According to the Hays Global Skills Index 2019/20, there is a significant talent mismatch in Singapore. In fact, “as market participation in Singapore continues to grow, those who possess digital skills–no matter their occupation–will be the most attractive to Singapore’s expanding industries.” In following, one way to step in and boost your competitive edge at work could be to master skills like programming and coding.

Research in the US, UK and Indonesia has identified public speaking as one of the biggest fears of employees worldwide, influencing career progression, workplace stress levels, and success on key projects. While most people might associate public speaking with client-facing roles, it’s also integral to management positions and even desk jobs involving team presentations. Given the importance and challenge of communicating professionally, practicing and gaining confidence can significantly boost your value in the workplace.

There are more pleasant ways to boost your career as well. In fact, it may be as easy as taking a trip to the spa or adopting a new workout regimen. Research has found that physically attractive people earn 20 per cent more than their counterparts at the office, and employees who are considered “well-groomed” tend to earn substantially higher pay. In addition, global studies have found that people who engage in regular physical activity tend to earn 4%–17% more than their peers. Fitness and maintaining a well-kept appearance may therefore impact your yearly compensation.

Another way to boost your status at work is to simply make friends with co-workers. Building a positive relationship with those you manage (or those who manage you) increases the likelihood of cooperation and willingness to help one another when in need. In fact, Harvard Business Review found that warm office relationships boosted employee engagement with their work sevenfold.

Reaching goals often calls for a relentless level of determination. To maintain motivation, try to ‘chunk’ your goals, breaking them down into smaller parts to help you stay on task, and also determine whether or not your end-game goal is achievable. You can reward yourself each time you meet one of those interim goals. That way you’re not waiting for just that fantastic goal at the end of the year, but you’re helping to keep yourself motivated throughout.

Don’t decide on the fly about whether you’ll work on the weekend or Skype after hours. If you have a work calendar, mark it out so you are not available during the times that you have decided on. There is no need to explain to people why you’re not available – you’re just not.

It seems ironic but the best way to stand out at work and get that promotion you want is to actually make your boss’ job look easier. And the best way to do that is to make his or her job obsolete. You’re not really putting your manager out of a job – you’re simply allowing them to trust your work completely. In turn, she or he can focus on new areas that the higher-ups need to address. Strong work goes up the chain, improves the company, and gets you noticed.

When it comes to progression, managers typically look for employees who are completing their assignments and asking what the next task is going to be. They also help their colleagues instead of stepping on them in their climb up the ladder. Managers love to promote people on their team who raise the performance of everybody around them.