Good morning and Happy Monday. I hope that the start of a new week finds you all well.
Today I want to share a post about being the best YOU that you can be. Being the best employee for your employer. And being the best at what you do. It's easy to say, do better...be better...work harder...but HOW do we do that? How do we really make ourselves better employees and how do we make sure that the good shines through the crowd?
First, BE RESPECTFUL. This is something that should be obvious but is so often overlooked. Be RESPECTFUL. To everyone. Be respectful to your boss, greet them with a smile and a "good morning" when you see them. Offer to help with things that aren't already on your plate to help with. Be respectful to your co-workers. Whether they are higher or lower ranking....be kind to them. There is no room for attitude in the office. Be respectful to customers/clients. The customer is always right, correct? If you are following this rule, then even when a customer or client has a complaint or may be having a bad day themselves, you should still be respectful. Your smile and kind tone can go a long way. And even if someone doesn't show it right away, it will stick with them that when they were less than friendly, you were still showing them respect. Along those same lines, you should always be professional at all times. If you are not being professional, you are not being respectful. Employers, co-workers, customers or clients, they all want to know that they can count on you to be courteous and professional. Be that person and be the best at it.
TAKE YOUR JOB SERIOUSLY. It's OK to have a sense of humor, don't get me wrong, it's nice to laugh in the office. But if you are goofing off too much, or spending a little too much time chattering away and laughing all day, your boss will not think that you take your responsibilities seriously. And if you aren't taking your job seriously, the boss might start looking to someone else who will. No matter how good you are at your job, no matter how much you get done or how productive your day might be, if you can not take your job seriously, your boss won't take your work seriously.
BE ORGANIZED. Organizing your tasks will yield better results. An unorganized employee is someone that the superiors are less likely to come to for additional needs. If you are scattered and have trouble keeping your tasks in order, it will show in your performance. You want to be the employee that your manager and co-workers can come to when they need extra help, you want to stand out in the crowd for being someone that is able to take on extra tasks, not someone who can't even keep their own things in order.
And lastly, BE RELIABLE. Bosses want to know that they can count on you to be there. Don't show up on time, show up early. Don't leave right at your scheduled time. Staying even 10 - 15 minutes late to work on something will be noticed. Just like your tardiness and absences will be taken note of, so will the extra effort you put forth to be there early and stay late. Now, it should be noted that if you are staying late every day to get your work done, your time management skills will probably come into question. However, volunteering to stay late to help out a co-worker or boss is something that should be done regularly.
Hopefully these tips help you be the very best employee that you can be.
Please leave any questions, comments or concerns in the comment section below. We love hearing from you!!
No go out and make this week great!!
Casey
Monday, July 9, 2012
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Being the Dream Employee
Good morning and Happy Thursday blog-land. I hope that this day, July 5th, finds you well, and I hope that you all had a safe and exciting Independence Day yesterday.
Today I wanted to blog about being the dream employee for your next (or current) manager. We all know that hard work and dedication goes a long way in the workplace. But what skills can you really develop and master in order to become that employee that stands out? I read a very good article the other day that highlighted several things that hiring managers are looking for. I want to just touch on a few here, but you can find the whole article at http://blog.emurse.com/2010/03/04/hiring-manager-dream-employee-part-1/
One of the most important things for me is Attitude. A lot of managers and supervisors pay close attention to an employees attitude. Zig Ziglar's famous quote, "Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude." is something that still rings true. You may not be the best at your job, but if you have a good attitude and strong work ethic, your superiors will take notice and want to help you along, rather than replace you for someone with possibly more experience in that position. Most bosses prefer to hire someone who loves what they do, rather than someone who just tolerates the job. And trust me, most bosses can tell if you love what you do, or if you are just in it for the paycheck and are "checked out" most of the time.
Another thing bosses take notice of is your ability to Communicate. Communication is more than just being able to speak well. Of course, it is important to articulate and be clear in your communication. But more than that, it is important to show that you are a good listener and communicate back to people what they are telling you. Pay attention when someone asks you a question. If you do not answer the question that is being asked to you, your interviewer might think that you will not be able to take direction. Stop thinking about what you will say next and start paying attention to what is being said to you. Make eye contact, have good posture, focus on what someone is telling you and pay attention. When you are interviewing for a job, be sure not to spend the whole interview looking down at your notepad. And avoid yes/no answers, if you hold back too much it makes you seem like you are hiding something. Be honest and open. A strong business vocabulary is also important but avoid using too many buzzwords.
