Unexpected Benefits of Doing The Work That No One Else Will

I learned a valuable job lesson at 16 that has been continuously reinforced throughout my work experience. Take on the projects no one else wants to take, and you’ll become a workplace all-star. In my experience, doing one beastly job will result in greater respect and gratitude from your coworkers, plus you will have proven yourself early on. Now for some real-life examples.

My first job was for the now-independently-owned retail chain Ben Franklin. For those who didn’t have the pleasure, Ben Franklin stores were basically dime stores with craft supplies, fabric, and gift items, and many have since been replaced by the likes of Jo-Ann, Michaels, and Hobby Lobby. It was a great job while it lasted, and it was also my first run-in with the super-impressive co-worker.

I had been working for the store for a few months. The full-timers were mostly elderly ladies, and the evening shift was populated by local high school girls. We young folk had a group slacking mentality – often there was only one or two of us working at a time, so manning the cash register was a top priority. Straightening the inventory? Not so much.

While giving a new employee her tour of the store, one of the managers pointed out the lace aisle (an aisle full of shelves piled high with doilies) as a problem spot, one that desperately needed attention but that was often overlooked by most of the employees. On her first Saturday, the new girl spent all day straightening the lace aisle. And the rest of us high school girls, after parading by to admire her handiwork, never heard the end of it.

While I didn’t appreciate being shown up with my superiors, I learned a valuable lesson: by finding the most unwanted task in the store’s to-do list and doing it, she was able to 1) fill time on a customer-less Saturday; 2) exert minimum effort; and 3) knock the socks off all the people who had been avoiding that task for months.

A second example was of my own initiative. As an intern at a public affairs office, I was expecting to get some grunt work. Particularly since my primary claim to the job was the fact that I was the CFO’s niece, I knew I would need this menial work to stay busy because the job itself wasn’t designed to have a ton of substance. So, my first task was updating the press clippings. This meant going through three months worth of back-logged newspapers and searching for any mention of my employing organization, cutting it out, and filing it. It took me about a week. Task number two was taking all of the organization’s monthly magazines, 3-hole-punching them, and putting them in a binder. To this day, my supervisor still raves that this one simple task was of monumental help to him. But, because I was willing to pitch in on the less-pleasant tasks, I was often asked to tag along to the cooler things like press conferences.

At my last job, the dreaded task was coming up with a guide for mailing policies and procedures. This involved a TON of research into the complexities that make up the USPS, countless approvals and revisions, but by the time it was finished I was a mailing expert and my colleagues sought me out for advice and information.

The bottom line? There are several benefits to taking the projects no one else wants.

1. If you have the time, take it. Often crappy projects are left undone because the person who should be doing it is just too freakin’ busy. If your choices are a) do the crappy job or b) twiddle your thumbs, I think most motivated young employees prefer to be busy than bored and will take a hit in the name of helping time pass quicker. Particularly starting out at a new job while you’re waiting for your workload to build up to its normal level, these projects are a great way to stay busy and prove yourself.
2. Consider the payoff. I know Gen Y isn’t widely recognized for paying dues in the workplace, but one less-than-desirable project will show that you are willing to do the work that needs to be done, even if it doesn’t directly relate to your corporate climb.
3. Take the hint. The jobs that no one wants often aren’t the jobs that just get assigned to people. If it was that easy, the project would be done by now. So, take the hint and take the initiative when one of these projects looms. It’ll make you look like a go-getter.
4. Add the bullet points to your resume. Did you plan the company holiday party? That’s event planning experience. Likely you worked with vendors, coordinated schedules, and developed all kinds of skills that your regular job description doesn’t include. Or, did you become an expert in something (like mailing processes)? Taking ownership of a skill set helps make you indispensable.
5. Keep it in perspective. I’m talking about one or two projects here. If you’re an intern, it might be more. But, never forget what your actual job description is, and make sure fulfilling those duties is your first priority. These are just ways to go above and beyond.