September 12, 2024 — Yelp x PowerToFly

We sat down (virtually!) with women from Yelp’s engineering team to explore how they’ve mastered self-promotion in the workplace. Partnering with PowerToFly, we had an engaging conversation about stepping out of your comfort zone and getting your work recognized.

The panelists shared how important it is to make your contributions visible, especially in remote environments where work can easily go unnoticed. They also dove into the balance between promoting your work and seeking feedback, offering great tips for making feedback part of your growth. Networking was another hot topic, with advice on building meaningful connections in a way that feels natural and authentic, rather than forced.

If you missed the event, no worries—you can watch the full recording to catch everything. We’ve also highlighted a few key questions from the event below to give you a quick glimpse into the insightful discussion.

What does self-promotion mean to you, and why is it important for career advancement?

Soorya: "Self-promotion essentially in a remote work environment means actively and strategically showcasing your work and achievements to ensure that they are visible to others and understood by others. Now I say actively because it's about taking ownership of your growth; it needs to be strategic because self-promotion, when not done right, can be a double-edged sword, and you don't want to go down that road. So it's best to identify your motivation for self-promotion...Remember, you are your best advocate; you know your work best, you know the value of your work best, so do not leave it to chance for others to understand."

Amy: "When I think of self-promotion, I really think about making myself visible. I work in a support role...it's paramount that I broadcast anything I release because I need to have adoption. If I don't really go out in front of people and 'toot my own horn,' it's not going to have that much adoption...Self-promotion is a great way to promote things that you're more interested in. Let's say you're in a data science position and want to go more towards engineering. Well, try and broadcast those engineering accomplishments more."

Oriana: "At the beginning of my career, I was a very shy person. I really struggled to speak up and put myself out there...But only like three people would see [my work] unless I actually put myself out there. So what I want to highlight is that even if you're shy or if you think the way I was thinking before, you can change that. You can be authentic by self-promoting yourself, and it is important to understand that this is the way to advance your career, and no one else will do it for you."

How can you balance self-promotion and seeking feedback for improvement? If you want to receive more constructive feedback rather than just reassuring comments, how should you structure your request?

Soorya: "Self-promotion should not be a one-way communication channel. It should be a cyclic process where you showcase your work, receive feedback, and use that feedback for continuous improvement. You present that you took feedback and turned it into concrete work."... "I find that using a structure like 'start, stop, continue' is very helpful. You can ask people to tell you what you should start doing, stop doing, and continue doing. This structure forces them to think critically about your work and provide constructive feedback."

Amy: "Personally, I’m a very self-critical person, so let’s say I release some tooling that I think would be helpful to my stakeholders. I try to poke holes in it and invite feedback to confirm if those issues do occur or not. This way, I’m promoting my work but also seeking feedback to improve."...""I do a self-evaluation and present it to my manager, stating where I think I’m strong and where I need to improve. This invites more specific and constructive feedback, rather than just praise."

What advice would you give to someone who absolutely hates networking because they feel it’s a waste of time?

Amy: "Make it an outing. Go for an hour or two, and you don’t have to spend all day at a conference. Use the buddy system—bring a friend. You can make it fun by turning it into a social activity rather than something transactional.

Soorya: "Start small. You don’t have to go to the biggest conference. Try a local meetup or a group hangout at your company. Once you start networking, you’ll see the value in it because you gain insight into what other people are doing, which can help you in your own work.”

How do you build and maintain your professional network? Also, how do you leverage networking and mentorship to advance your career?

Soorya: "It depends on the relationship. If it’s a boundary team or a sister team, I’ll set up recurring meetings to keep in touch. For external networks, LinkedIn is a great tool. You can passively stay connected with people by following their posts and engaging when relevant."... "Growing up, I always heard that knowledge is power, and it’s true. Networking and mentorship help you gain both implicit and explicit knowledge, which is crucial for career growth. I’ve learned a lot by talking to mentors who have experience in areas I want to grow in and by engaging with others at conferences or meetups.”

Amy: "For me, maintaining a network involves being a pleasant person to work with and carrying those relationships forward. I set up recurring meetings with people, even if it’s only once a year, just to keep in touch and continue the relationship."... "Internal networking is important. At Yelp, we have office hours, which are a great opportunity to meet new people, learn from them, and motivate your work. External networking is also crucial. I maintain relationships with former coworkers who have left the company, and those connections have helped me in my career."

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