Intelligence is also an important factor in being hired or promoted. Are you a creative thinker, active problem solver, and do you have unique perspectives in challenging situations? It is not how "smart" you are but how well you use your mind that will set you apart from the rest. What kind of questions are you asking during an interview? You ARE asking questions right? Interviewers will not only look at how you answer the questions that they ask, but what kinds of questions you are asking yourself. Ask about the kind of technology the company uses and highlight your knowledge of technology that might be helpful to the company. Speak with examples. Just saying you have qualifications is not enough, you must provide concrete examples and how you were able to positively impact the company in that situation.
And lastly, are you the real deal? Managers are looking for honesty. Someone that is genuine and trustworthy. What they are not looking for is someone that is rehearsed. What they do not want is someone who will come in and tell them exactly what they want to hear, most of the time. Research the company that you are applying for, and do NOT ask what they "do" when interviewing. You should be prepared to ask and answer questions when you go in for your interview but you should have already done your homework and have questions ready.
The article that I pulled a lot of this from is 4 parts. It is very informative and Jeff Lipschultz makes a lot of good points. Be sure to stop over and check it out.
Once again if you have any comments or questions, add ons or concerns, please leave those in the comment section of the blog. Or you can email me at casey@totalresourcestaffing.com
I hope you all have a great and productive day. It's almost the week, make the rest of the week count!!
Casey
Today I wanted to blog about being the dream employee for your next (or current) manager. We all know that hard work and dedication goes a long way in the workplace. But what skills can you really develop and master in order to become that employee that stands out? I read a very good article the other day that highlighted several things that hiring managers are looking for. I want to just touch on a few here, but you can find the whole article at http://blog.emurse.com/2010/03/04/hiring-manager-dream-employee-part-1/
One of the most important things for me is Attitude. A lot of managers and supervisors pay close attention to an employees attitude. Zig Ziglar's famous quote, "Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude." is something that still rings true. You may not be the best at your job, but if you have a good attitude and strong work ethic, your superiors will take notice and want to help you along, rather than replace you for someone with possibly more experience in that position. Most bosses prefer to hire someone who loves what they do, rather than someone who just tolerates the job. And trust me, most bosses can tell if you love what you do, or if you are just in it for the paycheck and are "checked out" most of the time.
Another thing bosses take notice of is your ability to Communicate. Communication is more than just being able to speak well. Of course, it is important to articulate and be clear in your communication. But more than that, it is important to show that you are a good listener and communicate back to people what they are telling you. Pay attention when someone asks you a question. If you do not answer the question that is being asked to you, your interviewer might think that you will not be able to take direction. Stop thinking about what you will say next and start paying attention to what is being said to you. Make eye contact, have good posture, focus on what someone is telling you and pay attention. When you are interviewing for a job, be sure not to spend the whole interview looking down at your notepad. And avoid yes/no answers, if you hold back too much it makes you seem like you are hiding something. Be honest and open. A strong business vocabulary is also important but avoid using too many buzzwords.
Intelligence is also an important factor in being hired or promoted. Are you a creative thinker, active problem solver, and do you have unique perspectives in challenging situations? It is not how "smart" you are but how well you use your mind that will set you apart from the rest. What kind of questions are you asking during an interview? You ARE asking questions right? Interviewers will not only look at how you answer the questions that they ask, but what kinds of questions you are asking yourself. Ask about the kind of technology the company uses and highlight your knowledge of technology that might be helpful to the company. Speak with examples. Just saying you have qualifications is not enough, you must provide concrete examples and how you were able to positively impact the company in that situation.
And lastly, are you the real deal? Managers are looking for honesty. Someone that is genuine and trustworthy. What they are not looking for is someone that is rehearsed. What they do not want is someone who will come in and tell them exactly what they want to hear, most of the time. Research the company that you are applying for, and do NOT ask what they "do" when interviewing. You should be prepared to ask and answer questions when you go in for your interview but you should have already done your homework and have questions ready.
The article that I pulled a lot of this from is 4 parts. It is very informative and Jeff Lipschultz makes a lot of good points. Be sure to stop over and check it out.
Once again if you have any comments or questions, add ons or concerns, please leave those in the comment section of the blog. Or you can email me at casey@totalresourcestaffing.com
I hope you all have a great and productive day. It's almost the week, make the rest of the week count!!
Casey
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)