5 Small Ways to Level up at Work.

Most of us aren’t thinking about our next job when we’re at our current job. Here are my 5 best tips for what you can do NOW at your job, so you can 1) enjoy work more 2) put your best foot forward when you’re either ready to move on or up, 3) if the unexpected happens and you find yourself laid off – or let go very suddenly:

Always have an up-to-date copy of your job description

You may not realize it, but your job description is a really important tool. You should receive one on your first day, or even before your first day when you’re filling out paperwork. If you don’t receive one – ask for it. Or if you have to, write one yourself and go over it with your boss and supervisor. Your job description is a great reminder to ensure you’re meeting all your expectations. It’s also a handy document to leverage for a promotion or raise if you are doing job duties outside of what’s on your description.

Worst case scenario, if things start to go south at your job and you find yourself laid off (or fired) it can be a really helpful tool if you ever find yourself in a position where you are applying for unemployment.

Keep track of your wins (and your fails)

Start keeping a running list of wins at work. Did you do a super killer pitch and get kudos from your boss? Make note of it. Did you go above and beyond helping your colleague? Keep track of what you did and when. This accomplishes two things: It’s a great reminder when you’re feeling a little down or overwhelmed at work. Go back and remember that you are valued and have done good work. Reason 2 is that when the time is right, you can leverage these wins into a possible promotion or raise later on. Give your boss actual reasons why you’re an asset and deserve that promotion. Keeping track of areas you can improve — whether it’s a comment from your boss or superior, or maybe something you can just recognize within yourself is a great way to track progress. It could be something that you bring up in a yearly review — showing that you cared enough about it to that comment to improve. Effort is a very desirable quality.

Find the holes

Start paying attention to where holes can be filled in your job. I will just go ahead and throw in 1 caveat though, this does not mean doing someone else’s job – you won’t win points with anyone. What I do mean is start being mindful of where your company is lacking – and where you can pick up the slack, how can you make systems run easier / more efficiently / less overhead cost. Your boss is always looking for solutions, so if you have an idea to a lingering issue, hopefully they are all ears!

It’s ok to set boundaries

Boundary setting is a crucial part of working in an environment that you love. If making the conscious effort to turn off your phone at 6pm every weeknight so you can spend time with your family without the interruption of emails, phone calls or Slack messages is something you need to be successful and energized and ready for the next day – do it.

We live in a society where now more than ever we are connected all the time, which blurs the lines of work and downtime. Your boss hired you because they believe in you, trust you to do good work and they want you to be happy with the company you’re working for. Don’t be afraid to make requests to accommodate your boundaries and lifestyle. If you have that conversation and certain requests can’t find a compromise, then at least you know and you can move forward with that information – maybe that means shining up the CV for job hunting.

Share your systems with your team

We all want to feel needed at work — it is not a bad thing to want to feel like you are a crucial piece of the puzzle. I think a common occurrence when some people feel they need to be the keeper of the keys on specific systems to force a feeling of importance. This behavior is self-serving and does not help your team or your company. When you inevitably go on vacation, take a day off, or even leave the company — the show must go on. And if you have created an environment where everything has to come to a grinding halt in your absence, it’s problematic and effects your company’s bottom line. I encourage you to work with your team, and most importantly — trust your team. Make sure you all know each other’s systems, share with them. It’s too much pressure, and we all deserve to enjoy time away from work.