There are a couple of common ways you can get noticed in your office. Of course, there are positive ways to elevate your profile, and not-so-positive ways to gain attention (think holiday party and a lamp shade). Below are five great ways to stand out from your co-workers.
1. Offer new ideas to your manager/ leadership
If you’ve been with your company for longer than twelve months and working with your team for most of your tenure, you can probably identify areas that your manager struggles with. Is there an area where productivity crashes because there’s a bottle neck of information? Is there room to streamline a system that is widely used to process a significant percentage of workflow? You can position yourself as an asset to your manager and not an employee that is complaining about something if you identify the problem and provide possible suggestions. Two caveats in designing your approach; make sure you are not presenting your ideas as the ONLY possible solution, and do so in a way that is non-threatening. The last thing you want is for your manager/ leader feeling like you are suggesting you can do their job better than they can.
2. Do great work
This is seemingly very basic and something that everyone strives to accomplish. If you do great work and consistently produce results that are something your manager can showcase across the company, both you and your manager look great. Your manager looks like a great leader/ mentor, and you cement the perception that you are a hard-worker capable of learning more to grow your role and career.
3. Volunteer
Is there a project that your manager or leadership has been wanting to attack for months? Is it something you can handle? Have you been hesitant because you will need a little coaching to get through it? Or, are you unsure of the specific objectives you need to meet? Instead of just letting the potential project sit there, ask the questions you need answers to, offer your help, and put in the extra time to get it done. Your manager and your team will thank you. Even if it means a little overtime for you and your department, chances are its lack of forward progression is keeping your manager up at night and reflecting poorly on your manager.
4. Help out your co-workers
Is there a particular task that you fly through each day but a co-worker struggles to finish? Offer that co-worker your support. In exchange, they will likely offer assistance with something that makes your day come to a screeching halt, or at least will be more open to helping you when you need it.
5. Mentor
Are you one of the senior members of your team? Would you be willing or able to mentor a junior member on your team or within your company? Discuss this possibility with your manager and offer your time. You will benefit from getting to know a potential “future leader” within your organization, and perhaps learn a new way to approach an old problem. In addition, your will have an opportunity to display or develop your leadership skills and reignite your passion to learn about your industry just by talking about it. Sometimes, we forget how we got started in the company we’re working in, and simply discussing our career path can remind us of our value to our team and organization.
Now, take a step back and remember you are not a bull in a china shop. We appreciate your enthusiasm, but are not suggesting that you employ all five tips at once. If you take on all five at once, you may find yourself getting noticed for all the wrong reasons. Instead, use one or two of these tips in the upcoming months. It might make the difference between getting an average raise, and receiving your maximum pay increase. – It might even trigger that promotion you thought was beyond your reach.