You may be the hardest worker in your office; always on time and the last to leave, but in today’s competitive workplace, being good at your job may not be enough to get the recognition and promotion you deserve. Work success is often a reflection of your character traits. Your long-term career success depends on winning the attention of others (for the right reasons), showing initiative and demonstrating that you can offer great things for the company. Follow these tips to help you get noticed at work:

Develop specialist skills

Think strategically about what skills your organisation may need. Identify the areas with your manager and ask for training to become a specialist in that field. The more knowledgeable and skillful you become, the more valuable you will be as an employee. Showing initiative and compassion for the company is also a sure way to get you noticed. Keep up to date with the trends and technologies relevant to your industry to give conversations and show yourself as an industry thought leader.

Take credit

How many times have you been in a meeting and stayed silent out of fear of saying something silly or because you did not think your opinion was worthy? If you have a great idea or think you could improve on a process, do not be afraid to speak up. If your great idea has been presented as your colleagues or managers, do not be afraid to take the credit and correct the misstatement – avoid doing this in a public meeting. It may be intimating sharing an idea for the first time to a group of peers and managers, but announcing your plans to a wider audience prevents others ‘borrowing’ them. Staying in the shadows will not get you the recognition you deserve.

Go beyond your job description

Do not see your job description as a limit to your role. Always look for new opportunities to implement positive change and develop your skillset. The more willingness you express to pick up new skills, the more training you will receive, which will pay dividends to your career progression. Step up to challenges as they arise and take on more responsibilities whenever possible. If you show yourself as capable and willing, you will be a more valuable employee.

Be likeable

A big factor to a person’s success is their likeability and ability to build relationships. Build a positive relationship with everyone in the workplace. From the highest manager to the delivery man, ask how their day is going and find common interests to talk about. Make yourself visible.  Do not resort to gossip as a way to gain popularity in the office. It is extremely unprofessional and will get you noticed for the wrong reasons.

Demonstrate Initiative

If you have finished your task in half the scheduled time, start on a new project. If the company is using a dated organisational system, implement a new one. Do not wait to be told what to do, show that you can think on your feet and go beyond expectations.

Network

Networking is invaluable for both your personal and career progression. When you take the time to build relationships around you, you are essentially building a network of allies. Build a network of allies within and across departments to open yourself up to a variety of people and opportunities. Attend networking events in your field of work and include yourself in all of your works social activities. If your workplace does not have any, suggest some. Speak to your manager about introducing a monthly lunch, after work drinks or volunteering event. Explain to your manager that these events are great for team building and that you feel the company will benefit.

Own up to your mistakes

People make mistakes and that’s ok. If you do make a mistake, own up to it and do what you can to rectify the situation. Do not blame others or hide it and hope it will go unnoticed. A mistake, no matter how big, will be much easier to fix at the time and your integrity will be commended.