Become The Office Favorite At Your New Job

Contributed by Lindsey Michael Miller

Many people think that once they’ve gotten the job all the hard work is over, and they can sit back, relax, and put themselves on cruise control for a while. Unless your boss isn’t really paying attention or really doesn’t care, coasting along would be a terrible mistake to make.

I’m sure that you worked incredibly hard to get that job in the first place. Perhaps you invested time and money in creating a resume that would catch the eye of potential employers searching for “the best of the best.” You probably bought a new suit, had your hair professionally cut, and read through all the interviewing tips that you could find. Now that you’re here this should be easy street, right? Wrong!

Certainly getting here shows that you have a great amount of rigor and determination, that you’re serious about this job, and that you have the skills necessary to perform. Unfortunately, though, your employer probably doesn’t know that yet, so read below to find some great tips and tricks to keep your reputation high and your boss impressed.

12 Tips for Creating a Winning Impression:

1. Demonstrate. Show that you are very motivated and ready to get started. This will give your employer the green light to start trusting you with small but necessary projects, eventually moving you up to larger ones as you prove your success.
2. Communicate. Thrash out your responsibilities and tasks and set some priorities. Once you’ve been able to determine what you’re doing there, start to make realistic short-and long-term goals. As you continue to achieve those goals throughout your career, you’ll be able to firmly establish yourself as responsible and trustworthy.
3. Research. To give yourself an inside edge, discover as much about your company as you possibly can, as well as their organizational structure. Who are the big clients? Who may they merge with? How do they categorize tiers of employees?
4. Identify. Recognize the most productive and highly respected people in your firm and evaluate what has made them successful. Utilize them as people you can model yourself after. Connect with associates who are seen as ideal workers.
5. Prepare. Carefully organize for meetings with your boss. If you can walk into his or her office with an idea of what questions will be asked and how to respond to them in a positive and well-informed way, you’ll be able to win his or her confidence a lot better than you would “answering on the fly.” Make sure to stay current with issues throughout the company and be well informed in the workplace.
6. Learn. Study up as much as you can on all problem solving systems. This will prepare you to tackle those issues confidently as well as methodically.
7. Establish. Build a reputation for being a good team player by creating unity in your work relationship. It’s important to cultivate positive relationships with as many different people throughout the company.
8. Participate. Your company will have training programs from time to time. Approach all these with a positive and enthusiastic attitude, understanding that these will most likely give you the best resources to thrive and grow in your work environment.
9. Glean. You will make mistakes, as everyone does in the workplace, but what will set you apart is adapting from these mistakes, and learning from the mistakes that your colleagues are making.
10. Exceed. What may be one of the most important on this list is excelling past what you’re required to do. Even after you’ve developed goals and met with your boss to discuss your requirements, volunteer for other jobs. This will show that you have the company’s best interest in mind and that you’re willing to go the extra mile.
11. Punctuality. Fewer things will get you fired sooner than not completing your work on time. Utilize your time wisely, and quote how quickly you can get an assignment done in a realistic way.
12. Review. As part of your list of goals, it’s good to give yourself monthly or quarterly assessments of your performance. It will allow you the room to reassess your goals if you need to.

Even if you’re not starting a new job, you can always apply these principles to help you in a workplace that you’ve already been in for a while. It couldn’t hurt to get help by doing some Internet research or even meeting with your boss to see how you could work better and more efficiently. Start utilizing some of these tips and you’ll see a good increase in both your productivity and your reputation.

About the Author:
Lindsey Michael Miller is a writer and freelance journalist living in Brooklyn, New York and writes articles for newspapers and magazines around the country. He’s currently working on a MFA in creative writing at Long Island University and recently published his first book entitled The Circus.

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