Tips to help you stand out at work

By : Adam Durie


I've had quite a number of jobs and I have been working since I was 16 years old. Of all of those jobs there is not one that I don't feel comfortable using as a reference... I have always made it my business to get to the top. There are many ways to achieve this, and many reasons why I choose to work in that fashion, but it all boils down to what my mother told me when I was young: "It doesn't matter what you're doing when you work, do your best and be the best; if you work in an office be the best you can be, if you're the president be the best president in history, if you're a garbage man be the best in the city." This has always stuck with me and has been my slogan for work ethic since my first day in the work force.

Now, to be sure, there's a big difference between being a good employee and standing out to your employer. The reason I get ahead is because I'm always the latter. Some of the differences of the two I'll describe now, as I see it and live it.

PUNCTUALITY:

This seems pretty standard but, to my surprise, it is actually a point by which I've seen a great many people falter. An employee who desires to under perform will show up late for work. The frequency by which this happens can mean the difference between being frowned upon or being terminated. However, all it takes is once and be sure your employer will notice and not be pleased. The average employer is a human being, unless you're working on the Enterprise, and has a life too. They understand that life happens... This is why it's important that if the eventuality of not being able to make it on time occurs, you call in and tell your work that you will be running late and you ARE trying to get there. It makes a big difference.

The good employee will not be late and will call in, as above, if that is going to happen. They will always be on time and that shows to their employer that they are dependable, reliable, and cares about their job. This employee understands team work and that someone, maybe even their boss them self, has to pick up their slack when they don't show up and makes an effort to avoid this. Co-workers and supervisors alike can appreciate a punctual worker.

The employee that wishes to stand out shows up early for work. They don't do it to impress or brown-nose, the average boss can detect that like a police dog, they do it because they usually have more on their to-do list then the average

worker. They've made extra duties for themselves and use this extra time to make sure they can knock one or two of those items off before the day has begun. You can be sure that no matter where you work, your boss is doing that very thing as well. His/her list may not be optional, but it's there nonetheless. Showing up significantly early and being busy as soon as you arrive shows that you share the same characteristics as a good employee (dependability, reliance, etc. etc.) but there's a little extra there as well: you're ambitious, driven, and perhaps a little above the average worker in terms of how much you can handle. After all, if the position you're in was satisfying, why would you be giving yourself extra work?

PERFORMANCE

Less-than-quality employees stick out like a sore thumb to co-workers and ESPECIALLY to employers. An attitude of doing as little as possible while on duty so that you can get home as soon as possible is the driving force of these workers. They're not really fooling anyone, despite what they may believe. Usually, if these workers are still employed it is only because the employer wishes to utilize his/her stronger workers in more vital areas of the company. You can usually spot a poor worker if you see someone trying to push work onto other people, avoid their own duties, or even implying that they've done something when they haven't (as with checklists or reports).

A quality/good worker will do exactly what is required of them to company standards. They are aware of what they are and are not responsible for and make an effort to ensure everything is done before they go home at the end of the day. They may even stay late if all of their work is not completed, but they will mark down the extra time worked and an explanation of why. A good worker also ensures that the quality of whatever it is they're doing is up to standard or else they will start over or alter it until it is. Often, a good worker is picking up the slack for the kind of worker described above.

A worker that stands out from the other two not only makes sure his/her work is up to company standards but thinks of ideas in which to improve upon the system that is in place. They have a constant need for more, more, more. They will ensure that all the required duties they may be responsible for are done not only on time, but as soon as possible (while maintaining quality) so that they can add some more onto their plate. They are hungry. The average employer can see that they're hungry and is usually eager to put these people somewhere that that hunger can best benefit the company. They see these kinds of workers as a rare, and valuable, asset and are trained to utilize assets at all times. In contrast to the poor employee the worker who stands out will grab any extra work from other workers like candy... and gobble it up. This is why you'll often see the two working together: the employer has done this on purpose: they have utilized a weak asset and strong asset to their fullest potential. An irony is that while the poor-quality worker thinks that they're putting one past his/her co-worker and their employer, they're actually being the one fooled.

ETHICS

All of us run off of a moral, ethical compass. We bring these ethical values into the workplace with us every morning and they ultimately determine what kind of employee we will be. If you've got strong moral values, there's a good chance you've got equally strong work ethics.

One of the most obvious weak-points to a worker is their desire to get ahead by unethical means. That is to say, they wish to do as little as possible and believe that to get ahead they must make others look weaker then they are. In the end, they are most often discovered for what they are: weasels. Weasels think that they are smart and use various kinds of weapons in their master-plan to the top. Gossip is a favored weapon by the weasel. By planting rumours that damage fellow employees, it is believed by the weasel that it will make them shine all the brighter and gain favor by the employer. Another weapon at the weasel's disposal is dishonesty. They will lie, back stab, and exaggerate their own performance if it they think it will get them ahead. Of course, the employer is usually more aware of whats going on then the weasel them self, so if this ever has an effect it's usually a negative one.

The good workers, and their moral structure, are the backbone of any company. They're like the wolves of the pack. Without them, there would be no pack.. just stray alpha dogs and a bunch of weasels. The moral compass of the wolf is such that good, hard work will get them to... wherever it is that their employer finds them deserved. With time, the wolf may find itself in minor rolls of authority but because they never challenge the pack leader, they will never be very much more. A wolf will not let you down, re-defines teamwork every time they walk through the door, and the employer can count on quality hunts from these pooches. They hate weasels.

If you want to stand out, you have to be an alpha wolf. Usually they start off as a wolf, in that they share all of the same qualities, but eventually the hunger takes over. They put themselves out there with the employer and lay it out for them that they want more. When your employer becomes blatantly aware that you are ready, and willing, to take on more responsibility they are not going to ignore that. Provided your service has proved valuable to the company, the average employer will do whatever is in his/her power to get another alpha wolf on board. This may not be right away but simply offering it as an option for the employer will make a difference.

Now keep in mind that these were just metaphores. A wolf would eat a weasel in reality. If this is taking place at your work please contact your local authorities immediately.

Job Vacancy , Indonesia Job , Job Indonesia