There are many ways to add value in the workplace. The most basic is to show up and perform the job you were hired to do. Let’s look at four ways to improve your value-add at work without spending a dime.

1. Start with Your Reputation

An old saying goes like this: “A good name is hard to regain once it is lost.” The trick is never to lose your good name to start with. So what’s your reputation saying about you?

Don’t let your name be tarnished because you’re late all the time. Learn how to manage your time more effectively. Sign up for a time management seminar like Franklin Covey. This type of seminar will teach you how to prioritize your activities to align with what’s most important. That’s a valuable skill you can use over and over again. The more you use this skill the better your reputation gets.

Do you do what you say? Are you in the habit of over promising and under delivering? Stop it your reputation is at stake! You have complete control over what you say. Start doing what you said you would. Else be selective with your words. Whatever you say people are expecting you will do it. If you don’t plan to do something, don’t say you will.

2. Be Willing to Learn

The most tedious jobs can be rewarding when learning opportunities are taken. When a new class or training is offered, sign up for it. Keeping your mind active by constantly learning new things makes you valuable.

Be willing to learn from others. No one person can know everything, even though some act like they do. We can all learn from each other. I am some what of an advanced Excel user. Yet, I still run into others who show me great keyboard short cuts!

Use what you know. Put into practice any skills you’ve been taught. For example, say you took an email etiquette class. Your employer will expect you to craft email messages using the tips you were taught.

Don’t forget to share. If you come across a new short cut, or fancy way to format a presentation, share it with your co-workers. That way the whole team benefits from your experience. A word of caution: Don’t act like you know it all. Instead offer gentle humble suggestions that are more readily received by others.

3. Know Your Company’s Priorities

Take time to learn about the company you work for. Discover history behind it. What are they known for? Who are their customers? What products or services do they sell to meet the customer needs? What goals does your company have? Are they trying to increase market share? Are they trying to create new markets?

Understanding your company’s priorities helps you map your job to the bigger picture. When you know how your part fits in the larger context it drives your motivation. Improving your internal motivation allows you to put up with lesser important burdens for the stake of the larger, more important goal. Having a hard time figuring out how your part fits? Ask your boss. Talk to others about their part. Maybe hearing how Jane Doe fits may help you envision your place.

4. Get Creative and Make Things Better

Just because you have a job with specific tasks that are not very efficient, it doesn’t mean you should continue to do it that way. There may be a better way to organize the tasks. Try doing things differently. You may change a process for the better and save tons of time for you and your co-workers.

Look for problems. Listen for business needs. What is not getting done? Why? Ask why a few more times to get to the root cause. Figure out who’s involved, ask questions. Then brainstorm ways to solve the problem. Two heads are better than one. If you have a room full of people, that’s even better.

There’s always something you can do to make the situation better. Asking questions may reveal information being requested is no longer needed. For example, I know someone who stopped sending a certain report to see if anyone would miss it. Guess what? No one missed the report and she stopped producing it. Other times there might be improvements for better systems or documentation. Still other times questioning might reveal the need to automate a manual process, which could save time and money. Which ever you choose, do something to make it better. What good is it to recognize a need and not do anything about?

Let’s recap what we’ve discussed so far. Tip 1 was about focusing on your reputation. Take small steps to improve your reputation. Tip 2 talked about how your willingness to learn becomes a value to your company. Tip 3 discussed the importance of knowing your company’s priorities so you can understand how your job fits with the bigger picture. Tip 4 was all about making things better. Solve problems. Improve your working conditions. All of these tips can help you increase your value-add at work.

These days most people accept that jobs are not for life anymore. People are more mobile and much more likely to change jobs every few years and even careers a number of times throughout their lives. And it is increasingly common that we may also find that we need to change jobs because of retrenchments, redundancies and closures. Having confidence in your skills and experience and your ability to deal with the challenges of starting over can give you a greater sense of confidence about your career, and whatever life brings your way.

Get support. Surround yourself with family and friends and let them know your situation. Stay in contact with those you care about and continue your usual social activities. Although you might not feel like it, now is not the time to avoid people or stop socialising. Your support crew will help you to stay motivated and positive and they’ll keep their eyes open for opportunities for you.

