There are many ways you can stand out to an employer or client in your field. Good employees are fairly straightforward these days: they are responsible, respectful, and essentially get the job done in a timely and efficient manner. But shouldn’t you aspire for more? Instead of simply being a “good” employee, doing the bare minimum to collect a paycheck, it’s important for candidates to be standout. Being a standout employee will obviously get you noticed, which could lead to promotions, raises, and significant growth in your company. Here are a few ways to bring positive attention your way at your job:
Ask for work
Don’t pile on to an already full plate and overwhelm yourself, but if you notice you have an hour or two of free time each day, reach out to your supervisor and ask if there’s any other projects they could use help with. This is a great use of your time on the job and lets your employer know that you are a team player.
Be proactive
If your team is splitting up responsibilities, or if your boss is handing out assignments, make sure you are an active participant. Don’t just wait for work to be dumped on your lap; take an active interest in the things your department is doing and become more involved. The bonus here is that if you seek out the aspects of your job you enjoy doing the most, you are far more likely to get to keep doing them.
Be flexible
Rigidly sticking to arbitrary rules or restrictions isn’t always a good thing. In a fast-paced business world things can change quickly based on the day or the industry. If you show that you’re willing to roll with the punches and still turn out quality work, that is definitely major points in your favor. How do you do this? It’s partly practice, and partly time management. Learning how to properly deal with anxiety or stress in a healthy way is incredibly important too.
Educate yourself
Ask your supervisor or company if they offer any training programs or advancement courses for your role or field. If they don’t, consider asking them to fund a class or two that would increase your skills or help you learn a new technology or technique. Taking advantage of learning programs will not only help you in your overall career, it will impress your employer because they will appreciate that you are looking to expand your knowledge to increase your contributions to the company.
Consistency is key
Producing quality work every once in a while is sometimes the norm, but if you consistently produce impressive and thorough work on a steady basis, your supervisors and company will definitely take notice. It’s not enough to do one excellent project once a year. But if you constantly go above and beyond it’s almost guaranteed that you will be rewarded for your efforts.