I know that your immediate concern after graduating from college and landing a job is how to succeed in your career. Because the world has become so competitive, doing well at work and progressing in your career is more critical than ever. Every professional aspires to advance in their careers and gain recognition. But what distinguishes the outstanding professionals? Simply put, motivation and a strong desire to perform well are the answers. You can start climbing the ladder once you have the desire and the right attitude.

Here are the top 12 career achievement secrets for excelling at work.

SPEAK UP

Today’s career standards are highly advanced, requiring much more than someone who is unwilling to take responsibility. Employers are looking for people who can bring new ideas to the table, take initiative, start new ventures, pitch new solutions, and innovate real opportunities for the business in today’s competitive career landscape.

EVALUATE YOURSELF

One of the most successful ways to achieve professional success is to constantly evaluate your performance. Don’t wait for your annual performance evaluation; do it yourself. A good way to do this is to set measurable goals and a timetable for completing them. When you’re new to a task, begin by establishing short-term goals. Make a comprehensive strategy to accomplish these objectives. Break the tasks down into weekly or even daily tasks, and at the end of the week, fill out a short template to determine where you’re going and whether you need to change your approach. You can even show your own progress report to your managers to demonstrate how far you’ve come. This demonstrates that you know the relevance of continuous self-evaluation and development.

BE PREPARED TO LEARN

You must be eager to learn in order to succeed in your career. Professional life can be very dissimilar from college life, regardless of which university you graduated from or which grades you received. Be prepared to answer a million questions about what you’re doing every day. It may take you a few days to get the hang of your new job’s responsibilities, but demonstrate to management that you are valuable to the team by paying attention, and by being eager to learn new things

PLAN AHEAD OF TIME

To be successful in your new position and in your career, you must be mindful of what your manager wants. Stay ahead of your supervisor by questioning yourself, “If I were my supervisor, what should I get done next?” By ensuring that tasks are completed effectively and on time, and by taking the initiative to complete them yourself, you can demonstrate a positive, ambitious attitude to upper management

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IS ESSENTIAL

Communication is critical to the success of both an employee and an organisation. If your boss has to ask you for a status report, you’re not doing your job properly. The idea is to interact proactively with them, letting them know when a task is completed and moving on to the next task.

SET GOALS FOR YOURSELF

Remember that you are not paid for ‘working hard’ or’staying busy.’ At the end of the day, what matters to your employer is how you contribute to the company’s short and long-term goals and mission. Remember that you are being hired to perform on specifically defined goals that have a massive impact on the company’s success and overall vision and mission. This goal-oriented mentality will assist you in achieving career success regardless of where you are on the corporate ladder.

DON’T TELL, SHOW

The importance of action far outweighs the importance of empty words. Use this as a core philosophy in your work. Instead of boasting about all the things you can do but then never achieving, you should demonstrate your capabilities to management.

BUILD TRUST 

This is one of the most essential success tips you can use when starting a new job. Consider this: the sooner you earn your boss’ trust, the sooner they’ll have less to worry about and therefore more spare time to concentrate on other important issues. If your boss believes you are trustworthy, he or she will delegate duties to you. Make certain that you meet your goals and follow through on your commitments. It is important, particularly early in your relationship with your boss, that you keep every promise you make, no matter how tough it may appear.

BE A PROBLEM SOLVER

Everyone has the ability to turn their issues into their manager’s problems.

Be the problem solver, not the problem.

Great workers are problem solvers. If you don’t have the power to make the final decision on an issue related to your job or department, make very sure you suggest solutions to your boss and do everything you can to help.

BE RESPECTFUL

Being a valuable worker requires empathy and understanding that your boss and co-workers are doing their best. Having a tantrum will not help anyone, nor will continually complaining about how much work you have to do. At the end of the day, others are doing their fair amount of the job for which they are paid.

DON’T TAKE DECISIONS JUST BASED ON SALARY

One of the most frequent career errors is focusing solely on financial compensation. There is more to consider than salary and benefits when choosing a job or career. Many people ignore other aspects of a job, such as the work environment, career opportunities, life quality, and interoperability with your manager. Focusing solely on salary will lead to limited vision and inhibit you from viewing job opportunities objectively. Remember that, while everyone wants to earn more money, more money will not necessarily put you in a better position to advance professionally or make you happy at work.

DON’T GET TOO COMFORTABLE

It’s easy to get a job inside a company and then “coasting” for many years. You become relaxed, understand your work duties inside and out, earn a good salary, and before you know it, three, five, and ten years have passed. Nowadays, it’s critical to take charge of your own fate. In today’s job market, you must be vigilant about continuing education and skill development. It also entails investing in yourself in order to position yourself as an asset. Make a list of your skills, experiences, and talents and use that information to help shape your personal brand.

Many of the characteristics and habits that can help you succeed in your career can also be found in great leaders. You can put yourself on the path to true greatness and achieve your ultimate career goals if you keep these twelve career success secrets in mind.