Some executives assume that just doing their jobs well is enough to raise their professional stars. Except for attending the occasional lunch or business meeting, they scoff at taking steps to boost their personal public relations.

This view may be short-sighted. You want to be on the radar screen when the right opportunity for your experience and abilities becomes available. "You need to be able to convert yourself into someone who not just does the job, but gets the appropriate amount of attention for that job," says California recruiter Mark Lonergan.

Senior executives who market themselves well and have a track record of accomplishments typically get more calls from Mr. Lonergan's search firm, Lonergan Richards in Redwood City. Qualified candidates with low visibility sometimes are rejected because boards of directors "may not believe they carry enough cachet in the market," says Mr. Lonergan.

Executive visibility doesn't receive much attention these days. Most of us are more concerned about doing our jobs well than tooting our horns. Yet one activity doesn't need to preclude the other. Just being someone who can be counted on to excel when needed -- either individually or as part of a team -- will get you noticed, says Regina Egea, a vice president at AT&T in Bedminster, N.J. "There's a difference in my mind between seeking the limelight and their work shining through when you need certain contributions," she says.

You should never be perceived as doing something specifically to gain exposure. "There's truth to the saying, 'out of sight, out of mind,' but you don't want to be in sight for the wrong reasons," says Craig Schneier, executive vice president, human resources, for Biogen Idec Inc., a biotechnology company based in Cambridge, Mass.

Here are some ways to raise your professional profile without branding yourself as an opportunist:

The first thing is to excel in your job, says Mr. Lonergan. "Take whatever is in front of you and do it really well. There are many people who do terrible work and try to market themselves aggressively. Those people have very short careers," he says.

Everyone pays attention to good performance and results, says Dr. Schneier. "They speak for themselves," he says. "The person doesn't have to do the selling."

Even more effective, perhaps, is volunteering to take on an unpopular, high-risk assignment -- and succeeding at it. Completing these tasks gives you battle scars that can mark you for bigger and better things. In many cases, the payoff is evident only after the job's finished.

Ms. Egea's track record at AT&T has been one tough assignment after another. As a national account manager, she volunteered to take on an account that ranked next to last in sales in the Western region. In two years, it had jumped to the third-highest performing account. "We took a dog and turned it into what we thought it could be," says Ms. Egea, now vice president of local service and access management.

Later, Ms. Egea helped re-engineer a part of the company's network operations, which required culling 32% of its employees while maintaining customer satisfaction. After 18 months, the conversion was judged a success in terms of customer relations and employee morale. "Looking back on it, it was a remarkable transition for everyone," says Ms. Egea, but at the outset, "it wasn't a role that people jumped at."

About a year ago, Ms. Egea volunteered to take on management of local and access service costs, the largest expense category in the company's income statement. She had been in a strategy and business-development role but wanted to return to line operations. This position was open and she jumped at it. "With it comes a lot of pressure and high expectations, but the upside is that it's a great opportunity to improve our financial performance," she says.

Taking the initiative to do something the organization values without receiving direct gain also impresses higher-ups. For one thing, it shows that you understand the company's goals. At Biogen Idec, for instance, an employee recently volunteered to be a mentor to students in a local organization the company uses to develop job candidates. "Not everyone is willing to channel their ambition into activities that benefit the organization," Dr. Schneier says. "When I heard that about this, I said that I wanted to know more about that individual."

Another good, though often overlooked, option: volunteering to be a trainer for internal courses or recruitment sessions. Doing so can help build your presentation skills. "It's amazing how many people shy away from those things," says Dr. Schneier. As an HR consultant, he once worked with a bank that couldn't interest any professionals in discussing capital markets with employees who weren't in that area. "This was a huge missed opportunity, says Dr. Schneier, since "the CEO was going to be involved."

Self-marketing requires a three-pronged strategy, says Mr. Lonergan. "I tell executives, the secret is to speak, write and network." These activities help you become known on the outside. In some professions, such as in scientific fields, external recognition is more important than internal acclaim, and joining professional groups is essential to your career.

Most professions have one or more established associations that you can investigate. Don't just send in your dues and read the newsletter, though. You'll gain the greatest benefit by becoming an active participant and serving on boards, councils or standards committees. "This often is a signature that the person is held in high esteem in their industry," says Mr. Lonergan.

JoAnn Heffernan Heisen, vice president, chief information officer and a member of the executive committee at Johnson & Johnson in New Brunswick, N.J., has made involvement in professional groups a priority during her career. She started out in banking in New York and soon joined the Financial Women's Association of New York, eventually becoming its president.

"Join professional organizations whose work is valued by your employer, then strive to take a leadership role that will reflect positively on your employer," she says.

Taking part in a professional group provides many benefits, from staying abreast of developments in your industry to being noticed by recruiters, who often join as associate members and attend functions to meet prospective candidates.

Taking on new functional roles broadens your exposure and others' exposure to you. Ms. Heisen held jobs in investor relations and corporate affairs before moving to J&J as assistant treasurer-investor relations. Taking the chief information officer role led to her appointment as the first woman on J&J's executive committee.

You can't do everything. Neither should you try. Participate in an activity because you find it personally or professionally stimulating. This way, your natural enthusiasm for your work will impress others.

By taking on too much, "you can very easily be perceived as ambitious and not substantive," says Dr. Schneier. "You want to focus on really bringing something to an activity or project. Spreading yourself too thin isn't effective because you don't need one more project you can't finish."