Latest / The Promotion Memo with Fexingo: Getting Visibility, Sponsors, and Executive Presence / How an Employee Got Promoted by Creating a Career Video
Transcript
- Lucas: So let me tell you about a marketing manager I'll call Jen — she worked at a mid-sized B2B SaaS company, roughly eight hundred employees, and she'd been there about three years. She was doing good work, hitting her targets, but every annual review cycle she got the same feedback: 'We know you're solid, but we need to see more strategic impact.' Luna: That vague feedback is so common. 'Strategic impact' — what does that even mean in practice? Lucas: Exactly. And Jen was frustrated because she had actually driven a pretty significant revenue initiative — she'd redesigned the lead scoring model for the email nurture sequence and it boosted conversion by 18 percent over six months. But in her written self-assessment, it read like a bullet point. Her VP skimmed it. So she tried something different. Luna: What did she do? Lucas: She recorded a five-minute video. Not a slick production — just her webcam, a screen share of the dashboard, and a clear structure. She opened with the business problem, walked through the data, showed the before and after numbers, and closed with what she wanted to do next. She hosted it on a private Vimeo link and included the link in her self-evaluation document. Luna: And her VP actually watched it? Lucas: That's the thing — her VP later told her the video was the reason she got the promotion. He said he could see her thinking, her confidence, her grasp of the numbers. The written doc was fine, but the video made it real. And there's actually data behind this. Luna: I've seen some research on this. One study from a talent analytics firm found that hiring managers spend roughly two point seven times more time watching a video self-assessment than reading a written one. Something about the combination of voice, face, and data makes it stick. Lucas: That's exactly what I'm talking about. And think about the typical annual review — your manager might have thirty, forty of these to read. They're all text. A video breaks the pattern. It signals that you care enough to prepare something different. It also lets you control the narrative in a way writing doesn't. Luna: But I imagine there's a risk of it feeling awkward or forced. How do you avoid that? Lucas: Structure is everything. Jen used a simple three-act format. Act one: 'Here was the problem we were facing.' Act two: 'Here's what I did and the data that proves it worked.' Act three: 'Here's what I want to take on next.' She kept it under five minutes. She didn't read from a script — she used bullet points on a notepad off-camera. It felt natural. Luna: So it's not about production value. It's about clarity and brevity. Lucas: Right. And this is something I think a lot of people overlook — the medium itself communicates something. If you take the time to record a thoughtful video, you're also demonstrating executive presence. You're showing that you can distil complex work into a concise, persuasive narrative. That's a leadership skill. Luna: Let me play devil's advocate for a second. Some managers might see a video as presumptuous — like, 'Who does this person think they are, sending me a video?' How do you navigate that? Lucas: Fair point. Jen actually tested it with a trusted mentor first — a director in another department. She asked, 'If I sent this to my VP, would it land well or would it be weird?' The mentor said it would land well. So that's step one: get a second opinion. Also, she framed it in her document as 'I've also included a brief video walkthrough of the project for more context.' That's humble, not pushy. Luna: And if you're in a company culture where video is already common — like internal town halls, team updates — then it's an even easier fit. Lucas: Exactly. But I'd argue it can work even in more traditional environments because it's so rare. The novelty itself gives you an edge. You just have to execute it well. Luna: Speaking of execution — if someone wants to try this, what's the minimum viable setup? Do you need a fancy microphone, or is a laptop webcam enough? Lucas: Laptop webcam is fine. Jen used her built-in MacBook camera. The key is good lighting — face the window, not the wall. And record in a quiet room. She did it at her dining table after work. No one expects a studio. And if you mess up a line, just pause, restart the sentence, and edit it out. Most free tools like iMovie or even the built-in Windows video editor can trim clips. Luna: And what about the screen share? I think that's a powerful part of the format — showing the actual dashboard or the report. Lucas: Absolutely. Jen shared a live dashboard from their CRM showing the conversion lift. That visual is more convincing than any number you could write. And she made sure to blur out any sensitive customer data. You can do that in QuickTime Player or Zoom's recording feature. Luna: It's interesting — this is really a form of self-advocacy that meets executives where they are. They're busy, they're visual, they're used to seeing presentations. A video self-assessment is basically a mini presentation. Lucas: That's exactly how to think about it. And look, a lot of people in corporate jobs feel like their work is invisible. They show up, do the project, move on to the next thing. The annual review is the one moment you have to make your case. Why not make it memorable? Luna: On that note — and this ties directly to what we're talking about — if we've helped you think through a strategy like this, or even just given you one new idea to try, it really does make a difference when listeners chip in a couple of dollars. A few dollars a month is what keeps these episodes ad-free and focused on practical stuff like this. You can find us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It genuinely helps. Lucas: Yeah, it's a small thing that adds up. And we appreciate everyone who's already supported the show. Okay — back to the video strategy. One thing I want to emphasise is the follow-up. Luna: What do you mean? Lucas: Jen didn't just send the video and wait. A week after submitting her self-evaluation, she sent a brief note to her VP: 'I wanted to check if you had any questions about the video I included. Happy to go deeper on any part of it.' That opened a conversation. The VP ended up asking her to present the lead scoring model to the broader marketing team, which gave her even more visibility. Luna: So the video became a catalyst for more exposure — not just for the review. Lucas: Right. And that's really the goal. The promotion isn't just about one document or one video. It's about building a reputation. The video is a tool to accelerate that. Luna: I want to ask about length. You said five minutes — but what if your project is more complex? Could you go longer? Lucas: I'd cap it at seven minutes, max. If you need more time, that might mean you haven't narrowed your story enough. Remember, your manager will appreciate you being concise. Jen's VP told her the five-minute length was perfect — long enough to be substantive, short enough to watch during a coffee break. Luna: And what about hosting? You mentioned Vimeo — but could you use something like Google Drive or Dropbox? Lucas: Yes, but make sure the link doesn't require a login to view. Some corporate IT systems block external file shares. A private YouTube link or Vimeo link tends to work. Test it on your phone first. You don't want your VP clicking a link and getting a permission error. Luna: Practical tip — test the link. I love that. Lucas: One more thing: the video should complement the written document, not replace it. The written self-evaluation is still the formal record for HR. The video is the persuasive layer. Jen submitted both. In her written doc, she referenced the video as 'a more detailed walkthrough' so it felt like a value-add, not a substitute. Luna: That's smart framing. It signals that you've gone the extra mile without implying the written form is insufficient. Lucas: Exactly. And if you're worried about how this will be perceived — especially if you're early in your career — I'd say start small. Maybe record a two-minute video for your skip-level manager or a mentor. See how it lands. Once you get positive feedback, you'll feel more confident using it for a formal review. Luna: I think the biggest takeaway from Jen's story is that she took ownership of the narrative. Instead of hoping her work would speak for itself, she made sure it did — in a format that was hard to ignore. Lucas: That's the core of it. In a lot of companies, promotions go to people who are visible, not just people who do good work. A career video is a concrete, repeatable way to make your work visible — and to do it in your own voice. Luna: And if you try it, let us know how it goes. We'd love to hear if this approach works for you. Lucas: Absolutely. That's all for this episode of The Promotion Memo. We'll be back with another strategy next time.