> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.invincibleintrovert.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # You're not being overlooked - URL: https://www.invincibleintrovert.com/youre-not-being-overlooked/ - Published: 2026-10-18T08:48:14.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-18T08:48:14.000Z - Description: You're not being remembered. - Author: Sam Furse - Tags: Being visible When it comes to building your ability and authority, there's nothing better than gaining experience through being the one on the job. It's something that no amount of training can replace. It enables you to develop your gut instinct. To spot a concept, a clause, or a number that looks off. Yet, experience relies on allocation. Being the one chosen for the job. A decision often made in a conversation *that does not include you.* And in order to be in the running, you need to do something that is often uncomfortable for introverts. *To be visible*. **The (in)visibility gap** I first experienced this (in)visibility gap back when I was working part time in retail. I had been working at the store for a couple of years, dutifully working on the front till while awaiting my chance to move onto one of the more specialist counters where you got to swap selling newspapers and scratch cards for CDs and DVDs, and took on more responsibilities for the store. A newer colleague had just joined the store and had been learning the ropes for the past few weeks. He was confident, easy to talk to. Memorable in the eyes of management. Due to sickness, cover was needed on the entertainment counter, and out of all of the staff working on the front till that day, I had been there the longest and thought it was going to be a great chance to gain experience on entertainment. I wasn't chosen, and instead my newer colleague was asked to cover. I remember finishing up my shift and trudging home. I felt deflated. Disappointed. I wondered why I hadn't been given a shot. I told my dad what had happened, and he said something that has stuck with me to this day. *No one was going to do anything about it, unless I did something about it myself.* I went back to the store that afternoon to speak to my manager. I explained that I'd like to learn the entertainment counter, and that I'd be happy to cover whenever someone was off. She welcomed the feedback and said she would see what she could do. *The following afternoon, I received a call*. Would I like to cover entertainment for the afternoon? That one conversation had unlocked that step up overnight. **The same probably applies to you** The same issue translates into professional services. I've seen it at law firms. The same individuals picked because they are known quantities. Others missed simply because they didn't come to mind. Years ago, I worked with Kevin, a paralegal. Smart and eager, yet "quiet". His work was thorough and on time. But when something urgent landed, his name didn't come up. He confided in me that he wanted to be involved in more work, but wasn't sure why he kept being passed over. I asked him whether he had ever put himself forward. *He had not*. He was waiting for someone to choose him. It's easy to think that you simply need to wait. Everything else in a law firm runs on a cycle. Appraisals. Promotion rounds. It's reasonable to assume work is allocated in the same way too. You hope that one day, you'll be the one that is chosen to pick up that exciting piece of work. To work with that high profile client. And this brings us back to the issue of allocation. Unless you are visible, and present in mind. You're not going to be chosen. So the question becomes, how do you make sure you come up in conversation? **Start becoming visible** As an introvert, it can be too easy to sit in the background. To wait for someone to notice your work, rather than to step out into the open. Yet, there are some simple steps you can take to start becoming visible. To show up in a way which doesn't require you to become someone you're not. And preparation can start at a time that suits you. *Prepare the question* If you have a meeting coming up on a new matter or topic, prepare a question that both *shows you have understood the issue* and *shows your interest in resolving it*. For example, something along the lines of: "*I see the client has this issue. Have we thought about doing \[x\] to help mitigate the risk?*" Don't wait until you get in the room; prepare this ahead of time. That way, you won't have to decide whether to speak, and what to say, in the meeting, because you'll already know. And when it comes to work allocation, raising a question can put your name in the mix as the decision is about to be made. *Acknowledge the email* When you receive an email (probably containing instructions and something to review), *acknowledge it.* This is something so simple, yet so many people miss it. And it makes supervisors nervous, and less likely to pick you again. It doesn't need to be long. It could be an email or a Teams chat, if you have it. Something along the lines of "Thanks for this, I will review and take this forward over the next couple of days". An acknowledgement tells them you're on it and when to expect it back. Silence makes them wonder if you have even read it. *Schedule a chat* Yes, I know what you're going to say. You'd rather just send an email, rather than interrupt your flow to hold an unscheduled discussion. But, if you have a query that is more useful to talk through, arrange a 15 minute chat at a time when your energy levels are higher. This can save time in waiting for responses to an email where you cannot proceed without the answer. I'm not saying spend hours on the phone. But simply use it to your advantage in times where (i) instructions may be unclear, or (ii) there are a couple of options and you are unsure which route your supervisor would prefer. *A short update goes a long way* Much like the acknowledgment, a short update to let them know how you are getting on, and the anticipated timescale for completion, while the work is ongoing helps to ease concerns about progress. It provides unprompted reassurance, and helps your supervisor manage their time too. **Creating visibility** None of these four steps will get you chosen. What they do is put you in the frame, and give the reassurance that you're a reliable pair of hands when something needs picking up quickly. And getting handed the work builds the experience. It's then the experience that builds the instinct. There is a queue, of sorts. Appraisals happen on schedule. Promotion rounds come round. Those things are real, and it's reasonable to assume the whole system works the same way. It doesn't. The work that makes you good by the time your name comes up isn't allocated on a cycle at all. It's allocated in a conversation by someone who thinks of your name when the job appears. I waited two years for a turn that was never coming. What changed it was one sentence to one person, and a phone call the next afternoon.