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Career Advice for Job Seekers

The Makings of an Indispensable Employee

William Frierson AvatarWilliam Frierson
June 5, 2013


Smiling employee with her arms crossed

Smiling employee with her arms crossed. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

The 2013 global economy is as volatile as ever before, seemingly fluctuating more often than ocean tides. This instability forces employees in all working sectors to be on their toes and strive for adaptability.

The days of coasting through a perfect routine in the workplace have faded into the oblivion and people are expected to mold their talents to their employer’s immediate needs.

While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing and actually keeps employment fresh, it does put more pressure on employees to be more knowledgeable and useful. Listed below are certain ways that you, the employee, can make sure that you’re indispensible within your job role. The goal is to help you not only keep your job, but become ripe picking for promotion as a valued member of staff.

1.    Be educated in the field

Whether you already have the job or are striving to get the hiring letter, it’s critical to be educated for a specific role. Whether it’s a university degree or another certificate of achievement, it helps make you unique when you hold relevant knowledge and skills. A company won’t be able to give you up if you are better trained than the next applicant or employee. In 2013, as higher education is preferred to separate oneself from the masses, it’s imperative to be as educated as possible.

Highlight: It’s relative to your specific career and role, but it’s really important to be educated if you want to be considered indispensable. Being able to perform a single, narrow focused role is not enough. Even if you have a seemingly stable role within your company, do your best to up-train where possible to get a leg up on the others.

2.    Be part of the workplace network

Regardless if it’s a corporate office or a small business front desk, be part of the team. Irrespective of your production or individual contributions, you need to be seen as a team player. If a company downsizes or evolves, they will take employees that contribute most to the greater good. In this economy, this has become even more apparent as leadership around the country consolidates to ease budget demands.

Highlight: You need to be a team player to be considered indispensable. Whether it’s collaborating outside of your specific role or simply being friendly to each and every coworker, it can go a long way in establishing yourself as a solid employee. Making this effort will boost your job security while simultaneously making your employment more fulfilling.

3.    Thrive on being flexible

In an ever-changing economy, it’s a given that you’ll need be flexible. Traditional job roles and straight forward daily routines have now become increasingly multidimensional in many professions. Your performance in a given workplace will often be judged by how you adapt to change, and even more so when you’re assessed individually.

Highlight: Make a point to not only be flexible, but to try and embrace it. It’s an advantage to have a job role that enables you to learn something new each day. Take it as a positive and go with the flow. Your superiors and co-workers will appreciate your adaptability.

4.    Maximize efficiency

Whether you’re in a production environment or not, it’s important to be efficient with your time. Doing so enables you to be a more valued employee that your employer can’t afford to let go. A well-organized worker who gets things done in a timely matter is an employer’s dream. In 2013 it’s critical to complete and maintain your tasks at an expected, if not more rapid rate.

Highlight: Being efficient in the workplace often leads to progressive lateral and vertical promotion within a company. The only way to go is up if you put your best foot forward where efficiency is concerned.

5.    Become familiar with technology

In 2013, an indispensable employee is technology savvy. Whether it’s knowing exactly how to operate a standard computer or having the unique ability to perform data quality analysis for your business in times of need, it’s a massive bonus to me familiar with these types of operations. Every employee should be adequate in this area within modern society, but they aren’t. This is a golden idea that can help you become irreplaceable.

Highlight: Most successful companies in 2013 have an IT structure, and at the very least an online presence. It’s vital to be comfortable and effective with technology if you aim to be considered a valuable employee.

Being an indispensable employee is always difficult. However, it’s never been this challenging. In an economy as turbulent as ours, it’s important to stay afloat in your workplace by putting yourself in a position to succeed in a variety of ways. The above tips are a place to start. The responsibility is on you to maintain your effectiveness in the workplace to make yourself as useful as possible.

Kate Gredley is an elementary teacher that can throw a frisbee. When she’s not in the classroom she writes about information technology degrees for Globe University.

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