Increasing your visibility

Kimberly H., a production assistant, is in her twenties. She assists two project managers in her office and she works on marketing/PR, recruiting and accounting efforts. Kimberly has advice for young women striving to carve out their own niche at the office. She says:

Do: Take on opportunities and roles in the office, especially ones that make you the go-to person for that specialty. Work outside of the confines of your job description to take on new duties that take the stress off of your superiors.

However, don't take on the thankless, time-consuming roles in the office. You won't necessarily get anywhere in your company if the "big job" you've taken upon yourself is to be the person that brings in the bagels every Friday morning. No one cares who brings in their sugar fix every Friday, they just want to make sure someone's doing it.

I've figured out to take on the "important" stuff in my office, like managing my office's bank account/check writing, taking on a large marketing role in the office, setting up and helping do interviews for new recruits, etc. People know to come to me for that stuff. I get to be one of the few females (and only admin) who gets to sit in all of the staff meetings with the higher-ups because of these roles. When offers come up that one of the admins in my office needs to become the person to refill the fridge every week with dozens of sodas or the one to order paper all the time, I politely decline. When it comes time for promotion or (higher) bonus opportunities, no one will consider "putting sodas in the fridge" as a big deal.

We couldn't agree more...ladies, do you ever see your male colleagues bringing in brownies that they baked over the weekend? Are they volunteering to buy paper towels at Costco? Don't think so. Your job is not to be the office mom or errand girl. There are plenty of thankless chores to be done at home. Certainly, do the jobs that your role requires. However, when you're looking for increased viability, think smart and determine what unique role you can play.