When a company decided to employ you, of course it is because of the skills you have met their requirements. However, to keep your job last forever and to have a better career, you not just need skills; you also need flexibility, street smarts, and people know-how. Currently, work-world seems to be a field of extreme challenge. Everyday you’ll find some new different challenges, here are some of those.

First challenge. You made a little mistake or even cause your department loses out a big and important contract.

Well, sometimes new hi-technology and a must of intense progress make almost the entire employees look stupid or careless of another job description. Don’t be so much worry about it. You don’t have to hide your mistake or feel guilty for the rest of your life. Just say that you are sorry about it. Hearing that you are apologetic, accept full responsibility, and understand the gravity of your gaffe will help you regain respect. Don’t make over excuses.

Second challenge. In the office, you are a staff and you should always be there whenever your boss calls you. But, what happen when your boss often call your cell phone on your lunch break or maybe at night.

Actually, mobile phone is made to make its user so much easier to communicate with others, but we also can’t deny that it has erased the boundary between work and the rest of your life. It has created a new depression in your mind. Like it or not, your boss should understand the condition when you need a privacy. All you can do is stop checking your mobile phone or any mobile devices that could make you connect with your office whenever you are outside the workplace. You can set it off at night, unless your boss has told you that she/he may need you anytime.

Third challenge. You need to get a raising salary after years served in the company; in fact the company can just give 4% over the previous salary.

Honey, if you think that you deserve for a raising salary, don’t hesitate to talk to your boss. Well, maybe it isn’t a decision your boss can make on her own. If you talk with him/her you have to convince that it’s worth asking her higher-ups if they’d consider rise up your salary. Talk to her around the time of your annual review or at least six months after your start date. Then assure her that you understand her hands may be tied, but you’d like to make the case for why she has to pay attention to what you are willing to say. Explain your specific achievements and how they go beyond what the typical employee accomplishes. Next, you can draw you plan to contribute in the future to assure her that you have invested in the job and aren’t going to take the money and run in six months. Tell him/her that you believe your efforts warrant more than the usual raise. You can tell him the amount you have in mind on the line. With a logic reason, you will persuade her to go to bat for you and get her bosses to set aside what you’re asking for.

Fourth challenge. Your department faces such an important case which your boss can’t make a decision and doesn’t know how to delegate it to someone else. Like it or not, this situation starts to affect your reputation.

Well, you should realize that sometimes to minimize the expenditure, the company will promote high-level staffs to be a manager before they have the right leadership skills rather than recruit a more capable person outside the company. This situation will make his/her lack of experience often leaves her creating a general sense of disorder and confusion especially in a situation which he/she never faces before.

At first, you better imagine that you also in this situation. You have to concern that he/she is already under pressure from her higher-ups to do a certain job. By putting the onus on yourself, she will be more apt to suggest solutions that benefit both of you.

the image credit by Vangelis Thomaidis