Are you trying to get a raise or promotion? Many employees work in the same position for years and don't understand why they're not moving up. This is often because they don't stand out from their coworkers. In order to stand out in the workplace, it's very important to raise your visibility. These five tips will help you do it.

Get Involved in Committees

Getting involved in committees is a great way to increase your visibility in the organization and make a contribution outside of your department. According to Calltocareer.com, "Many large companies have committees to review processes or improve employee retention. Joining such a committee can expose you to other people in a large organization that you might not otherwise meet and can open the door for future job opportunities."

Contribute to Projects

Another great way to stand out is to contribute to projects. Contributing to new projects shows initiative and employees with initiative are more likely to stand out and move up. According to Greatonthejob.com, "To become a leader, you’ve got to develop the initiative. Find productive projects and actively seek to get involved. Be pro-active and ask your supervisor to get assigned to high profile, important or challenging projects. Seek out projects that have attention and visibility at senior levels or ones that others have avoided or perceived as risky. Push yourself outside your comfort zone and focus on areas that boost revenue or the bottom line."

Ask for More Responsibility

If you want to raise your visibility at work, show your superiors that you are motivated. According to Howtodothings.com, you should "ask for more tasks that will showcase your abilities and talents. Show how you have more skills that are underutilized right now. Approach your manager with ideas on how you could help to improve efficiency in your workplace and give simple suggestions. The easier it is for your manager to grant you more responsibility, the more willing he will be to allow you to do so."

Attend Optional Meetings and Events

Attending extra meetings may seem like a bore, but it's a great way to show your motivation to superiors. Workitdaily.com recommends that you "Show up, listen, contribute and introduce yourself. Not only are you increasing your visibility, but you are also showing you are interested in and getting the first-hand experience of how things work outside your cube." Your managers will appreciate the fact that you're not just interested in how your job works, and this will make you stand out.

Carefully Increase your Personal Visibility

Sometimes the key to standing out in your workplace is standing out outside of the workplace. If you do increase your visibility, you want to make sure you do so quietly. Glassdoor.com blogger Vickie Elmer suggests you "join a professional association committee. Develop a strong LinkedIn profile and start using other social media sites too... but watch what you post on LinkedIn. Sometimes even asking questions about job search or possible openings in a job search group can be spotted by someone else at your company."