So you’ve finally found the perfect job, and you no longer have to worry about how you’re going to put money on the table. Except, you’re the newest hire and thus first on the chopping block if something goes wrong at work. Your great job could be gone at any point if your company needs to lay off people. There are no guarantees in life, but you can feel a lot more comfortable in your job security if you make yourself indispensable at work. You want your boss to be saying “We could never lose her, we need her around here!” That’s how you land job security, gain negotiating power for getting raises and promotions, and generally just be well-liked and happy at work every day, instead of stressing about your performance. How do you go about making yourself an indispensable part of the office? Here are some tips.

Stay on task.

This is the easiest of tips, but it’s also the most important. While your coworkers are browsing Facebook or texting, be sure that you are on task. Your manager will notice and appreciate your dedication. This alone isn’t going to make you indispensable, but it’s an important groundwork to lay. After all, you can’t be great at your job if you aren’t doing your job.

Always be learning.

Once training is over, it’s easy to become so absorbed in your work that you never take the time to learn more. One way to make yourself an important part of the team is to be the person who is always staying on top of trends in your industry and is able to answer other people’s questions. Find websites or newsletters that offer news about your industry and read them regularly. You can even identify courses or conferences in your field that you think would be useful and pitch them to your company. There is a good chance they will pay for you to receive additional education in your field, and they’ll look at you positively for being willing to learn.

Volunteer to take on tasks.

If your boss needs something done, volunteer to do it. Also be willing to help your coworkers as needed. There is, of course, a point where you take on too much and can’t get your actual work done. However, early in your career it’s likely you have some time to take on additional tasks in addition to your normal responsibilities. Doing this will help your boss see you as their go-to person when they need help.

Take the time to perfect your work.

You want to be known as the person who consistently produces high-quality work. This means taking the time to proofread your emails, doublecheck the numbers in your report, and generally make sure that everything you do for work is high quality. You do still have to meet deadlines, but even taking a few minutes after finishing something to look it over can make a big difference in the quality of your work, and thus how your work is perceived.

Identify problems and solutions.

Don’t just do the work that is handed you. Take the time to learn the inner workings of your company and your industry. This will allow you to see areas where the process may be broken or could just be optimized. This is only one part of this tip, though. You need to come up with solutions to the problems you identify. Don’t be the person that creates work for your boss because you’re always pointing out issues he has to fix. Instead, become known as the person who fixes problems and comes up with good ideas. Your bosses will be grateful.

Be willing to lean into your weaknesses.

Anyone can identify their strengths and only take on work that relates to their strengths. That’s great, but it’s likely that many people in your organization have the same weaknesses, such as public speaking. The next time an opportunity for a project in your area of weakness comes up, let your boss know that you’re not great at it, but you are willing to work on it and learn. This will not only help you grow as a person (and employee) but your boss will see you as hardworking and willing to learn.

Keep track of your wins.

The next time you score a big win for the company, make a note of it. Record any praise you receive from clients, along with quantitative data about how you’ve benefitted the company. Bring this to your next performance review, so you can point out exactly how you’ve performed well in the year. Your boss may not notice your work in the day to day, so being able to point to how you’ve directly increased company revenue or improved performance can demonstrate your worth to your superiors.

Understand what your boss needs.

Chances are that your boss has certain key performance metrics that they need to meet. At the very least, they have certain priorities. Take the time to understand what’s important to your boss and how your job fits into that. There might be tasks that you had considered not very important that are actually crucial, or tasks you tend to spend a lot of time on that don’t really matter to your boss. Understanding what your boss needs from you and how to make your boss look good to her own boss is a great way to become an indispensable part of the team.

Take time off.

This seems counterintuitive, but when you’re in your desk early and staying late every day, it starts to become easy for your boss to take you for granted. Take your vacation days without feeling any guilt about it. Be sure to do what you need to prepare for your absence, but you being gone a few days means that something goes undone or has to be handled by someone else, your boss will realize how important you are to the office. Don’t take advantage and take too much time off, but stepping away from work will help everyone realize that they depend on you. Plus, taking some time to relax and refresh will benefit you as well.

The best thing that you can do for yourself and your career is to be good at your job and make sure that your boss is aware of that fact. Making yourself an indispensable part of your workplace is crucial early in your career and sets you up for a successful career.

How do you go about making yourself an important part of the team?