How do you shine and get noticed at work? To know how, explore the A – Z Guide of how to get noticed at work. As the job market is extremely competitive with tons of obstacles, having a dream job or working is more than simply getting the job done.

By Catherine Adenle

It is important to get noticed at work. According to Linda Dominguez, the author of how to shine at work, today’s turbulent work environment is rife with advancement opportunities for those who know how to seize them. It’s about building a solid reputation and keeping positive relationships in your workplace.

Working and doing just what is expected of you as in spinning your wheels at the office might earn you your monthly salary, but it’s unlikely to put you in line for a substantial raise or promotion. Fulfilling your responsibilities is good but you have to remember that there are many people in your workplace doing the same thing; it’s going the extra mile and trying harder that can make you great.

See 11 Proven Ways to Demonstrate Your Value at Work

Step up the quality of work that you do. Up your game by putting in more effort in many ways that will get you noticed at work. Explore how to do this by following this A – Z guide of how to get noticed at work.

The A – Z guide of how to get noticed at work so that you can attract positive attention and succeed in your career:

A is for:

• Always listen to understand first and not listen to reply.
• Always dress for the next job you want. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up in top form.
• Ask effective questions.
• Attend company events, especially those attended by leadership team members. There you can network, get noticed and meet your colleagues from other departments.

B is for:

• Building a ladder for your own growth is vital, do the work that will set you aside and form your ladder to move up.
• Be a team player. Jump at the opportunity to help a colleague on a project. You’ll get noticed at work for doing this and also learn something new while you gain a reputation as a helpful employee.
• Be in the loop but know when to step off.
• Be accountable for any mistakes you make.
• Be on time, whether you’re arriving for work, returning from breaks, going to meetings or completing tasks.
• Be truthful and honest. Be sure to also maintain your integrity, you will get noticed at work for these qualities.

C is for:

• Choose to think positive as this will allow you to get noticed at work. It’s important that you overlook the mud and see the stars. Your thinking will profoundly affect your experience and growth. All of these attributes will surely get you noticed at work.
• Chart your goal and aspirations and do the things that will make them happen.
• Chatting, challenging and deriving solutions will get you noticed at work too.
• Come to work willing to pay attention, follow directions and do the job.
• Communicate effectively and powerfully
• Change is the order of the day, be prepared for the unexpected.

D is for:

• Doing the same thing as everyone will not get you noticed, but doing the same thing better than everyone will get you noticed at work.
• Dress appropriately for the work you do. While a fresh idea or killer presentations will certainly earn you that extra points from your manager and colleagues, dressing appropriately will get you noticed too.
• Do what you say you’ll do.

E is for:

• Enjoy learning from others and be courteous when you need anyone’s help. Always ask for help when you need it.
• Echo positive messages and repeat good behaviour.
• Elicit feedback from necessary sources and know the ‘go to’ people in your organisation for various things.

F is for:

• Find solutions to challenges and problems.
• Flexibility and adaptability are great qualities. You will get noticed at work if you possess these skills. You have to be ready and willing to compromise.
• Fix yourself up and always look sharp. Sloppiness is not good; you will get noticed at work for the wrong reason if you show up at work every day looking untidy.
• Fresh ideas will certainly earn you that extra recognition at work. Always think of how to further improve processes and any pain points.

G is for:

• Get noticed at work by going the extra mile in being civil towards everyone.
• Get outside and network every day and often. Career miracles are everywhere; your opportunity is waiting everywhere if you get noticed at work.
• Great opportunities should not go to waste. Find a way to turn a dull wall into windows of opportunities. You will hit the bullseye by doing this and certainly get noticed at work by those who count.

H is for:

• Help your boss to shine. Ask how you can help as you can easily get noticed at work for this.
• Hate can eat at your soul and affect your productivity and well-being. Try not to hate your work or anyone at work. If you find it difficult not to hate both, then it may be time to change your work and environment so that you are not noticed at work for the wrong reasons.

I is for:

• Identify the types of people who can best support your goal when you’re interested in advancing your career. They will surely notice you and your goal.
• In doubt? Just take the next small step until you know what’s next to do in order to get noticed at work.
• Improve things at work as continuous improvement is the order of the day.
• Insightful comments and contributions are vital. Get noticed at work for such comments and contributions.

J is for:

• Jobs are not for life anymore. Take care of the one you have by doing what you are getting paid to do and more, so that you can get noticed at work.
• Jokes are nice once in a while but don’t be the village joker at work, because you will get noticed at work for not being serious. This can affect your progression.

K is for:

• Keep learning and keep updating your skills, it will help you to handle change better.
• Kill difficult people with kindness at work. This is an important skill for dealing with the inevitable challenges of the workplace. If you can do this, you will be in everyone’s good books and get noticed at work.
• Know that no one is in charge of your career except you. So, push ahead and do what you need to do to get noticed at work.
• Know how to articulate your passion and why you do what you do.