It’s not about you. Jobs, not people, are made redundant. Redundancy is now a common term and accepted as a part of modern working life. It’s not a reflection on you or anything you need to feel ashamed about.

Set up a HQ. Create an environment that it conducive to your job-search project. Set up a basic office at home that includes access to a phone, stationary, postage supplies, computer and printer. If you have small children or pets keep them out of this area and ask your children not to answer the phone while you are job searching. If you are basing yourself out of a job café or other facility, be prepared. Make sure that you have the tools you need to apply for jobs that appeal to you, including an up to date resume, referees and an email address.

Create an up to date resume. Create a captivating covering letter. Provide a detailed description of the achievements in each of your roles and the timeframes you have been in the role. Provide all contact details including phone number (land line and mobile), email and where possible a fax number. If you don’t have a fax at home, find someone close to you i.e. local business and ask them if you can use their number.

Get out. Become involved in local networks and community events. Investigate groups that meet regularly in your area and get involved. This is a great way to meet new people, make new contacts and find out about jobs that are available close to home.

Mind your language. Avoid using negative words such as ‘unemployed’, ‘on the dole’ and ‘I can’t find a job’ and replace them with positive perspectives such as ‘I will find a job suitable for me’.

Stay well presented. It only takes seven-seconds to make a first impression. Make the most of your seven-seconds by smiling when you greet someone. Invest in a good suit, if you don’t have one, borrow one for interviews; polish your shoes and ensure that your hair is clean and tidy. It’s easy to get out of the good-grooming habit when you don’t have to do it every day. Remember how important is it both to your self-esteem as well as to people’s first impression of you.

Stay motivated. Finding a new job is hard work; treat it as you would any work assignment – your fulltime job is finding a new role that you will enjoy. Just as with any job it can be frustrating and especially disappointing when you receive ‘rejection’ letters. Prepare yourself for the fact that you will receive these. They are not personal. Focus on keeping your goals in your mind and remind yourself constantly that there is a role out there just for you, it’s only a matter of time until you find it.

Marian Wright Edelman writes that our success should be measured not by how we help ourselves, but how we help others. The altruistic nature of this definition provides background for how we may view the success of our careers also. The problem is that in a hypercompetitive marketplace with an unforgiving investor base looking for constant share price escalation (not to mention somewhat burdensome regulatory requirements), the pressure on each and every employee to produce is higher than ever. How can we possibly put in the time to help our colleagues succeed when that endeavor could lead to our own failure?

Therein lies the paradox. If our success is truly measured by company-wide achievement that outperforms the competition, then it is our business to help each other succeed in the workplace. Now, incentive plans often do not motivate employees to help one another, but that’s an entire article in itself. How can we be “successful” by helping others to succeed in the workplace without compromising our own career goals?

The answer is simple and universal: SHARE INFORMATION

This may seem counterintuitive, but it’s true. By sharing information, you strengthen others while doing the same for yourself. Take for example, “that guy”. You know “that guy”. “That guy” is the one who hordes information so he can look better than everyone else in a meeting. He doesn’t attend work sessions with the team without managers present because he doesn’t want to share information. His motivation is to make himself look great in “big meetings” at your expense. He revels in establishing superiority to you and your colleagues. He plays dirty. You despise “that guy.”

But here’s the thing: “That guy” may have short term success, but he can’t succeed over time. Think about it. He has to constantly come up with new information alone, without input from anyone. He isolates himself purposely, but he can’t benefit from collective thought. His ideas may sound good to him, but because he hasn’t shared them with others, he may not know that the idea has been tried and failed, or that with some feedback, the idea could be great instead of good. The pressure he places on himself to outperform multiples of people is immense. He’s destined to fail.

By sharing information, you strengthen everyone around you. You build a network of people who are willing to share knowledge and insight with you (especially at times when you’re not at your best). By helping others, you inevitably help yourself. In that scenario, you will outperform “that guy” faster than he thinks. The team with whom you share your information will be nurtured consistently produce great work. Now all your team has to do is assign credit to individuals for different aspects of the team’s winning performance. Promote team success and assign credit to all members. Everybody wins.

So the key to continuous success in your job and over the length of your career is sharing information. Clichés became clichés for a reason: Two (or more) minds are better than one.

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