Have you heard? “Employee Appreciation Day” is coming this Friday – March 6th.

Are you ready to be appreciated? Perhaps you’re expecting lunch out with the boss or a mug full of candy? Or, maybe you’re pretty sure no one appreciates you at all. (Perhaps it’s time for a new job, no?) Have you stopped to think about what you’re doing at work that should be earning you some major kudos?

Whether you’re employed in a traditional position, serving as a temporary worker or even volunteering while seeking your next full-time gig, keep the following tips in mind to inspire people to to consider you appreciation worthy:

Demonstrate initiative. It’s no surprise that this tops the list. We all prefer to work with people who raise their hands to offer to pitch in. Don’t spend key meetings looking around the room hoping someone else will take on the new project. When you step up to the plate and take on additional responsibilities, you’ll gain favor with bosses and colleagues and win a chance to enhance your credentials.

Admit when you make a mistake. Isn’t it refreshing when someone says, “I made a mistake; let me fix it?” Unfortunately, many people in the workplace prefer to pass blame along or lay low until everyone forgets about the problem. Those who try to pass the buck risk being the victim of workplace gossip that could prevent them from getting a new job down the road. Of course, ideally, you won’t make a lot of mistakes that you’ll need to admit, but you can win points in many cases by taking responsibility and making a point to correct the situation.

Learn new things. If you’ve been at the job for many years, but haven’t made a point to continue your education and attend conferences and trainings, you probably are falling behind your less experienced colleagues. When you want a new job or it’s time to start a business, you’ll be missing mandatory skills. The best employees always seek opportunities to learn new things, even when they’re otherwise occupied keeping up with the day-to-day tasks. It’s a challenge, but it makes a difference between a good employee and a great one.

Do what you say you will do. Do you follow through and complete promised projects? We all have had colleagues who raise their hand at meetings, but spend the rest of the week avoiding the work they agreed to do. Don’t be that person.

Share credit. Rarely do we accomplish big projects at work without someone else’s help. Colleagues who share credit when credit is due generally have better rapport than their more selfish colleagues. Nice guys really can finish first, so look for ways to share the glory.

Know what battles to pick. It’s a rare person who always likes every decision that higher-ups make that affects his or her job. Usually, there’s plenty to disagree about, and lots of big and small battles to wage at work. Successful employees make it a point to keep quiet and not complain until it really matters. If you’re the employee who is generally agreeable, it is much more likely that someone will take notice if you have a major concern or complaint. Like the boy who cried wolf, if you’re always railing against the rules, most people will stop listening.

Be ready for work. If you need to spend the first hour of your day checking social media and updating your status on Facebook, do that before you get into the office. You need to be ready for work when you get there. You harm your reputation when you don’t start your day along with everyone else.

Do the work. It sounds easy, right? Just get the work done. However, it’s not always so obvious to everyone that getting the work done is half the battle. Amazing employees find a way to get the work done, even when it means sometimes putting aside their own pet projects or favorite things in order to accomplish a big goal.

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Perhaps you are underappreciated and seeking a new job – hopefully, with a company that will be an improvement in the appreciation department. Sometimes, when you’re so focused on getting a job – just any job – it’s easy to forget that you should do a little research on your own to decide if you even want to work for the organization.

Dan Campbell, 2014 chairman of the American Staffing Association and CEO of Hire Dynamics – a staffing company often recognized on Best Places to Work lists – suggests the following tips to help decide if an organization will appreciate you.

Does the company make it its priority to not only attract, but also retain its talent for the long haul?

Is it pretty clear that the organization is a revolving door, where employees seem to come and go frequently? How can you tell? If most people you meet when networking or interviewing don’t have much experience at the organization, it may be a tip-off. You can certainly make a point to ask about the tenure of the typical employee.

“When searching for the right career, no longer are immediate opportunities the top consideration as continued growth has become increasingly more important,” Campbell says. Make it your business to find out if the organization’s culture supports promoting from within. Is there an internal job board? Do people move up the corporate ladder? Do managers support individual career goals? While you don’t want to engage with a supervisor by asking how long it will be until you can do something different, if you can get a sense of whether people tend to stay with the organization or not you’ll have at least part of your answer about if employees feel appreciated.

Identify if the organization is flexible.

Campbell points to a 2013 global generational study by PwC that discovered millennials believe “enhancing workplace flexibility and equity between work and home is one of the keys to improving job satisfaction.” Most people would likely agree that they feel more appreciated and valued when their organization provides at least some version of flexible work, whether it’s on a regular basis or during critical situations. Again, you shouldn’t go into an interview asking about how often you can work from home, but you can ascertain the company culture generally to determine if you would feel valued.

Facilitating a strong sense of teamwork is another way an organization can help its employees believe they’re valued. “A strong, cohesive, team-oriented workplace culture and opportunities for interesting work are important,” Campbell says.

Do benefits go beyond your salary?

“Companies like DreamWorks offer recreational learning opportunities to employees including painting, karate and sculpting,” Campbell explains. “Google, Zappos and Procter & Gamble have designated nap rooms where employees can take 30 minutes to reboot.” While these companies have pioneered the way, Campbell says, “more businesses across a broad range of industries are now warming up to these ideas.” If you like hands-on appreciation, you’ll want to find out the type of rewards the organization offers. In the application process you can usually tell if a company offers such rewards – like team contests for restaurant gift cards or a chance to win a half-day Friday – because the company will tell you. These perks give the impression that the organization appreciates its employees.

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Look online.

Online reviews on a website like Glassdoor.com will help you assess how good an organization is when it comes to showing appreciation for its employees. Seek lists of “best places to work,” as many of those companies likely do a good job recognizing its employees for jobs well done.

Originally appeared on U.S. News & World Report.