As an introverted person, sometimes I feel worried the workforce isn’t for me. Climbing up the career ladder sometimes seems harder than it would be to somebody more outgoing than me – for example, my extroverted friends have more connections in their field, or will have a better time at a networking event than I do.

If you feel like you’re in the same boat, know there are plenty of workplace advantages to being an introvert. In fact, they may seem so second nature to you that you don’t even realize they’re advantages. What matters, though, is that your employer is noticing and taking note of these things – if you home in on them, you’ll be at the top of your career in no time.

1. Knowing how to listen

As you make moves in your career, you’ll find that the best employees at any workplace are the ones who simply listen. To be effective in your career, you don’t need to come out of the gate with incredible ideas or be the first person to speak up in every meeting – you need to be able to listen. Rather than speaking up to see if your idea is the one that everyone loves, listening will allow you to grasp onto everyone else’s ideas and see which one seems most ideal, or if you can find the solution that helps make them all work. Being a good listener ensures that you catch onto every detail that may float by somebody who’s only sitting and waiting for their turn to talk, and you’ll be able to do the best job you can at your workplace.

So, when you’re staying quiet in the workplace, listen as closely as possible and take inventory of everything you may need to know – take notes during meetings, if possible. A good listener can quickly be at the top of their game once they put all their findings into action.

2. Speaking up at the right time

Maybe you feel down on yourself for not talking enough, but the truth is, there are plenty of people in the world who talk tons, waiting for a good idea to fall out of them eventually.

This means that when you don’t usually say much, sharing one great idea is way more than coming up with 10 potentially great ones. If you consistently speak up at the right time, whenever you’re positive that you have an amazing idea, you come off as a great problem solver and extremely creative person full of good ideas. You’ll automatically have a higher list of hits to misses than an extroverted person who is constantly sharing ideas.

3. Doing, not saying

An introvert who buckles down and stays on task shows a lot more initiative than someone with a lot to say about the tasks they’re given. Employers will always take note of the fact you know what needs to be done down to every detail (thanks to great listening skills!) and get straight to work. A hard and committed worker is always going to be more valuable in a workplace than an idea guy. As mentioned, it’s important to have those great ideas when necessary, but you need the work ethic to back it up. Introverted people are more likely to jump into their workload by nature – meaning you’ll look incredibly dedicated once you get on the job.

You don’t need to train yourself to be more outgoing, force out your ideas or questions because they feel necessary at all – simply focus on being your best introverted self and you’ll still get far. Think about it: a hard worker who pays close attention to detail and pitches only their greatest ideas. Don’t they just sound like the worker everyone describes themselves as on their resume? With your introverted nature, that’s you by default – be proud and own it!

Need some guidance on your career path? Don’t be shy – ask Style Nine to Five founder, Christie Lohr, One Career Question!

Emily Morrison is a media professional with passions for writing, film and popular culture.

Feature Image: Adobe Stock