Your peers are not as far ahead as their LinkedIn suggests
- June 16, 2026
- Career Guide
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Tyson Jay’s Principal Coach, Connie Low, was featured on CNA Today to share her expert perspective on one of the most common pressures facing professionals in Singapore today: career comparison. Drawing on years of experience in human resources and career coaching, she contributed her insights to CNA Today’s Adulting series, published 23 May 2026.
Online titles and achievements are not always what they seem
Career comparison has become increasingly difficult to escape in Singapore, where professional milestones such as promotions, new roles, property purchases are often shared in real-time on platforms like LinkedIn. However, Connie cautions professionals against taking these updates at face value.
LinkedIn announcements, much like other forms of social media, are curated to reflect how individuals want to be perceived. Job titles can also vary widely across companies and industries, making direct comparisons unreliable.
“Micro-promotions” and intermediate titles introduced by some companies may also make career progression online appear faster or more significant than it actually is.”
— Connie Low, Principal Coach, Tyson Jay, as quoted in CNA Today
Drawing on her experience in human resources and career coaching, Connie estimates that only around 10% of employees across industries are promoted in any given year. Most professionals are not progressing at the pace they assume.
Career progression today is shaped by more than performance
Promotion timelines are far less predictable than many professionals assume, Connie shared with CNA Today. While career advancement was once more closely tied to tenure, today’s workplaces are shaped by changing business needs and flatter organisational structures.
How to get an honest read on where you stand
Rather than measuring progress against peers’ LinkedIn feeds, Connie recommends two grounding practices for professionals in Singapore.
First, speak to recruiters or HR professionals to understand what roles, seniority levels, and compensation ranges the market would realistically place someone with your skills and experience. This gives you an objective external benchmark that peer comparison simply cannot.
Second, and a habit Connie believes every professional should build, maintain a personal record of your own achievements, not just for visibility at work, but to track your own growth over time.
“Keeping a record of your own achievements shifts the focus from what others have that you don’t, to how far you yourself have come.”
— Connie Low, Principal Coach, Tyson Jay, as quoted in CNA Today
This article features insights by Connie Low, Principal Coach at Tyson Jay, in a CNA Today article published on 23 May 2026, “Why your friends are not as far ahead in their careers as their LinkedIn updates suggest”, written by Tang Jia Wen.