Whether you’re a fresh hire or a seasoned veteran, it’s always beneficial to consider your reputation at work. Are you someone your colleagues deem trustworthy, competent and hardworking? Or could you be doing more to show your coworkers—and bosses—your true potential? After all, your reputation will factor into everything from how people treat you in passing to your opportunity for promotions.
Here are four ways to build a great reputation at work with the aim of ensuring better professional outcomes.
Share Your Time and Attention
We’ve all had a coworker who seems to mysteriously vanish, or at least remains silent, every time an ad hoc project needs completing. People typically begin to resent teammates who fail to pick up their fair share of the collective slack. Rather, you want to establish a reputation as someone who will go the extra mile. One simple way to do this is by getting used to asking, “How can I help?”
Here’s an example: Let’s say your coworker confides in you that she feels overwhelmed by her current workload, particularly because she’s working on a high-stakes project due by the end of the month. Instead of simply offering a listening ear, you can use this interact as an opportunity to take some of the load off. If you have the time and authority, ask if there’s anything you can do to help make the project a success.
Learn a Valuable Skill
Sure, your job title comes with a set of minimum requirements. But part of elevating your reputation is surpassing these expectations. Learning a new skill is a great way to stay ahead of the curve and provide tangible value to your team. Keep an eye on emerging trends and technologies within your line of work. Take an online or real-world class when applicable. Above all, take note of whether your department or team is experiencing any skills gaps. Then be the one to fill them. Bonus: This technique kills two birds with one stone by bolstering your resume at the same time.
Make Every Presentation Dynamic
Whenever you’re tasked with presenting information to your colleagues, you have a unique opportunity to “wow” your audience. Delivering a dynamic presentation can bolster your reputation as an authority within the workplace. It’s also a great chance to impress your company’s leadership. But standing up and reading from your notes simply won’t cut it in this regard.
A better strategy is making your presentation interactive by embedding an online poll. Involving your viewers will help them stay engaged. It also allows presenters to gauge retention, meaning you can circle back to any key points for further clarification. All participants need is a mobile device to contribute answers or questions to an interactive poll.
Long story short: Turning a one-way presentation into a two-way conversation tends to make it more impactful—ultimately reflecting well on you as a presenter.
Contribute to Company Culture
Company culture as a whole is the sum of its parts; that is, it matters less what’s on paper and more what actually occurs around the workplace. As one Inc. contributor writes, “Corporate culture is like air—it’s around all the employees who work there even if they aren’t always aware of it.”
So, while company culture does depend on top-down intentionality, it’s lived and breathed each day by employees just like you. What are you putting into the air, so to speak? Make sure you’re embodying positive traits like flexibility, transparency and collaboration. Others will notice, and you’ll even inspire your coworkers to approach company culture with such care, too. This goes a long way in making the workplace more positive and productive for all.
These four ways to build a great reputation at work will help you distinguish yourself professionally.
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