Earn more: 3 smart ways to get ahead at work

3 Smart Ways to Get Ahead at Work

You can read Stephen Viscusi's feature on CNN Money, where he shares three practical strategies for advancing your career without waiting for someone to tap you on the shoulder. Viscusi's advice is rooted in what he has observed firsthand over three decades of placing executives and sales professionals — the people who get ahead are not always the most talented, but they are almost always the most intentional about how they manage their careers.

Getting Ahead Is Not About Working Harder

One of the biggest misconceptions professionals have about career advancement is that simply doing a great job will eventually be rewarded. Viscusi has seen countless talented people get overlooked because they assumed their work would speak for itself. The reality is that visibility matters as much as performance. If the people making decisions about promotions and raises do not know what you are contributing, your results might as well be invisible.

That does not mean self-promotion in the obnoxious sense. It means being strategic about how you communicate your accomplishments, how you build relationships with decision-makers, and how you position yourself for the next opportunity before it opens up. The professionals who advance fastest are the ones who treat their career like a project they are actively managing, not something that happens to them passively.

What Recruiters Look for in High-Potential Candidates

As the CEO of one of the nation's leading executive search firms, Viscusi evaluates candidates every day — and the ones who stand out share a few common traits. They take ownership of problems rather than waiting for direction. They build genuine relationships across departments, not just within their own team. And they invest in their professional development continuously, whether that means learning a new skill, expanding their network, or staying current on industry trends.

These qualities matter at every level, from a junior sales assistant at a contract furniture dealership to a VP of Sales at a major manufacturer. The professionals who cultivate them early in their careers create a compounding advantage that pays off for decades. In Viscusi's experience, the difference between a good career and a great one often comes down to these habits more than any single credential or achievement.

Stephen Viscusi's Workplace Commentary

As a contributor to CNN Money, The Huffington Post, The New York Post, Divine Caroline, and The Ladders, Stephen Viscusi has written extensively about hiring practices, workplace culture, compensation trends, and career advancement strategies. On television, he has been a recurring workplace expert on NBC/Universal's Steve Harvey Show, Good Morning America, Inside Edition, CBS News, Fox News, and NPR. ABC's Charles Gibson called him "America's Workplace Guru."

About Stephen Viscusi and The Viscusi Group

Stephen Viscusi is the CEO and founder of The Viscusi Group, a retainer-based executive search firm that specializes in the interior furnishings industry. He started his career at Haworth and has spent over thirty years placing talent across the contract furniture, residential furnishings, and architectural products sectors. Viscusi is also the New York Times bestselling author of On the Job (Random House) and Bulletproof Your Job (HarperCollins), published in 18 languages worldwide.

Hires made through The Viscusi Group are backed by an industry-leading replacement guarantee, reflecting our confidence in every placement we make.

Please share your story or comment on this article and send your workplace questions to stephen@viscusigroup.com. Or give us a call at (212) 979-5700 ext. 101.

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