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How to Ask Your Boss for More Responsibility at Work

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How to Ask Your Boss for More Responsibility at Work

You love your job, and you’ve gotten pretty good at it. Your boss seems pleased with your work, but you find yourself feeling a bit restless. It’s not unusual that, no matter how much you like what you’re doing, there comes a time when you need a new challenge.

You want more responsibility to make your life more interesting and as the next step towards career advancement. Forcing yourself out of your comfort zone by taking on more responsibility will help you grow professionally and personally. It won’t always be easy or comfortable, but it’s the best way to make progress through the organization.

Now you need to convince your boss to give you added responsibility. 23

Talk to Your Supervisor

If you don’t have scheduled meetings with your boss, try to get time on the calendar for the discussion. Ask if there are any additional projects you could work on. Go into the meeting prepared with some ideas, so you can suggest areas where you might be able to get more involved. Sometimes the direct approach works best: “I’m ready for more responsibility. I feel I can do more to help the company.”

Find Out Where You Are Needed

Look around for overburdened co-workers and help them out. Just be careful not to let them use you. There are those who will be happy to let you do their extra work, and then take all the credit for it. And don’t help others at the expense of your own duties, or you could end up becoming the overburdened employee.

Become the Best at What You Do

Keep learning new things, such as the latest developments in your field. You could eventually be seen as an expert on a specific topic, which could give you a leg up when assignments are handed out for an important new project.

You could set up a “Google Alert” for subjects that pertain to your industry. Choose your search terms, and any new articles that come out under them will be sent to your inbox. Show yourself to be a good teammate by sharing them with your co-workers.

Don’t Wait Around to Be Asked

One of the most significant attributes of an employee is proactivity. Average workers wait for someone to tell them what to do, while the true team leaders see what needs to be done and take care of it. If you can identify tasks that need to be completed and take it upon yourself to finish them, your foresight will be noticed and appreciated.

Of course, always get approval before reaching out to customers or someone else outside the company. It could be an embarrassment to the organization if you duplicated something that had already been done by another team member.

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Contact Pro Resources for the light industrial or technical/professional position you’re hoping to find. We’ve been in business for over 30 years, so let us use our expertise to help you find your perfect fit.

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