TEN (10) Professional Ways To Help You Stand Out At Work

Considering Your Personal Brand in The Workplace

You might think that creating a personal brand is unnecessary and your work should speak for itself, but in our times, your branding could be the difference between getting noticed or not. You may desire consideration for a promotion to supervisor or another role. Or, you may want to get noticed for hard work and dedication to the job. You can have difficulty setting yourself apart from the crowd, especially if nearly everyone has the same general ambitions — even in small to medium-sized businesses. Standing out often involves not simply blending in and conforming to the workplace itself. The pointers below will help you stand out and get recognition.

1. Be Loyal

Businesses commonly have limited staff members, and every employee is important. Therefore, managers expect loyalty from workers, especially in small operations because so much is riding on individuals’ commitment and dedication to keeping up productivity levels.

Chronic lateness or poor attendance can severely impact operations. High attrition rates also affect the business as there is no stability and processes and projects tend to lag behind.

Loyalty is what will need to get you noticed because it will often be backed up by your dedication to your work, which then leads to good results and business growth. Those who own the company’s dream and goals can be trusted to go out of their way to deliver the best results possible.

      2.  Exercise Professionalism

Issuing an employee handbook should be standard practice in any business, but many small businesses may not have the time and resources to make a booklet. Nevertheless, employees should use previous employment experiences and personal judgment to exemplify professionalism on the job.

Some employee policies are implied, even if not written, such as calling the manager when you are running late, instead of just showing up. If your workplace does not have a dress code policy, dress conservatively, especially if you face and interact with customers. Avoid brightly coloured hair styles, excessive makeup, and flashy jewellery. Most business managers already adhere to a professional dress code, as expected. Your compliance as an employee may actually help you stand out, even if your overall look is bland and boring.

Professionalism also touches on how you conduct yourself at work. For example, your professionalism is put to question if you are the person known to spread gossip in the office. Additionally, keeping your relationships professional communicates that you are serious about your job.

       3.   Know The Mission

Large corporations and enterprises commonly publish the organisation’s mission statement on their websites for all the world to see, including investors and other stakeholders. In contrast, the mission statement for some small businesses may be very simple and general, such as “Serving customers with a smile.”

However, it’s still important that all employees work towards the same goals with the same values in mind. If you are unaware of the business’ mission, ask the manager. The curiosity alone is a way to stand out. After learning of the mission, commit to it and then exceed expectations.

The mission statement is what guides daily actions and it is what the whole company is working towards. Do not just show up at work to do what you are required to do and go home. Own the company’s mission and work towards it.

      4.  Go Above And Beyond

Do more than what your job description dictates. For example, volunteer to arrive at work earlier or stay an hour or two after your scheduled shift on the clock to help out during busier times. This helps in getting work done in good time even when the workload increases.

Of course, employees should always exercise caution and adhere to safety rules and regulations. For example, don’t work double shifts and overtime if it’s too much for your body to handle.

Tactfully offer feedback and suggestions to management if you identify opportunities for improvements in the business. Your attention to detail and willingness to help may put you on the path to a promotion.

Actively engage in workplace activities such as team building because these are designed to gel the team. Do not be the person who comes to work and sits at the corner without interacting with others. Voice your opinion, and be resourceful.

5.   Be Eager To Learn

You should endeavour to grow your skills over time. This means that you need to be a constant learner who is not afraid to try out new things. This will often lead to improved performance, which then makes you stand out at work.

A person who is eager to learn is one who is not comfortable with “good enough”. They are always looking for great. It also shows that you are eager to help the company grow and as it grows, you will be able to improve yourself and grow with it.

Standing out at work is about a constant hunger for growth and the ability to keep developing and not to settle for the mediocre.

6.  Showing Confidence in Your Abilities

Think about it, people who are continuously impressing in the workplace are those who seem to be super confident about themselves. They come up with new ideas and stand by them. They defend their opinions and don’t just take no for the sake of it.

These are people who will go out of their way to learn and try out new things and they can easily become leaders, as they also have the ability to rally people behind them. They are also not afraid to take risks.

People who are confident are not shy of criticism, they will not take offence in criticism and will always look for ways of improving themselves. Confidence doesn’t just mean acting outwardly comfortable and vocal in group conversations. It means belief in yourself and your ideas and the ability to make them a reality. Confident people take criticism well to help them grow.

7.  Be A Resourceful Member of The Team

You are a person who can be trusted to come up with creative ways of overcoming barriers. You are not the habitual whiner who knows all the problems but never offers a solution to any and does not even try to find solutions.

A resourceful person is one who goes out of their way to create solutions and carry the team through hard times. If you are such a person, you will always stand out as your colleagues will trust you to try and find solutions and your boss will entrust you with many responsibilities since you can be relied upon to deliver.

As much as you want to stand out as an individual, you need to be effectively contributing to the team’s success. Your ability to help the team achieve its targets is what will help you show that your skills are important and useful to the organisation.

Great teams are held together by individuals who work together by bringing their best skills on board to get the job done. Nobody wants to work with a person who does not cooperate with others. Standing out at work involves bringing people together to work on a common project.

8.   Have  High Emotional Intelligence

We all know that colleague in the office who never talks to anyone and who is simply not good company. Maybe they do not know how to interact with others or they do not put any effort to it.  These people definitely stand out but not in a nice way.

Then there is the colleague who is full of positive energy. This person is fun to be around and can easily influence people to do the right thing. This is a person who holds the team together and can be trusted to motivate people to work towards a common goal.

Emotionally intelligent people are not necessarily the smartest but they are people who can harness the team’s strength and spirit to work towards a common goal and succeed. These are people who can be trusted to get things done and they work well with everyone.

9.  Be Goal-Oriented

You may be in the situation where your job is definitely cushy and the projects you are working on are moving along well. But, there is nothing wrong with foreseeing problems along the way and suggesting possible ways of mitigating against them before they happen. Standing out at work simply entails being driven. You are your own cheerleader and your own critic. You are not afraid to come up with new ideas and you are willing to work tirelessly towards your goals even when the going is not smooth.

10.  Be Aware of Your Strengths

If you are to stand out, you need to know what you are absolutely good at and you go ahead to prove it. Be willing to put your skill to use and sharpen it at all times.

People who stand out are those who are so good at what they do that you can’t help but notice. They are the kind of people who will be called upon to solve particular problems because you know that they are good at it.

So, sharpen your skills. Know what you are absolutely best at. Play your strongholds with finesse and let others trail behind you.

Standing out at work involves doing small, ordinary things exceptionally well. It is simply the ability to be outstanding and to get things done in the best way possible. Building a personal brand involves creating a reputation, that is easily identified with you. It is what makes you different from all other employees and what sets you apart from the rest. When building a personal brand, build one that is positive and one that helps you stand out in the right way. Then people won’t help but notice you!