ALWAYS BE CONSCIENTIOUS

See that you do not rob your employer in any way. Be punctual. Consistent lateness is daylight robbery. You are paid to be at your business for certain hours. See that you are there.
Secondly, don’t waste his materials. This may be done by thoughts appropriation for one’s own purposes, or by bad, careless workmanship which causes waste.
Third, don’t waste his time. Countless hours are wasted every day by employees who gossip, make private phone calls, do personal jobs, extend tea breaks and lunch time and leaves before time. Lastly, do you work to the best of your ability. Your employer expects that from you. He engaged you on that assumption. Shoddy, third-rate work is a form of pilfering, and ill becomes anyone who claims to be a moral being.

IMPROVE YOURSELF IN EVERY WAY

Dress appropriately for the job. See you look tidy and clean, at least to start the day.Improve your voice and speech. No matter what your job, this will help you. People tend to judge you by your vocal means of expression. If voice and speech are attractive and clear, they will help to mark you for promotion. Another helpful thing is to extend your general education. In many spheres, a good, general education alone will place you head and shoulders above your fellows.

TAKE AN INTEREST IN YOUR WORK

Find out why you do what you do. Know something of the history of your job, your trade, your profession, your firm. Visualize its future development.Another way to develop interest is to see your job in perspective. See the ultimate objective or the finished product. Think how your job is contributing to the welfare of others. Learn to ask questions concerning your job. Beside extending your own knowledge, you may hit upon some idea for improvement and progress. Remember, questions do not much reveal your ignorance as the fact that you have an inquisitive mind. Most important, seriously consider the question of studying for some further qualifications relating to your work. In these days of fierce competition, there is little chance of advancement in most firms without the proof of intensive study and exact knowledge which paper qualification give.

BE WILLING

Employers like people who are willing to undertake some new job, to take on new responsibilities, to do something in addition to their actual duty. Willing people make the lot of the business executive so much easier. They ensure the success of enterprise. Willingness enhances the value of any employee. It is a priceless quality to be manifested by anyone aiming at promotion.

BE CHEERFUL

Cheerfulness is closely allied to willingness and is equally valued by employers.When promotion is considered, it will go to the cheerful rather that the moaning employee, even though the latter may be more proficient. Cheerfulness makes us likeable. Cheerfulness puts people on our side. Like willingness, it puts us on the road to advancements.

ACQUIRE RELEVANT SKILLS

If you see that certain skills will help in the more efficient execution of your duties, make it your business to acquire those skills. Would typing help you? Then learn to type. Shorthand? Then master it, Public speaking? Begin to master it.Look ahead, too, what skills are possessed by your immediate superior? You will not rise to his rank easily until you, too, have those skills.

BE OBSERVANT

Keep you eyes open all the time. Watch how things are done, especially by more experienced people than yourself. Imitate them. Observe things, also, about other people’s jobs. You may be required to stand in for them some day. You will do so more efficiently if you know something of their work. Closely allied with observation is memory. There is little point in observing if you don’t remember what you observe. Remember details of your job so that you can produce relevant data at a moment’s notice. If, in your job, you deal with people, make a special effort to remember names.

WATCH HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS

Try to keep on good terms with everyone, your associates as well as your employer. Most promotions entail handling people. If your employer knows you get on well with people, it will be a point in your favour when promotions are being considered. It would hardly help the smooth-running of his business to put you in charge of others, if, within a few months, you are going to make them disgruntled and thinking of resigning. The biggest factor in maintaining good relationship with others is courtesy. Always be polite to everyone. Further, consider others as much as possible - their comfort, hopes, fears dispositions. Try not to hurt annoy or offend. Tactfulness pays big dividends in the sphere of human relationships.

LEARN TO RELAX

Taut, strained employees are not the most efficient. They tend to make mistakes, ruin human relationships and go on the sick list. Therefore, work hard when you’re at your job, but don’t as a general rule, take its problems home with you.You will do better work when you are on duty. If you have a complete change when you are off. If your work is of such a character that you must work on it at home, be disciplined in giving yourself regular times of relaxation and recreation. Staleness and fatigue never produce good work. Rather they are the cause of errors, tensions and missed opportunities.

GROW TO LIKE YOUR WORK

In some ways this is the most important of all. You will never do well in a job you hate. If you are in that unfortunate position, you must change your job or your attitude to it. To bring about the latter, it will be a great help if you carry out the suggestions already given. In addition, think of all the advantages of y our job - the security it gives you, the essentials of life you are able to buy, the contribution it makes to human life and happiness. Dwell upon these rather than upon its disadvantages. Incidentally, no job is ideal in every way. The most pleasant and lucrative is bound to carry some snags.