Do you remember how exhilarating it felt to be a high school senior? Your walk from fifth period science to the cafeteria exuded confidence and power, and all the underclassmen noticed. Now, do you remember how crummy it felt to relinquish that power and return to the bottom rung of the totem pole as a freshmen in college? Entering the workforce for the first time is much of the same.
Graduates accept their diplomas feeling like wizards only to be shoved into the least desirable cubicle in an office corner so damp and chilly, only dementors could inhabit it. Hard work will get you moving up the corporate ladder eventually, but there are tricks of the trade you can do early in your new job to earn the attention of your boss and get you climbing faster.
In the Daily Muse post, “Office Peon With Big Ambitions? 5 Ways To Get Noticed,” Caroline McMillan describes ways young professionals can harness their initiative and ambition to get noticed by company higher-ups.
Monitor Your Company’s Endeavors
Keeping abreast of company happenings is essential for every worker, but even more so for young professionals. Nothing says “New Guy” quite like a blank stare when your colleague strikes up a conversation about the CEO’s new business strategy. Staying current on company endeavors entails reading memos and paying close attention to company briefings. It also involves a bit of investigative work on your end. McMillan advises young professionals to set up a Google Alert for the company name and to browse articles, industry reports, trade journals, and newsletters during your morning commute, if you don’t drive that is!
Study Your Company’s Competition
A task of mine at a former internship was to monitor competitive brands and present my findings to my superiors. The task wasn’t created so my company could copy everything the competition was doing; instead, it was created to help us understand what the competition was doing, why they were doing it, and how customers were responding. As you’re reading up on your company’s news, investigate what your competition is doing. If the companies are publicly traded, how are their stock prices? This research will help you keep track of your competition’s tactics and keep you apprised of market trends as a whole.
Volunteer To Lead A Pilot Project
Young professionals have great ideas, so share some of yours, then ask to be put in charge of their execution. McMillan offers developing a Pinterest strategy as an example. She says young professionals should ask permission to test the strategy for a few weeks, then submit a memo with their findings. She also cautions young professionals to choose to lead projects they’ll enjoy; heading successful pilot projects that aren’t of interest may lead to work unhappiness.
To read McMillan’s full post for getting noticed, check out the Daily Muse!
Are you a young professional who quickly climbed the corporate ladder? How did you grab your boss’ attention?
