This post was contributed by Kelly Austin from Higher Salary. Visit her site for information on the average graphic design salary and guides to other popular careers.

Office Etiquette: How To Make A Lasting Impression

Making a good impression is important when you are in the business world. No matter what you have done in the past, you will be judged on what you have done lately, or what you can do for the company in the long run. Therefore, impressing those around you without coming on too strong is very important. Fortunately, there are a few easy ways of doing this naturally and without too much bravado.

 Confidence

The best way to make a good impression is to come off confident and sure of yourself. A big smile and a good handshake are great ways to come off as a future superstar. When the boss sees that you believe in yourself, it will help ease whatever doubts the boss might have had about you. The best part is you don’t have to try too hard to believe in yourself, it will just come out naturally.

Work Hard

Let your work speak for itself. Come in early, stay late and offer suggestions if you can. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, just offer a couple of easy suggestions as to how a process can be improved. Maybe you point out a redundancy that could be eliminated, or offer an electronic way to keep track of paper files to save money on paper usage. This will make a huge impression without you having to go overboard with it and look like you are trying to suck up.

Be A People-Person

Invite the other workers out for a drink after work someday. Throw a barbecue and get to know your co-workers. Being a people-person and able to get along with others will allow them to feel comfortable around you and get to know you for what you are. It might seem like another simple tip, but you can get people to open up and really want to work with you if they learn to like you. Making an impression on people at work doesn’t have to take a ton of effort. Just be personable and show a little confidence at the workplace. People will gravitate toward you and be attracted to your confident nature and your can do attitude. If you show that you are working toward team success while offering ways to make things better for the company, you will go a long way toward making a huge impression without looking like you are trying too hard.

Readers-What do you think?  How do you make a great lasting impression?