By : Brian Tracy

Have you noticed that some workers receive more promotions and greater pay than do their colleagues do, even though they are apparently not as competent or as capable as their colleagues are? This doesnít seem fair. Why should some people get ahead when others who seem to be working far harder, and even longer hours, get passed over for promotion and the additional rewards that go with it? The fact is that to be a great success, it is important not only to be good at what you do, but also to be perceived as being good at what you do. Human beings are creatures of perception. It is not what they see but what they think they see that determines how they think and act.
If your coworker is perceived as being more promotable than you are, for whatever reasons, then
it is very likely that your coworker will get additional responsibilities and more money; even
though you know that you could do a better job, if given the chance. Fortunately, however, there are
several things that you can do to increase your visibility and accelerate the speed at which you move ahead in your career. The starting point to attain high visibility is to develop competence. Determine what parts of your job are most important to your boss and to your company, and then make the decision to become
very good in those areas. You must be perceived as being very competent at what you do; your future
depends on it.

That perception alone will bring you to the attention of more people faster than you can imagine. The perception of excellent performance will open up opportunities for greater responsibilities, higher pay and better positions. Becoming good at what you do should be the foundation of your strategy for gaining higher visibility and rapid advancement in your career.

Employers everywhere are looking for men and women of action, people who will get in there and
get the job done right as soon as possible. When you develop a reputation for competence and capability,
you quickly become visible to all the key people in your working environment. Excellence at what
you do is essential, but it’s not enough. There are additional elements that go into the perception that
others have of you. And one of the most important elements is your overall image, from head to toe.
How you appear to others makes a real difference. A recent survey of personnel executives found that
the decision to hire or not to hire is made in the first 30 seconds. Many people believe that the decision
to accept or reject a job candidate is actually made in the first four seconds. Many capable men and
women are disqualified from job opportunities because they simply do not look the part.

There are many elements of your life over which you have no control and which you cannot choose.
But your external dress and appearance are totally a matter of personal preference. Through their choice of clothes, their grooming and their overall appearance, individuals deliberately make a statement about the kind of people they are. The way you look on the outside is a representation of the way you see yourself on the inside. If you have a positive, professional self-image, you will take pains to make your external appearance consistent with it.

Itís a good idea to dress the way the senior people in your company dress. Dress for the position two jobs above your own. Since people judge you largely by the way you look on the outside, be sure to look thoroughly professional. Consequently, the perception of the people who can help you in your career will be positive. They will open doors for you in ways that you cannot now imagine.

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