L is for:

• Learn to engage people, the gift of the gab is great but be able to back it up with solid knowledge.
• Life is too short for long pity parties at work. Get busy enjoying work and move on from negative issues that can slow you down.
• Live up to your values and that of your organisation.
• Learn a skill that will help you stand out. For example, become the person everyone goes to when they need something or when they need help with checking their work or how to use a computer program.
• Learn all you can about the organization and your role. Learn how to do all the tasks that are part of your role.

M is for:

• Make yourself understood. Choose the right words to express your thoughts. This will improve your ability to articulate your point.
• Mentors are great at work. Mentor and be mentored as this will let you progress.
• Move out of your comfort zone, staying in the box will not get you noticed at work.
• Manage your energy wisely, waste less time on regular but unrecognised tasks.

N is for:

• Never flog a dead horse! If it is going nowhere, don’t have your name tied to it.
• Negativity will get you nowhere. You don’t want to get noticed at work for the wrong reasons.
• Never step on anyone else’s toes.

O is for:

• Obstacles can be turned into opportunities. Always look at the opportunities that will get you noticed when confronted with obstacles.
• Over prepare always, and then go with the flow but shine within it.

P is for:

• Plan, prioritise and plough through your list of things to do daily.
• Promote yourself through your sills, work and presence.
• Plan, prepare and deliver great work.
• Proactivity is vital, you will get noticed at work for this attribute.

Q is for:

• Quality work cannot be overlooked. Get noticed at work for doing great work.
• Quantity is important if you are judged on the number of tasks completed daily or monthly.
• Question things cleverly and think before you speak.

R is for:

• Respond well to feedback.
• Respect your colleagues’ diversity of opinions and experiences.
• Responsibility is important in the workplace, so take responsibility for what you do.
• Reliability and dependability are both important as you will get noticed at work by these two qualities.
• Recognizing your limits is a sign of personal strength and maturity.

See Four Ways to Get Onto Your Boss’s Radar Screen

S is for:

• Showcase your skills at every opportunity.
• Support and encourage your colleagues.
• Step away from anyone who can dull your shine.
• Show leadership.
• Show up for every shift you’re scheduled for. Call in or send an email or text message well ahead of time if you must be late or absent. Try to be absent as little as possible.
• Show your supervisor that you’re in control of what you’re doing.
• Stay organized and keep your work area and work tidy.
• Share information and resources.

T is for:

• There is wisdom in thinking before talking. Get noticed at work by making comments that are sensible
• Think two steps ahead; having a great foresight is everything and will get you noticed at work.
• Take on a challenging project, you will surely get noticed at work for this.
• Take on the task that needs to be done. Team players work effectively with others to achieve common goals, whether or not the task is part of their job description.
• Treat others as you would like to be treated.

See 6 Ways to Immediately Get Noticed At Work Without Self-Promotion

U is for:

• Use praise and criticism to grow and improve on the job. This is critical if you want to get noticed at work for the right reasons.
• Universally, great workers do get noticed at work for their skills and the ability add value to their organisations, so be one of them.
• Use your connectional intelligence; don’t try to be like everyone else.

See It is Important to Get Noticed at Work – See 25 Tips to Help You

V is for:

• Value and display the ability to listen in order to engage and help people to tune-in to your ideas. This is the most underrated and most critical job retention skill of all. Once mastered, you will get noticed at work.

W is for:

• Work smarter, if you can use a car to get somewhere on time if time is of essence, why walk?
• Who do you look up to at work? Have him/her as a mentor and learn from him/her.

V is for:

• Volunteer for work often.
• Vice has no place at work but the volume and quality of work are both important. You will get noticed at work if you can achieve both.

X is for:

• Xtra mile or extra work will get you noticed at work

Y is for:

• Your comfort zone may be cushy, but you need to get out of it and shine.
• You can’t possibly control everything; so focus mostly on what you can control.

Z is for:

• Zealousness is vital. Show passion and enthusiasm in your day to day activities at work.

Regardless of this list, you have to know what you are worth at work. “If you’re looking for a promotion or just recognition, you should think about what you offer to the company and be ready to present in concrete terms what you’ve achieved so far” says Nancy Ancowitz.

See Self-Promotions for Introverts

Trying a few of the above listed things will surely get you noticed at work.

The thing to always remember is, if you do what will clearly set you aside positively from everyone, without a doubt you will get noticed at work.

Now that you have gone through this A – Z guide of how to get noticed at work, what else can you add to the guide? Let’s hear from you by adding your comments below.

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Catherine Adenle

Founder at Catherine's Career Corner

Founder, Catherine's Career Corner. The career site empowering and inspiring ambitious candidates of all ages and professions to thrive and work smarter on their careers. Gladly helping all career-minded people worldwide to explore their career, manage change and understand how new technologies are changing and enhancing the future of work.

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Catherine Adenle

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