Skills That Set You Apart in Any Job
Some people really just stand out at work, and it’s not always because they’ve got the most experience or the best title, often, it’s because they bring a mix of useful skills – things that make life easier for everyone around them, in other words. And we don’t mean just job-specific skills either; we mean the kinds of skills that help in any role, in almost any job or workplace.
The best part about this is that you don’t need to be an expert or spend loads of money to learn these skills, and many of the skills are things anyone can pick up with a bit of effort and attention, and with that in mind, it’s worth reading on to kind out more about the skills that set you apart in any job.
Staying Calm When Things Go Wrong
Every job has moments when something goes wrong, and it could be a deadline that gets missed, an unhappy customer, a system that crashes at the worst possible time, and so on. The point is that the people who handle these situations the best are the ones who stay calm, work out what’s going on, and try to fix it without panicking.
You don’t have to pretend everything’s fine, that would be stressful and very often it would be impossible (everyone’s going to notice when there’s an issue!), but instead you’ll need to acknowledge that there’s a problem and then keep a clear head to be able to come up with a solution. You’ll also need to stay focused, because the thing that you need to sort out is sure to be a priority. This kind of calmness makes you a steady person who others can rely on, and that’s always a good thing at work.
Being Easy to Talk to
Good communication doesn’t mean talking all the time – what it means is that you’ll need to be able to explain things clearly, listen properly, and know how to speak to different people in different situations in different ways. That might mean keeping things short and simple in an email, for example, or knowing when to pick up the phone instead of messaging back and forth all day.
People really do appreciate clear, kind communication, and it definitely helps avoid confusion and keeps things running smoothly. Whether you’re talking to a customer, a teammate, or your boss – or anyone else, come to that – being easy to talk to makes a big difference, and it can make you basically invaluable in the workplace.
Knowing a Bit About Everything
You don’t need to be an expert in every area of your company, but if you know a little bit about everything, it’s going to help massively – you’ll be able to see the bigger picture, but more than that, the people you work with will know you’re pretty much invaluable, which is definitely a good position to be in.
So maybe you’re not in IT, but you know how to fix some simple tech problems, or perhaps you’re not in sales, but you know how the sales team works, so you can help out or support them better if you need to in whatever your position happens to be. The point is, having a broad understanding makes you more useful and more interesting to work with. That’s surely going to set you apart in any job, in the right way.
Being Organised
You don’t need a complicated system in place just to be organised, you just need to know what you’ve got to do and make sure it gets done on time, and that could mean using a to-do list, a calendar, or even just setting reminders on your phone. The thing is that a lot of people don’t realise it can be this simple, perhaps because there’s so much tech around that suggests it’s not.
The fact is that people who are organised don’t miss deadlines, they don’t forget meetings, and they don’t lose track of tasks, and that means they’re dependable, which is something every employer is going to value. It’s wise to work out how you can be as organised as possible, and make sure it’s all in place so you can really impress when it comes to being reliable in your work – that’s what gets people promoted and noticed, after all.
Helping Without Being Asked
When you spot something that needs doing and then you just take care of it without waiting or asking for advice or permission, that shows a lot of initiative – you’re literally not waiting around to be told to get something done, and instead you’re looking for ways to make things better.
That could be as simple as refilling the paper in a printer, fixing a small problem, or helping a new teammate find their way around a system (or even around the building, come to that). The thing you do really doesn’t have to be big (and a lot of the time, the big stuff should just be left to the experts), because a lot of the time it’s the smaller jobs that don’t take much time or effort that make a difference in how productive and efficient things can be.
Having An Unexpected Extra Skill
Sometimes, having a skill that isn’t part of your main job can really make you stand out. A good example is CPR and first aid certification that might not technically be needed in your role, but having it shows you care about others, and, crucially, that you can step up in an emergency.
You might never even have to use it, but if something goes wrong, being the one who knows what to do can make a really big impact. It’s also the kind of thing that makes you feel more confident in general, and when you’re confident, you perform better at work anyway.
Being Kind
It sounds simple, but kindness matters, and things like saying thank you, checking in on people, or offering help when someone’s struggling are small things that help build a better team in the end. That’s because people like working with kind, thoughtful coworkers.
Kindness also helps with things like handling feedback or dealing with customers, and you’re more likely to get a good response when you treat people well. It’s just about being human, and although that might not sound like it should be unique, a lot of the time it can be.
Being Comfortable With Tech
You don’t need to be an expert in computers, but being comfortable with technology – things like email systems, spreadsheets, and video calls, for example – is definitely going to make your job a lot easier. It also means you’re less likely to get stuck when something changes or when your team switches to a new tool, so you won’t need as much downtime, and you can stay productive.
If you’re not confident yet, there are loads of simple online tutorials out there, and once you’ve worked something out, you might even be the person people come to for help, and that’s a good feeling (and a good way to set yourself apart).
Handling Tough Days
Everyone has bad days, but what sets some people apart is how they handle them. If something goes wrong, they don’t blame others, and if they’re tired or stressed, they still try to be polite, and so on.
This kind of attitude and being able to handle life’s ups and downs is another way of being reliable. Yes, you’ll probably slip up from time to time, but that’s because you’re human, and as long as you keep going and keep trying, you’ll be sure to get ahead.
Caring About Your Work
The people who grow the most at work are the ones who ask questions – they want to learn and understand how things work, and they want to find better ways to do things. In other words, curiosity shows that you’re interested, and people like working with people who are interested in learning, not people who just do the bare minimum and leave it at that.
It also helps you spot opportunities. For example, you might notice a better way to do a task or a new tool that could save you time, so it’s clear that being curious keeps you moving forward as well.
Paying Attention To What Others Need
If you can notice when someone’s having a hard time or pick up on what your boss is worried about, that’s called emotional intelligence, and it means you’re able to pay attention to people and thinking about how they feel.
Maybe someone’s been quieter than usual, or maybe a customer seems confused, for example. Being able to spot those things and respond kindly helps everything run smoothly, and it makes you someone others trust. Since trust is such a big part of standing out and doing well, it’s going to help you (and others) massively. There are lots of ways to stand out at work, but this one is going to benefit lots of people.
This is a collaborative post.
