How do you build trust?

I build trust by being very upfront about what I know, what I don't know yet, and when someone should expect an update from me. On one project, I was new to part of the codebase and my tech lead was checking my work closely at first, which made sense. I started sending a short update each afternoon with what I changed, what I had tested, and any questions or risks I saw for the next day. A week later I found an issue that could delay my part, and I raised it early with two options instead of waiting until the deadline. Over the next few tasks, my lead gave me more independence and asked me to review a small change from another new hire, which told me the trust had grown.

I build trust by doing the small things reliably and by being respectful of other people’s time. In my last role on a campus IT support team, I learned quickly that people trusted me more when I followed through exactly when I said I would, even on simple requests like resetting access or updating a spreadsheet. If I couldn’t finish something by the promised time, I would let the person know early, explain the reason in plain language, and give them a new estimate instead of going quiet. I also make it a habit to repeat back what I heard before I start, so the other person knows I understood the ask correctly. Over time, that made my manager comfortable assigning me tasks with less oversight, because they knew I would be careful, honest, and consistent.