An excellent way to grow personally and professionally is by pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and taking on more work responsibilities. Maybe you want to:

• Expose yourself to career opportunities. By taking on more, you let your boss know you are ready for the next level of your career.
• Help your team. Doing more helps your group collectively meet its goals.
• Learn new skills. Taking on more gives you a chance to learn new skills.
• Build your resume. Different types of work are excellent ways to learn new skills.
• Work with new people. Additional work can open opportunities to collaborate with different people.

Regardless, taking on additional work demonstrates your proactive approach to moving forward in your career. Is it uncomfortable? Absolutely! But it will help you make real organizational progress and let your boss know you are ready for additional tasks.

Talk to Your Manager

The first step is to approach your boss directly and see if there are any additional projects. Do not merely ask a question. Turn the meeting into a discussion where you can share your career goals and how you see yourself fitting into the company’s future.

Consider the skills and knowledge you wish to develop and see if there are opportunities. Try to have a few ideas you can suggest to help you get more involved. You can present ideas to benefit the organization, work on additional projects, or develop new knowledge and skills. If you are not meeting with your manager regularly, try to get time blocked on their calendars.

Find a Stressed-Out Co-Worker

After you finish your workload, look for people who need help in other departments or the cubicle beside you. There might be tasks you can complete to help them get caught up. Is there a project you can work on to help a colleague meet a deadline?

Be careful to avoid getting taken advantage of here. Learn to identify and avoid those workers who take advantage of your kindness or take credit for your work.

Be an Expert

Acquire new knowledge continuously and stay on top of current developments in your industry. If management views you as an expert in a particular area, they will remember you for future projects. Your expertise will help all your teammates look good while keeping them up to date on the latest industry news. You will gain much credibility as a team player.

Be Proactive

Maybe you cannot wait until someone else gives you the green light. Do not wait. Take the initiative and do what needs doing before someone asks you, or someone else, to do it. You can start by identifying tasks suffering from neglect and finish these tasks. Managers appreciate this type of foresight.

Exact Staff has rewarding career opportunities.