After a Promotion or Payrise? Talk It Up: Expert

Employees must "toot their own horn" if they want a promotion or payrise, according to leading U.S Behavioral Scientist Shannon L. Goodson, who is currently in Australia to promote her new book, The Psychology of Sales Call Reluctance.

The fear of self-promotion is limiting competent and deserving workers from being recognised for their contributions, prohibiting them from earning what they're worth, claims Goodson.

"The fear of self-promotion can make you invisible in the workplace, says Goodson.

"Those who do fear applying self-promotion to advance their career interests are dreamers, tucked away with the fables and fairytales of childhood are the innocent expectations they bring with them to their careers,

"They are not realistic representations of the way things are, but romantic idealisations of what could be if we were perfect, says Goodson.

Goodson also believes employees need to realise the hardest working, best producing and most deserving don't necessarily rise to the top.

"Getting to the top of any organisation requires a two-part approach: competent performance supported by assertive self-promotion,

"Competent performance without assertive self-promotion creates a recognition vacuum. If you don't take credit for who you are and the contributions you have made, someone else in the organisation- probably less deserving-will, says Goodson.

"Good work does not speak for itself. Work gets rewarded from two basic sources. One is the personal satisfaction and feeling of accomplishment you confer on yourself when you've done a job well, the other is public recognition and financial reward,

"As an employee, you are responsible for yourself. If you don't talk it up, don't count on someone doing it for you," warns Goodson.