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Why being hardworking isn't always enough to climb the career ladder - and the cringeworthy step experts say you should take to get ahead
People who work hardest don't necessarily do best in the workplace - and if you want to get ahead, you need to crow about your achievements to colleagues, experts say.
When you bump into a colleague in the office and they ask how you are, you should not respond with the standard 'fine,' or 'busy,' Professor Alison Fragale says.
Fragale, an expert in organizational behavior at the University of North Carolina, says you should instead proudly boast about a recent achievement.
Cringeworthy as such behavior may seem, Fragale told the Wall Street Journal that it will help to alter your colleagues' perception of you, and put you on the path to a promotion.
'We are given opportunities all the time to tell our story that we throw away.' Fragale said.
And she offered a piece of advice to get over feeling self-conscious about bragging: Think of colleagues who've managed to rocket up the career ladder by doing the same thing.
Alison Fragale, a professor of organizational behavior at the University of North Carolina, suggests employees seeking a promotion brag to their co-workers about how great of a job they've been doing
She said those who are getting promoted are already bragging about their efforts
She also said workers should ask themselves what positive parts of their workload is not recognized by their bosses, as labor is getting done more and more behind the scenes.
In fact, Tessa West - a psychology professor at New York University - found that 80 percent of people play multiple roles at work, like running a committee or collaborating on a project with another department.
More than half of those extra responsibilities come with no additional compensation.
'People often assume they're getting credit for these things, but the credit just lives in the boss' head,' if the boss even remembers at all, West said.
Tessa West - a psychology professor at New York University - found that 80 percent of people play multiple roles at work
Sometimes the manager might not even want to share with the boss all of the extra work you're doing out of fear it makes them look disorganized, she added.
West therefore recommends asking your boss if the additional tasks you're doing come up during annual performance conversations, when bosses judge their employees behind closed doors.
And West says that sometimes workers need to take a tough stance to demonstrate their dedication to their specific role.
She suggests saying 'no' to tasks that sit at the periphery of your job description and says workers should justify their refusal by saying they want to hone their existing skills.
If you cannot think of how to package the extra work load you're taking on, it's probably not going to help your career, West said.
Acting on some of the advice may leave workers feeling like Michael Mount from cringe sitcom The Office. The character, played by Steve Carrell, was famed for cocky statements and regular gaffes at the fictional Dunder Mifflin paper manufacturing company.
But experts insist combining their advice with sheer hard work is the way to get ahead.