How to Keep a Job

By Katie Deem
One can get training on how to do well in an interview. One can learn how to impress an employer by looking professional, speaking eloquently and being personable. One knows she must have experience in a related field to qualify for a desired position. She must be educated or trained, if necessary. It is not widely known, however, how to keep employment.

Just as one enrolls in a class and pays tuition, one applies for a job, is interviewed and is hired. These tasks are simple and easily performed. However, one must attend class and do the assignments in order to receive a passing grade. Similarly, one must show up for work and perform duties in order to keep employment.

Generally, when one finally obtains a position, he or she feels a sense of relief. One feels she can relax because she has won her employer’s approval. However, this is when she should be working the hardest to keep up her winning impression. She needs to convince her manager continuously that she is a fast learner, quick thinker, honest and reliable just as she told the manager she was in the interview. These are definitely the most difficult tasks.

There are simple things she can do. Have common sense. Show up for a scheduled shift. Be willing to come in when not scheduled. Be polite. Be honest when a mistake is made. Ask questions if unsure. Perform simple tasks just as well as difficult.

Remember that how to keep a manager’s approval depends upon his or her personality. What qualities does he or she prefer to see in an employee? Perhaps she enjoys someone personable, easy to talk to and work with, someone graceful under pressure. Or perhaps she wishes to see someone serious and driven, uninterested in conversation or being liked. One thing an employee must be is perceptive to the preferences of a manager. This is not about who one is as a person, but who one is as an employee.