What can Paris Hilton and Jade Goody teach us about work!?

Would you believe that heiress Paris Hilton is launching her debut single in July? And surely you would have thought someone was joking when reality TV star Jade Goody launched her own fragrance onto the market?

But these are no jokes; no one is laughing - except perhaps Paris and Jade, all the way to the bank.

Even though you'd be hard pressed to say that they are good role models for anyone, they do at least illustrate an important point about how to achieve success at work: Being visible and having a Profile counts.

In the world of work, we all know people who are incredibly good at their jobs - but who haven't been promoted. Perhaps it's because they don't play the political game or because they would rather let their achievements speak for themselves rather than talking them up. And we all know people who aren't that good at their jobs, but they're good at talking about themselves, saying the right things, being visible - and unfortunately it seems to be this latter crowd that often gets the promotions, the sexy projects, the kudos and glory.

Arguably, you could say that Paris Hilton has no real talents other than the fact that she turns up to the opening of an envelope and is never knowingly over-dressed. And Jade Goody has no talents as a singer or dancer or actor or comic - she's known simply for being a self-publicist. But simply having a Profile has done both of these celebrities a world of good.

The same goes for the world of work too. It doesn't matter how good you are unless people know it. Being seen to be good at your job and having your contributions recognised by the right people - that's the important lesson in getting ahead. It's not fair; it's not right. But, hey, that's the way the organisational cookie crumbles.