Make Your Boss Glad They Hired You

Whether it’s your first day in a new job or you’ve been in your role since a while, everyone wants to make a good impression on the boss. Their perception can directly affect your salary, pay rises, opportunities for visibility and future promotions.  

1. Do Your Best

The best way to get off to a great start is simply doing your job to the best of your ability while also helping others along the way. Find out what your managers expectations are and remember they are only human. They get stressed, face deadlines, and have bosses too. So, empathising with them and seeing things from their point of view will help you become less judgmental.

 2. Extra Effort

Putting in extra effort can go a long way to getting you noticed. Volunteering to help out on projects that aren’t necessarily part of your job remit will leave a lasting impression and show real initiative.

Expressing that you are willing to support them in their work will help your manager see you as a valuable member of the team and someone they can rely on. But don’t overburden yourself with extra responsibilities if you can’t deliver on them. You want to have enough time and energy to do a great job.

3. Have An Opinion

Don’t be afraid to disagree with your manager. But remember, it’s all about the delivery. Look for the positives before highlighting any negatives and don’t come across as instantly dismissive. They didn’t hire you to sit silently and nod along, so if there are ideas that you’re not on board with, voice your concerns. Just make sure you are respectful and present your reasons informatively with evidence to back them up.

Own It

Similarly, own up to all aspects of your role. If you don’t think you’ll be able to hit the deadline of your project, tell your boss why. Be honest about the reason and don’t make excuses or pass the blame. At the end of the day, your boss is there to support you. So, support them by respecting them enough to be honest.

Never Stop Learning

Tech never stands still and neither should you. Been thinking about learning a new programming language? Then go for it! Take the initiative and do some leaning in your spare time. Some companies will even give you time during work hours to work on your own projects so make sure you are constantly developing your knowledge. Taking time to hone your skills won’t just make you better in your current role but also adds value to you as a team member and can even help you secure that next promotion and a sweet pay rise!

Handle Criticism You might think you’re doing a great job but when is the last time you asked? It’s always good to ask for feedback from your manager and even better to implement it. Afterall, there is nothing more frustrating than someone asking for advice and then not implementing it. Use your one to ones or appraisals (or even an informal chat at the watercooler) to make sure you’re on track:

• What could you be doing better?
• How can you improve?
• How could you support them better?
• Is there something you should stop doing?

Communication goes both ways so if you have any questions or grievances you should be able to talk about these openly with your manager. Equally give them constructive feedback if you think they could do better in certain areas. Being aware of how we affect other people is often the first step towards making a positive change in the way we act or communicate so having a two-way dialogue will only strengthen your rapport.
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7. It’s All About Attitude

Gossiping, pulling other people’s morale down or whinging will get you noticed for all the wrong reasons.  When a problem surfaces, seek ways to solve the problem instead of complaining about it. Ev eryone appreciates a colleague with a positive attitude. But be sincere about it.

While you may not be planning to work at the same company forever, show you care about your team’s and your company’s success in the long term and figure out how you can align your career goals with those of the company.