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Most people feel if they do a good job, the work will be rewarded. Perhaps a promotion or salary bump. They’re wrong. The rules of career advancement have changed with the generations and advancement of social media and artificial intelligence (AI). Those who rise are not simply those who work the hardest. They are those who are visible.
LinkedIn reports that online job submissions have doubled since 2022 while AI-enabled roles have skyrocketed to 1.3 million. For those who want a more freelanced lifestyle, creator roles on LinkedIn have increased by 90 percent while Founder titles are up by 70 percent.
And yet, high performers are falling behind. Not because they lack talent or ambition. Simply put, they are not being seen. Their competence has become their camouflage.
AI Literacy Is the New Baseline
LinkedIn’s latest reports shows that in the United States, there is a 70 percent year over year increase in roles requiring AI literacy. A new LinkedIn report on workforce attitudes toward AI shows that American based employees are now twice as likely to use AI products in their job on a daily or weekly basis, compared with a year and a half ago.
But the world of work is changing faster than ever. LinkedIn’s latest data shows a doubling of competition for roles, and a 20% slower hiring process compared with pre-pandemic timelines. Two-thirds of recruiters plan to increase their use of AI for pre-screening applications. To stand out, you must realize that your work no longer speaks for itself. You have to speak for it.
Why High Achievers Undersell Themselves
For many, this is extremely uncomfortable, especially high achievers. The Dunning-Kruger effect explains the cognitive bias where those who are highly skilled tend to underestimate their competence, because they know how much they have yet to master, while those who are underskilled, tend to over estimate their abilities.
Not everyone is comfortable with the “humble brag” and they don’t want to market themselves. They feel that if they do excellent work, others will notice. But at a time when job applications have doubled and creator activity has become mainstream, excellence without visibility equals invisibility.
Visibility Is Not Performance. It Is Communication
The good news is that becoming visible does not mean becoming performative.
Visibility means showing your thinking process, something employers actively seek. In engineering and software development job interviews, it is not uncommon for the person running the interview to ask the applicant to build something. Recruiters consistently report that they care less about whether a prototype works and more about how the applicant approaches the challenge. They want to see curiosity, problem solving, and a healthy relationship with failure. High achievers have these skills in abundance but often fail to articulate them.
This is your moment to change that.
Step One: Make Your Skills Discoverable
Start by making your skills discoverable. If you use AI in any part of your workflow, say so. Add it to your resume and LinkedIn profile, because companies are intentionally searching for it. Be specific about the roles and industries you want. “Marketing job in healthcare” is stronger than simply “marketing.” These small adjustments move you from invisible to intentional. LinkedIn’s AI powered search engines now allow you to “type the way you speak” when searching for a job to find specific roles solving the challenges you want to work on in the location you prefer.
Step Two: Build Trust Signals
Second, build trust signals. Verified LinkedIn members receive an average of 19 percent more InMails and 60 percent more profile views. In addition, you can now show your proficiency with a variety of AI tools such as Descript, Replit and Lovable, by showing your verified proficiency directly on your LinkedIn Profile. The LinkedIn partner ecosystem is expanding rapidly with Gamma, GitHub, and Zapier in the pipeline and verification will be rolling out in the coming months.
Step Three: Think Like a Creator
Third, if you want greater visibility, think like a creator. This doesn’t mean you have to become an influencer or record your every thought and action. It means sharing industry insights, behind the scenes glimpses, and lessons learned. The most successful use varied formats including short form posts, long form newsletters, and videos.
You cannot help people if they do not know what you do. You will not be promoted if people cannot find you. Self-promotion is for attention. Visibility is to spark curiosity, share your thinking, and your unique value.
If you want to stay ahead of the rapidly shifting job landscape, you will need more than ability. You will need to be seen.
