If you want promotions, raises, prestige – whatever it is – you need to make sure your boss knows who you are. Without working hard to make yourself stand out, you'll just be one more meaningless face, even if you're in a small office. While not everyone is so ambitious, if you do want to move up the ladder, try the following two tips.

Know What's Important to Your Boss

When you’re trying to impress your boss, sometimes it can be something as small as making sure you’re both on the same page. For example, if you’re doing part of a project that’s due in a week but your boss is stressing about it for some reason or another, prioritize it and get it off everyone’s plate. Not only will this show that you’re paying attention to the priorities and are able to organize your schedule around them, it will show you’re capable of working in sync with your boss.

Do What Needs Doing Without Being Told

When there’s something that needs to get done and you know how to do it, do it. There is nothing like an employee that knows how to properly offer their skills to their company. If there are new projects and you know you can handle them, don’t hesitate to start them before someone tells you to start them. Even if the project is then given to someone else, you took the initiative, and that usually impresses people in higher positions than you. If you do take on an extra project, however, make sure you can handle it in case they don’t give it to someone else and have you finish it instead.

Impressing your boss isn't just about doing your job, it's about going above and beyond. By making sure your priorities align with your manager's, and by taking the initiative on projects that need to get done, you'll be sure to impress even the toughest boss.