In today’s complex economy, finding (and keeping) work is increasingly difficult for even very well qualified employees. It’s not enough to do the bare minimum anymore, because with so many talented people looking for an opportunity, you have to go over and above in order to keep your job and progress up the corporate ladder.
It is no news that playing “nice Jane” would not get you anywhere near the top. And even if it does, you will always need to make someone somewhere happy” just so you can stay at the top.
Here are 3 tips to becoming a high value employee.
Over Deliver
One of the things that most people take for granted is how easy it is to surprise someone. As an organization, or as an employee, simply doing a tiny bit more than what is expected will go a LONG way in the overall perception of your performance and increasing your value.
Be Known as an Expert at Something
Becoming an expert at something that is important to the organization will make you an invaluable resource. Participate in industry events, write articles for third party publications, do whatever you can to position yourself within your company and your industry. It will make your company, and in turn, you, look very good!
Expand your responsibilities
Going along with the concept of over-delivering, it’s important to gradually expand your responsibilities whenever you have the opportunity to do so. Perhaps someone leaves the organization, and their role needs to be split up while they search for a replacement. Volunteering to take on some of that additional work will position you as a team player, and may also make you more valuable to the organization, as a better rounded employee.
