Learn how to be the best employee ever using these two skills.
Do you think Solange is the best employee ever?
Getting the dream job is always on the back burner of the young professional’s mind. Whether you are a college senior filling out job applications in hopes that you score that “dream job” with all the cool Google-ish perks, or are a recent grad/ young professional sluggishly getting through the day at a job that is just OKAY, here a few things to remember.
The perfect job doesn’t exist.
Get it out of your head now. You probably won’t “find” the perfect job. You’ll have to create the perfect job in some way or another. Okay, okay, okay… Even if you have the perfect job, there will probably be times when you hate it. A lot. (I’m sure there are times when Beyoncé hates photoshoots, and touring and all that fabulous celeb stuff.) For any job you have (whether you like it or not) , you should (probably) be thinking:
What am I getting out of this?
What skills am I acquiring that will take me to the next step of my career?
Who’s got my back? ( That is, who is your office “ride or die” – the one that will vouch for you, motivate you, and think about you when awesome opportunities come around.)
Sometimes you can have the not-so-dream-job and actually be acquiring skills that are worthwhile and meaningful to you. When you are acquiring skills and building relationships, you are becoming a valuable asset to the organization you are working for “aka” the best employee ever. Let’s face it, work is more than just work. It’s about the people you interact with on a daily basis and the relationships you build. Did you know that people will stay at a job they hate, if they have a boss that they love? Instead of focusing on the dream job, focus on being the dream employee. Here are the two skills that will never go out of style for the young professional.
COMMUNICATION. Practice. Practice. Practice. Read. Read. Read. Write. Write. Write. I couldn’t stress the importance of being a good communicator. Learning how to orally and physically communicate is so important for us youngsters. Knowing how to put coherently put thoughts together, publically speak, and effectively translate a thought will get you a long way in the working world. You don’t know how many people out there just can’t do these things well. If you can stand out from the crowd, you will definitely rise up on the employee status. Learn how to write emails. Learn how to proofread and edit. Know how to understand people’s verbal and non-verbal markers. Read some books. Practice writing. Read some more. Think between the lines. The better you become at communicating, the better employee you will be, no matter what.
PUNCTUALITY. Be on time. Respect other’s people time. Don’t go over time. Time is precious in the world we live in. No one likes the person that is chronically late or chronically over time. It’s just plain rude to keep someone waiting on you (whether they are your subordinate or superior.) For example, I hate meetings. I think meetings can be a waste of people’s time. I’m sure a lot of other people agree with me. If you can master the art of running an effective, time-friendly meeting, I’m sure your employer will LOVE you. Your team will LOVE you. Life’s about love, isn’t it?? Being punctual also actually means you have to master other relevant job skills such as organization and problem-solving. Trust me, being organized and knowing how to think strategically and independently is always a plus.
Finally, BE NICE. Smile. Be Genuine. Ask how people are doing. Care about things that go beyond the workplace. At the end of the day, we are people and people want to feel accepted. People want to be happy. Make people feel happy. Regardless of your age, point in career, or experience… the larger point at hand is that you should always be thinking about how to improve your current self. How to be better than you were yesterday. People will take note. People will vouch for you. You’ll move on in the journey called life feeling much more valued, worthwhile, and accomplished.
What other things would you add to the list of how to be the best employee ever?
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ranacampbell
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Tags: branding, branding 101, dream job, employee, interview, job search, job skills
Great advice! I think it’s funny that you wrote about this topic because it was only a couple of months ago that I came to this conclusion. As a recent graduate, I was so sure that I was going to get my “dream job” within a couple of months. It really took a toll on me when five months went by and I found myself at desk doing medical billing. I absolutely hated that job, but the lessons I learned there will last me for a life time. That experience definitely showed me that I need tough skin to survive in any industry I want to be successful in. -Janelle
So true. Sometimes we learn the most skills in places that we might not be the happiest. Those experiences teach us alot about ourselves.
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