First impressions are important, especially when you start a new job, but for the majority of UK professionals it doesn’t stop there. In fact, according to new data from CV-Library, the UK’s leading independent job board, nearly three quarters of workers (70.5%) admitted that they aspire to impress their boss for as long as they work at that company.
The survey, which asked 1,000 UK workers about their attitudes towards impressing a new employer, found that women were some of the most likely to want to make a good impression throughout their entire employment (75.5%), as well as those aged between 35 and 44 (75.6%). When asked how they aim to please their new employer respondents cited the following:
- By effectively managing my workload 27.3%
- By putting forward new ideas 18.2%
- By taking on extra responsibilities outside of my job spec 13%
- By helping other members of my team 9.8%
- By always being punctual 9.6%
Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library, comments:
“Our findings suggest that UK workers are keen to impress their new employers, and this is unsurprising, given that most professionals want to get ahead in their career. Though as an employer you may expect punctuality and organisation as standard, it’s important to ensure that employees don’t go unnoticed for their efforts when they are consistently doing a good job. Recognition and reward is greatly received by staff, and will also work to encourage continued hard work in the future.”
Despite the majority saying they would never stop trying to impress their boss, nearly a quarter (21.7%) of professionals admitted that they would only aim to make an impression for up to a year at the company. Of those, 7.5% would only make an effort for the first week, 5.1% for the first month and 5.9% for the first three months.
Biggins concludes:
“It’s positive to see that the majority of professionals will always aim to please their employer, and not allow the novelty to wear off when they no longer view them as a ‘new’ boss. It is however concerning that some will only try to make a good impression for as short a time as a week. Be sure to nurture an environment where your employees feel as if they can share new ideas, and they know their hard work is appreciated. This will in turn encourage employees to continue working hard and aiming to please, its win-win!”
Learn more about CV-Library at www.cv-library.co.uk
