You are given the menial tasks, told no so often or even being promised opportunities that never come through. Is this you at the moment? I know what its like. Hearing these things can be very disheartening. Getting through the boring stuff at the start of your career takes time and perseverance. But meanwhile, your motivation can slump and you start to think what the point was of all your hard work and study! Within this post I share examples of how I made the most of this ‘boring stuff’. Here is a look at how to turn boring tasks into opportunities to propel your career forward!
It took me years before I arrived at a place where I was recognised for my potential. Working hard on gaining experience and exposure to different people is the foundational first step. I also made sure I was genuinely showing that I was keen to take on more work.
I recall constantly saying to my superiors that I wanted to work on any project that was going around! This all took a lot of patience and persistence but it was worth it. And I encourage you to do the same.
Sometimes an internal opportunity didn’t work out for whatever reason. I would go through the emotions of frustration and then get on with it. I would always start to search for work outside of what I was given. For instance, I would offer to take on a problem I noticed, or turn what I was given into something creative.
Example 1 – The stuffy storeroom
I was once given a task as a graduate where I was asked to tidy the storeroom. It was stuffy with lots of boxes with old paperwork. At first I really didn’t want to do it and wondered why my masters degree was going to waste. But then the organiser in me took it on, one box at a time. I read through old records, scanning and recording and uploading them into the organisation’s electronic database.
I did a good job, was able to find out a little more history about where I worked, and could notice something tangible from my hard work. It paid to just take it on enthusiastically (instead of groaning to my manager about it). I was able to take another step in being seen as someone reliable who will do a good job with whatever she is given. The cherry on top was receiving a note of appreciation from the records management team on my efforts. I had made important records permanently available for the entire organisation to easily access. I had grown my relationship with them too!
Example 2 – The confusing policy
A later task I was given involved analysing very poorly written and confusing policy document about the ethics research process for the organisation. It was a very confusing guide for staff members wanting to undertake research. I honestly wasn’t too interested in the topic and didn’t want to work on something no one else wanted to do.
But I changed my mindset and wanted to understand and solve this puzzle. I wrote out key steps on fun post-it notes and rearranged them as I read through the document. I was able to develop great flow charts that stepped staff through what they needed to do, who they needed to speak to and documents they needed to complete. My manager was over the moon and kept saying what an excellent job I did at analysing the document. I had turned it into something meaningful that people would actually use.
In the end
Although it took time, one task led onto another and then another and my reputation grew. The tasks became more difficult as I slowly demonstrated that I was keen to do it all and my initiative didn’t go unnoticed. I was able to finish off my placement with a solid list of work experience, several excellent references, and best of all, a job offer.
So the next time you feel like your current job isn’t your dream job, take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Find creative ways to turn boring tasks into opportunities to propel your career forward. That one task will most certainly lead onto another and you want the next task to be a good one! So put in the effort that is required. Show that you are reliable and that your team can count on you. At the end of it all, you will feel proud of what you have built for yourself and your reputation will grow in ways you can’t even see yet.
Check out more articles to drive forward your personal initiative here.
