Q: I’m about to start my first “real job” after graduating college. I wonder if there is a particular piece or two of advice for people with disabilities to excel in the work force?

A: First off, congratulations, it is quite an accomplishment to land your first job during this employment and economic downturn. When it comes to succeeding at work, people with disabilities face and have the same issues as people without disabilities.  In the words of one of our contributors, “disability has nothing to do with it, just get it done, well and on time.” 

Below are a few pieces of advice we have collected from hiring managers, accomplished disability leaders, job coaches and national experts. Some of the pointers may sound trite, but each suggestion was reflected by several experts and represents simple but traditionally sound strategies to succeed.

     - Show up, on time!

 “You have no idea what percentage of employees have trouble just getting to work on time,” says a hiring manager with 20 years experience in the area of human resources. If your hours say 9-5, then get there before 9 and never be the first to run out the door. “If you can just do these two things, consistently, you’re probably already ahead of seventy five percent of the work force.  Always being on time or even a bit early will get you noticed, and a willingness to stay even a few minutes late to get something out the door is equally noteworthy to managers. 

     - Work hard and volunteer for new projects.

Good managers know who is working hard and who is not. “Some people will do the absolute minimum necessary to get by,” says a recruiter for a large national financial institution. “It’s just not that hard to tell who wants to be part of the solution,” she says. One definite red flag is the person who spends twenty minutes a day complaining just how busy he is or focuses on how something is not in their job description. “I want people who will take things on and more importantly, get them done!  Don’t tell me you try, tell me it’s done,” she says. 

Employees who volunteer for extra work, or regularly offer to assist on projects get noticed.  “Any manager will tell you, if you want something done, give it to the busiest person, they will figure out a way to complete the assignment!"

     - It’s OK not to know.

Sometimes, particularly in a new job, employees can feel pressure to have “all the answers” when questioned by a supervisor or co-worker.  It’s important to always be honest and open; if you don’t know the answer to a question, that’s ok.  The critical piece is how one handles this situation. Simply saying I don’t know doesn’t help move toward a solution. Answering that you don’t know but will research the question and report back within a specifically defined period of time demonstrates initiative, responsibility and an ability to problem solve.

     - Take pride in your work.

Taking pride in ones work can sound a bit trite, but even the most junior position within an organization reflects dramatically on that organization. People notice the attitude and demeanor of the interactions with all levels of employees. Often these impressions are communicated directly to managers and operating officers of the organization. In the work environment, everyone from front line staff to the CEO is always making a first impression on someone, and that becomes the impression of the organization. Remember, the difference between ordinary and extraordinary is just a little extra!

     - Make your supervisors job easier.

We have often heard about satisfying the responsibilities in a job or even keeping the boss happy, but one of our contributors framed the goal for every employee to “make your supervisors job easier.”  This is a great proactive way to re-imagine your role within the organization and make your contributions even more valuable. Unlike some of the other suggestions, this is more of an attitudinal approach for guiding work product, interactions and taking on additional responsibilities.

Lastly, according to Berkshire Hathaway’s co-chairman Charley Munger:

On success: The best way to get what you want in life is to deserve what you want. How can it be otherwise? It's not crazy enough so that the world is looking for a lot of undeserving people to reward.

All these suggestions can, of course, apply to anyone in a work environment.  We encourage all our readers to provide additional suggestions at the WID Facebook page.