Not only is the job market scarce with the unemployment level in the U.S. still hovering over eight percent, and companies seemingly laying-off more than hiring, but competition is becoming fierce. Differentiating one’s self in the corporate world is absolutely essential. Broadening your skill set, or adding more tools to your tool box so to speak, can be the difference in keeping your job or taking public transportation to the unemployment office. Here are some great ways to showing and improving your value to your employer.
Ultimately, the best way to show how important you are to your company is to show your versatility. In other words, learn the job from the co-worker in the cubical across from you. In fact, learn the job from the person sitting in the cubical across the room from you too. The more job duties you know, the less expendable you become. If you have two or three job skills in your repertoire and your company makes cutbacks, they’re going to want to keep you because you’re able to do more than one job. Know your primary job better than anyone, but also take the time to learn other facets of the company.
Catering your values to align with company culture is critical. If you’re on board with a company that stresses teamwork and working together as a unit, you should demonstrate your ability to be a great team player. Emphasizing any characteristics you have that coincide specifically with your company’s motto will show that you were born for this gig and you could be used as the ‘poster employee’ for future employees.
Be a trendsetter. We are currently living in a world of change. Right before our eyes everything is developed to be newer, faster, cheaper and more efficient. Creativity and showcasing your ability to come up with new ideas that can effectively advance the company is a value that cannot be overlooked.
Being tech savvy is absolutely important. I know all the stubborn baby boomers are a little hesitant with social media and other technological advances, but this has become the way of the world and if that means being 50 years old and setting up a Twitter account, well guess what? The 21st century is consumed with online applications and management information systems, and businesses are all starting to get centered on it. We already know that the 22-year-old out of college is a whiz with social media tools. It’s up to the veteran employee to add computer literacy to their resume.
Don’t be afraid to make your value known, and reiterate it if you have to. Sometimes an employee’s value or some of their responsibilities can be overlooked. Making your supervisors aware of everything important you do for the organization cannot be stressed enough. There would be nothing worse, for both employee and company, than knowing they let someone go and was totally oblivious to the true value that employee had. Know your value and make sure your company knows it too.
SOURCE: AS Parker
IMAGE: Courtesy of Prime Concepts
