it. This doesn’t mean broadcasting every win; it means strategic documentation.
Some practical moves to incorporate into your routine:
- Create artifacts. Turn your thinking into frameworks, templates, or documentation that others can use. Now you’re not just someone who did a thing—you’re someone who created value that scales.
- Use updates wisely. Weekly check-ins or team meetings are perfect moments to surface not just what you did, but the impact it created or the skills it demonstrated.
- Build a brag doc. Keep a running record of projects, contributions, and feedback. Review it monthly to identify patterns in your work that align with your desired reputation. Bring these examples into performance reviews or conversations about future opportunities.
Position Through Relationships, Not Just Performance
Here’s what people miss: your next opportunity will likely come through someone who’s heard about your work, not necessarily experienced it directly.
That means your reputation is built as much through other people’s stories about you as through your own efforts.
Invest in relationships with people who:
- Have influence in areas you want to move into
- Can speak credibly about your work to decision-makers
- Are generous connectors who genuinely want to see you succeed
This isn’t networking for networking’s sake. It’s about building authentic relationships with people who understand your value and can advocate for you when opportunities arise, often before they’re formally announced.
Final Reflection on Positioning Yourself for Career Advancement
Positioning yourself for your next move isn’t a three-month sprint. It’s a consistent practice of aligning what you do, how you talk about it, and who knows about it.
The people who get tapped for opportunities before the job is posted? They’ve been building that reputation for months or years. They’ve made their value clear. They’ve created a pattern of contribution that makes them the obvious choice.
You can do this too. Start small. Pick one area where you want to shift perception. Find one project that aligns with where you’re going. Have one conversation that makes your thinking visible.
Your role might define what you do today. But your reputation defines where you go next.
