When you start a new job, you are full of starry-eyed intentions. You want to make a difference, do the best that you can, and get promoted. A few years down the road, you may find yourself in the rut, that rut that makes you dread coming to work. You get bored and complacent, and possibly angry that you let yourself get this miserable.
There are ways to breathe new life into your job. If you take the time to better yourself, you can still get ahead at work and find fulfillment again.
Learn a New Language
There have been countless studies done on the benefits of learning a new language. It can help prevent Alzheimer’s and dementia, can make your brain work a little better, and can help you stand out to your boss. Your accomplishment just made you an asset: you can communicate with another country and expand the business. Your boss is sure to be impressed, and will give you more interesting tasks so you have new challenges to meet.
Ask for – and Handle – More Responsibility
As unfair as you may think it, you need to continually prove yourself to your higher-ups in order to get ahead at work. Less than 5-10% of employees ask for more work, and even less prove that they can handle it. You will look like a much better employee if you prove that you can handle anything that gets thrown at you and more.
Educate Yourself
Maybe you didn’t get as far in school as you wanted. Perhaps you quit school to start working or you didn’t go to school at all. No matter the case, you can always get more education. You can take a course in something relevant to your workplace, which will look good on your resume and will make your boss take notice. You could also get a life experience degree online. This allows you to get a degree for work you’ve done over your lifetime, and will definitely earn you more respect.
Look the Part
Finally, you have to look professional to be professional. Studies have proved that people who dress better and take the time to do their hair and/or makeup in the morning are significantly more likely to get ahead at work. Even if your office is “business casual,” dress nicer than your coworkers. The old saying is true: “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.”
Getting ahead at work can be difficult, but you can take some steps to make sure you get noticed. These tips will help you find new purpose in your job, and you will feel fulfilled in what you do again.
About the Author
Sara Stricker is part of a team of dedicated writers who contribute hundreds of quality articles to blogs and sites. Follow her @StrickerSara for more articles.