You created a perfect resume. You made the right connections to get an interview. You aced the interview and beat out hundreds of other qualified applicants for the job you wanted. The hard part is over now, right?
Wrong!
The truth of the matter is once you have been hired, the task of proving your value to your employer becomes your main priority. Up to this point, your entire value to the company has been based on the theory. You went to this school, had this experience or did something for some other company that showed you had value as an employee. In other words, all those things you said you could do in the interview leave the realm of theory and now it is time to put your money where your mouth is, literally. After all, if you aren’t prepared to start proving your worth to the company, then you had better be prepared to start looking for a new job soon.
So, how do you impress your boss to solidify that they made the right decision in hiring you? Give these five suggestions a try and make a great impression on impressing your boss.
Expert Analysis of 5 Ways on How to Impress Your Boss
1. Do Your Homework
The easiest concept to grasp to impress your boss is to do your homework! One of the reasons many people find themselves in a dead end job is their own personal failure to commit. They don’t bring anything useful to the game, thus leaving themselves sitting among the throngs of anonymous employees who do their jobs, but nothing that gains them recognition.
During your research of the company prior to your interview, you should have discovered specific areas the company needed some improvement. Make it your goal to find solutions for those issues and present these ideas to your new boss. Maybe your past experience has given you the opportunity to deal with this issue in the past? Perhaps you can find a new solution to something that has been giving the boss problems for years? This might be adding some extra work to your load, but it is also adding a lot of value to you as an employee.
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2. Be A Lion
There’s this picture that circulates the internet every year with a small kitten. The small kitten is looking into a mirror and seeing the reflection of a very intimidating lion staring back. As a valuable new employee, you need to have that attitude to be successful.
Instead of cowering like a timid kitten, take the initiative and bravely share your ideas like that impressive lion from the picture. After all, no matter how many good ideas you may have, they are useless if you aren’t brave enough to share them. Your fresh eyes on the situation may have given you the vision to see a resolution. A resolution that no one in the company had caught before because they were too close to the situation. The new idea may be the key to your successful rise through the ranks. That said, keep the next point in mind when presenting your solutions to the companies problems.
Impress your boss by being a lion and taking that extra initiative.
3. Be Willing To Adapt
Very few of us actively seek out jobs with failing companies. We pursue success and, because of that, your new job is likely with a very successful company. With that in mind, a new employee has to be willing to adapt to the way their employers want things done. The solutions you come up with to problem areas we mentioned in the previous section might be shot down. That’s okay. At least you demonstrated that you had the companies best interest at heart.
In addition, you may find yourself in need of additional training or even relearning techniques you already knew because your new company has a different way of doing things. By demonstrating that you are willing to make these necessary changes to serve your employer’s purposes, then you go a long way towards impressing the new boss.
4. Jump At Opportunities
As the saying goes, opportunity knocks but it is up to the individual to open the door. Is there a new project that needs volunteers for leadership? Does your problem-solving abilities create a new job in the company that you feel you would be better suited to? Is there some other opportunity to get noticed by management?
By stepping forward to become the employee your boss needs, you also became the employee he values. Be the first to volunteer for that project that no one wants and then show your boss exactly what you are capable. By doing so, you show the boss that you are committed to the success of the company and that you are willing to do whatever is necessary to create that success.
5. Admit To Your Mistakes
A final value-building tip that many people omit is being willing to admit to their own mistakes. Admittedly, this does sound counter-intuitive but it works for some very important reasons.
First, it demonstrates your personal integrity and honesty when you can say, “Yes, I made a mistake. This is how I plan to fix it.” Secondly, it gives you the opportunity to keep looking for solutions that will improve the situation. When you took on that project that no one wanted because it was doomed to fail, the boss likely knew it was a losing plan to begin. Admit to why it didn’t work without placing blame and then find a solution that will work.
Don’t take the blame for someone else’s mistakes but don’t be afraid to admit your own either. If you can work through problems in a diplomatic way by using the resources at hand and practicing personal accountability (rather than shifting blame to others), you show your new employer that you are a problem solver who believes in teamwork and placing a personal stake in the success of the company.
Now you have the techniques. What are you going to do with them?Are you ready to launch your new career along an upward trajectory? Impressing the new boss is not easy. It is a lot of work and will require your diligent attention but the results are well worth it. By proving your value, you make yourself eligible for upward movement through the corporate ranks.
What are your thoughts or experiences? Does one or more of these techniques resonate with you personally? What do you feel makes you more valuable to your employer?