Congratulations, you're hired! Now, most people are just content with their position and never strive to do more than what they are asked to do. Hopefully, you're not that kind of person. If you wish to advance further in your job and receive a promotion, then don't resort to kissing up or placing the blame upon your colleagues in front of your boss. Instead, try to employ these attributes to impress your employer.

1. Punctuality

Of course, this is important. If you're not punctual and you make a habit of this, then you will get fired. Punctuality does not only apply to arriving to work on time, but it also calls for the employee to finish tasks before or on the due date. This shows a great level of discipline, which earns great respect with the employer.

2. Reliability

No boss would promote unreliability because an unreliable worker would fail his or her boss at precisely the wrong time. There's perhaps nothing more important for an employer than a reliable employee. Reliable employees are employees that can be trusted with more responsibility because they have proven to complete their tasks all of the time.

3. Proactivity

This could mean many things. To be proactive means to be willing to learn more than what has been taught to you and to be willing to find solutions to production problems. Having humility, not arrogance, is what allows you to grow as an individual and a worker. Be humble when learning new things or when improving upon the things that you already know. As you learn, you can then find ways to make things easier or quicker for everyone else. Increased efficiency leads to increased productivity, which always impresses the boss.

4. Positive Attitude

Heidi Reimer-Epp, president and co-founder of Botanical PaperWorks, had this to say on positive attitudes:

"My best employees continually impress me with their positive can-do attitudes. Business can be complicated and stressful, but my best employees take it in stride, approach problems with the perspective of 'let's find the solution' and use the resources around them to get things done well.

"I'm also impressed with employees who use humor and fun to make the work day enjoyable for themselves and their team members. We spend a lot of time together and a good laugh smoothes over the rough patches and makes the day interesting."

Having a positive attitude can free tension from the work atmosphere while boosting the morale of everyone in the workspace. When productivity is down or the day seems to be going by slowly, try to be that person that brings hope in moments of bleakness.

5. Integrity

Of course, no employee is perfect. Sometimes we show up late or mess up an important project. Your boss will value your honesty when you explain what went wrong.

If you have a problem getting to work on time, make some changes in the use of your time at home. Perhaps you should prepare your clothes the night before your work shift so that you don't have to scramble too much in the morning. If you didn't do an assignment right, make sure that you ask questions for more clarification before you complete the next assignment. Make an effort to deal with the obstacles that try to disrupt your maximum productivity.

6. Leadership

If you said that you were going to do something, do it. If you want a helping hand when your workload is too heavy, lend a helping hand to your employee when you are finished with your own work. If you want people to be more punctual, then don't come in late every day. If you want a great work environment, then smile, be courteous, and hold positive conversations with everyone. Lead and the team will follow.