1. Stay current with the happenings in your industry:
Keeping informed of your industry standards and practices should be commonplace but not everyone does. Give yourself a leg-up by knowing what the current and upcoming industry trends are. Stay up to date with certifications and licensures too.
2. Remain discreet with company information:
If you wish to be viewed as trustworthy then be trustworthy. Client lists, meetings, salaries, and the like are not common knowledge within most organizations. If you are privy to this level of information, keep it to yourself.
3. Know where to draw the “social” line:
It’s a fact that we spend the majority of our waking hours with our coworkers, naturally when spending an enormous amount of time with the same people on a daily basis you’re going to form some level of a personal relationship. Although it’s important not to alienate those you work with, it is just as important to realize that you were hired to do a job and that needs to come first.
4. Don’t make things personal:
If your boss or a coworker is having a bad day, or you have a gossipy coworker, do not make these situations personal. Again, you were hired to do a job and doing your job in the most professional manner possible will reflect favorably upon you.
5. Understand criticism:
There will inevitably be times when you encounter coworkers or bosses that are critical for the sake of being critical. But more often than not you will receive critique. Understanding the differences between criticism and critique will only benefit you.
6. Be competent:
Competence is not only the ability to complete tasks and assignments it is also the ability to speak up when you do not understand a given task. A truly competent employee is one that completes assignments correctly; so do not be afraid to ask questions.
7. Be accountable:
If you were given a responsibility and failed to follow through, be accountable for it. You will find that your boss is going to appreciate honesty far more then a random excuse.
8. Be willing to bend and “pitch-in.”:
If a contract or project requires some overtime and possibly taking on tasks that are not a normal part of your job, rest assured you will not make any points by sitting back. Pitching in during a deadline or on a project will be remembered.
9. Cross-train:
It has become standard practice to cross-train employees but not every company does this with every employee. Do not be afraid to learn someone else’s responsibilities. That is not to say that you should attempt to “steal” a coworker’s job, it is more about learning the various responsibilities of your coworkers to become a well-rounded employee.
10. Drop the attitude:
You are the employee, hired by an employer. No matter how well you do your job, the length of time that you have been at a company, or how loyal you are, you are in fact replaceable.
©2010 Cultivating Careers
