Succeeding on the Job Discover who you are, what your skills and abilities are, and then find a career that fits you

 

  

Manage Your Career

Manage your career by doing the following: 

  • Establish positive work relationships with co-workers. A positive attitude is contagious. Find positive people to associate with.

  • Know your organization’s goals and purposes so you can help to achieve them.

  • Build a relationship with your supervisor that is genuine and based on mutual interests, abilities, and goals.

  • Establish a reputation for being reliable by completing work and assignments on time.

  • Work honestly. An employee that can be trusted and makes decisions based on strong personal values is an asset to an organization.

  • Turn problems into solutions. Be a problem solver.

  • Learn new skills each year. It will be to your personal and professional advantage. Keep up with the new technology in your field.

  • Work collaboratively on a team. Recognize the contributions of all team members.

  • Continue to build and maintain your career network.

  • Grow by setting measurable and attainable goals.
     

Know What Employers Want

To remain successfully employed, understand what employers want from their employees.

  1. Commitment to Life-Long Learning

     Realizing its importance

     Taking advantage of on-the-job training

     Seeking additional education or training off the job
     

  2. Reading, Writing and Computational Skills

     Critical to the ability to learn
     

  3. Listening & Communication Skills

     Ability to understand instructions

     Ability to communicate with co-workers, supervisors and customers
     

  4. Adaptability

     Ability to adapt to changes in technology, the marketplace and the job

     Being a creative problem solver (using critical thinking skills)
     

  5. Personal Management Skills

     Ability to set goals and motivate yourself

     Taking charge of your own personal and career management

     Building self-esteem
     

  6. Group Effectiveness

     Demonstrate effective teamwork skills

     Working and negotiating with others
     

  7. Influence

     Understanding the organizational structure and informal networks (politics)

     Discover where you will be heard and have the most influence

 

Basic Elements of Job Success

The next step in keeping a job is to build a positive reputation. Below are the basics for success in the workplace.

  • Dependability and Reliability — Frequent absences create problems for employers and co-workers and are a cause for dismissal. Reliability means following through on tasks without constant supervision.

  • Punctuality — Being consistently late causes problems by delaying the work of others. Employers depend on employees to be on time to work, to meetings, and when returning to work after breaks and lunch.

  • Quality of Work — Producing quality work is critical to business survival. Employees must take care to produce the highest quality products and services possible.

  • Quantity of Work — Productivity is essential to success on the job. Effective employees produce enough work to justify the wages they earn.

  • Being a Valued Team Member — Today's workplace values teamwork. Being a successful team member includes:

  • Taking an interest in people personally and in the job they do.

  • Appreciating others' contributions by saying thank you and sharing credit.

  • Dealing with conflict directly, without complaining to others, and staying out of others' battles.

  • Appreciating the different values and skills that others bring to the workplace.

  • Developing tolerance for diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds as well as ages and gender.
  • Creating and Maintaining a Positive Relationship with Supervisors and Managers —  Supervisors and managers are allies and mentors, not the enemy. They expect honesty, flexibility, and initiative. Reporting on work results will help supervisors stay informed of performance and assist them at appraisal time. Knowing when to ask for help with problems and when problems can be solved alone is key to a successful employee/supervisor relationship.

Adapted from: Workforce in Transition, NOICC/CDTI.

 

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