Have you been giving your all to the job, sacrificing your time—and even pay increases—-to prove that you’re a team player? In the early years, it’s all well and good to show your employer that you’re in it for more than just the money, but when you’ve put in your due, it’s time to look out for you. Striking an unhealthy balance of being a team player and being a workhorse can stifle career growth. Brazen Careerist details three ways you can apply a little selfishness to help you get ahead:
1. The work you do on a daily basis: How often have you done a job that wasn’t part of your job description? Were you performing that job for more than a few months? Did that help or hurt your long-term career? In most cases, this “different†job hurt your chances of getting a promotion in your core job, because you were spending your time doing something else that another manager requested.
Pitching in is necessary, but sometimes you just have to stand up for yourself and say NO. Be nice, but give a good reason why you can’t do it.
Managers are always trying to create the best team possible, even if it’s not in the long-term interests of their team members. In other words, their job is to do what’s best for them or best for their team–and that’s not necessarily what’s best for you.
A lot of this has to do with personal branding. If you are known for doing X and you are doing Y, then you’ve got a serious issue to address.
Read more at Brazen Careerist …