How to be successful at work

Once you graduate from college and land a job, your next immediate concern is how to succeed in your career. Because the world has become so competitive, doing well in your job and moving forward with your career is more important now than ever. Career advancement and recognition are on every professional's list of goals. But what sets the exceptional professionals apart? The answer is simply willingness and a strong desire to perform well. Once you have the willingness and the right mindset, you can begin climbing the ladder.

Here are some career success secrets on how to excel at work:

Take initiative

Today's career requirements are highly developed and require much more than someone who won't take risks. In today's competitive career landscape, employers are looking for individuals who can bring fresh ideas to the table and take initiative, start new projects, pitch new solutions and create new opportunities for the business.

Be your own evaluator

One of the best ways to achieve career success is to keep assessing your performance. Don't wait for your annual appraisal – do it yourself. An ideal way to do this would be to identify quantifiable goals and set a timeline for achieving them. Start with setting short-term goals when you're new to a job. Create a detailed plan to achieve these goals. Break the tasks down into weekly or even daily tasks and fill out a small form at the end of the week to assess where you're headed and whether you need to change your strategy. You can even show your own performance report to your managers at some point to show how you've progressed. This will show that you understand the importance of constant self-evaluation and improvement.

Be ready to learn

To excel in your career, you have to be willing to learn and accept constructive feedback. No matter what university you graduated from or what grades you had, professional life will be very different from college. Be prepared to have a million questions pop up every day regarding what you're doing. It might take you days to get a hang of your duties at your new job, so show management that you are coachable, paying attention and always willing to learn new things.

Anticipate needs

To succeed in your new job and achieve career success, you will have to be well aware of what your manager and team needs. Stay a step ahead of your boss by asking yourself, “If I were my boss, what would I want done next?” By making sure you get things efficiently done in time, and take the initiative to do them yourself, you will be showing a positive, go-getter attitude to higher management.

Communicate well

Communication is key to an employee's and an organization's success. If your manager has to ask you for a status report, you're not doing everything you could be doing. The idea is to proactively communicate and let them know when a task is done, and move on to what needs to be done next.

Set goals to achieve

Remember you're not being paid for 'working hard' or 'staying busy.' At the end of the day, what matters to your employer is how you're contributing to fulfilling the company's goals and mission, both short term and long term. Therefore, keep in mind that you're being paid to deliver on clearly defined goals that significantly impact the company's performance and overall mission and vision. This goal-oriented mindset will help you achieve career success, no matter where you are on the corporate ladder.

Show, don't tell

The value of action is far greater than that of mere words. Use this as a principle in your dealings at the office. Instead of bragging about all the things you can do, and then never actually delivering, you ought to show management what you are capable of.

Gain trust

This is one of the most important tips for success you need to ensure success when you start a new job. Think of it this way: the quicker you earn your boss' trust, the sooner they'll have less to worry about and hence more free time to focus their attention on other pressing matters. If your boss finds you trustworthy, they'll delegate tasks to you. Make sure you meet your deadlines and keep your promises. It's critical, especially early on in your relationship with your boss, that you fulfill every commitment you make, no matter how difficult it may seem.

Create solutions

Everyone can turn their problems into their manager's problems. Be the solution provider, not the problem creator. Great employees solve problems. If you don't have the authority to give the final verdict on a problem relevant to your work or department, then make sure you offer solutions to your boss and try to help as much as you can, wholeheartedly.

Be compassionate

Being a good employee requires compassion and understanding that your manager, and fellow employees are doing their best. Throwing a tantrum is not going to do anyone any good, neither will constantly complaining about how much work you're doing. At the end of the day, everyone is doing their fair share of the work they're getting paid for.

Many of these traits and behaviors that can help you excel in your career are also found in great leaders. By keeping these 10 career success secrets in mind, you can put yourself on the path to true greatness and achieve your ultimate career goals.