How to Be Competitive in Today's Workplace Today's work place is very competitive. You will need to have a variety of skills that will give you the competitive edge you need to succeed. 1. Listen Well: Good listening skills make you more productive, help you get along better with others, and allow you to work better in a team-based environment. Why You Need Good Listening Skills • Good listening skills make workers more productive. – The ability to listen carefully will allow you to: • better understand assignments and what is expected of you; • build rapport with co-workers, bosses, and clients; • show support; • work better in a team-based environment; • resolve problems with customers, co-workers, and bosses; • answer questions; and • find underlying meanings in what others say. How to Listen Well • The following tips will help you listen well. Doing these things will also demonstrate to the speaker that you are paying attention. While you may in fact be able to listen while looking down at the floor, doing so may imply that you are not. – – – – – – maintain eye contact; don't interrupt the speaker; sit still; nod your head; lean toward the speaker; repeat instructions and ask appropriate questions when the speaker has finished. – A good listener knows that being attentive to what the speaker doesn't say is as important as being attentive to what he does say. Look for non-verbal cues such as facial expressions and posture to get the full gist of what the speaker is telling you. Barriers to Listening • Beware of the following things that may get in the way of listening. • bias or prejudice; • language differences or accents; • noise; • worry, fear, or anger; and • lack of attention span.  2. Know How to Use a Computer: No matter what your job is, it's likely you will need to use a computer. It's important to make sure your computer skills are up-todate. • In most places of business, a computer is standard. In the bank they use computers to look up your account information. They use computers in the auto repair shop to assess your car. You can't find books in the library by looking in a card catalog — you must use a computerized database. Doctors' offices utilize computers to store patient information. The point is this — no matter where you find employment, there is a good chance a computer will be a basic tool you will have to use. It is in your best interests to start off computer literate.  3. Write Effectively: Whether your job requires you to write short memos or lengthy reports, you must be able to communicate well in writing. Organize Your Writing • Whether you are writing a memo to your coworker or a report for your boss, you should decide what information you want to convey. • Here is how to do this: – List each item you need to discuss in your memo or report. – Put them in order -- from most to least important – Write a brief summary of your entire memo -- this will be your first paragraph. – Expand on each item listed in step 1. – If any action needs to be taken by the recipient, state that in your closing paragraph.  4. Deal With Crises at Work: Being able to solve problems quickly and seamlessly can set you apart from others. • The saying, "Nothing ever goes as planned," is as true at work as it is anywhere. Things don't always happen the way we intend them to. Being prepared for these difficulties is important both to the well-being of your employer and to your job success. The employee who solves a problem that threatens productivity, and ultimately the bottom line, will certainly be looked upon favorably  5. Manage Your Time: Learning how to manage your time effectively will allow you to complete projects in a timely fashion. Improve Your Time Management Skills • Do you often feel like you have more things to do than you have time to do them? Here are tips to help you improve your time management skills both at work and at home. – Keep Prioritized "to do" Lists: List tasks you must complete in order of priority (most important to least important). Cross off items as you complete them. – Schedule Breaks: Schedule breaks at regular times. You'll be less likely to goof off when you should be working. – Learn to Delegate: Don't try to do it all yourself. Assign jobs to others. – Get Organized: It's much easier to accomplish tasks if your work area is organized. – Learn to Say "No": This tip of course works better in your personal life than on your job. However, if you think your other work will suffer, try to explain it to your boss. – Get Enough Sleep: Although it's tempting to work long hours, in the end you're actually less efficient when you're tired. The End