Meeting & Exceeding Your Employer’s Expectations

By Chaz Kyser, Special to THE BLACK COLLEGIAN

As a college student you pretty much know what your professors expect of you. You are told to show up on time ready to learn, and to try your best to make A’s in your classes, or to at least pass them. If only things were that simple in the real world.

During your first few weeks or perhaps months on the job you may feel like a freshman again—very unsure of how you’re going to succeed in this new environment. This feeling normally stems from just not knowing what you must do to perform well. This can be complicated by the fact that some employers may not be as straightforward as your former professors about what they desire of you. Sure, you know you’re supposed to come to work on time, but what else? What will set you apart from your other co-workers? What will ensure that you get promotions? What will keep your boss happy and out of your way?

You might be able to find out what your employer expects of you by just asking. Some employers will be able to tell you all of their expectations, right down to not taking a personal call longer than five minutes. But others might not be able to put all of their expectations into words. That’s why you should be aware of some general expectations that most employers have.

Your Employer Expects and Wants You to Be:

A Team Player: An employee who is able to relate and work well with a diverse group of people. Someone who leaves his or er problems at the front door, and shows up to work with a “winning” attitude. A person who can pull his or her own load and doesn’t gripe about having to pull someone else’s at times.

A Go-Getter: An employee who can get the ball rolling alone. Someone who doesn’t have to be babied or asked twice to do something. A person who can generate new ideas and actually benefit the company.

Multifaceted: An employee whose skills aren’t limited to those needed just for his or her specific position. Someone who can perform a variety of duties with ease and enthusiasm, and is willing to learn new skills.

Flexible: An employee who can “go with the flow,” and handle assignments as needed. Someone who won’t say things like “there’s no way I can work those hours,” “I didn’t plan on and don’t want to work on this assignment,” or “I can’t believe I have to share an office with three people.”

A Good Communicator: An employee with poise, tact, and something worthwhile to say; someone with a good command of the English language that can converse with ease; an employee who can also write as compellingly as they speak.

You may not naturally possess all of these qualities, but luckily these are all qualities that you can work on. Not many people are able to walk into their new work environment and blow everyone’s mind. And relax, because for the most part no one expects you to. Your employer and fellow co-workers probably know that you haven’t been working professionally for long, and hopefully they understand that you have a lot to learn. They were anxious and uncertain about how well they would do too. In fact, they still are. People always have to live up to another person’s expectations at work. Your main focus should be on doing your job and doing it well.

Now that you know what qualities are crucial for you to possess, you can go about learning what unique expectations your employer has. And some can be very “unique.”

As you attempt to meet and exceed your employer’s expectations, you’re going to grow in more ways than one. You’ll be a better team player, go-getter, communicator, multifaceted, and flexible person than you ever thought you could be in college. You’ll also, hopefully, be a model employee—the kind that your boss will have another rookie talk to when he or she asks, “What do you expect from me?”