- Oct 9, 1999
- 21,019
- 156
- 106
First, this isn't a "cliff notes" type thread. Sorry.
For those who are entering the "real" workforce after graduation, here are some tips that I hope you can use. It's the stuff they don't teach in school. Since my career has been in a office environment in a medium-sized company, they probably are most applicable to a similar environment.
For all of you starting out a new career after graduation, I wish you the best of luck.
And read the rest of the thread for additional tips from other members! Good stuff.
For those who are entering the "real" workforce after graduation, here are some tips that I hope you can use. It's the stuff they don't teach in school. Since my career has been in a office environment in a medium-sized company, they probably are most applicable to a similar environment.
- You may have certain opinions as to what should be important to your boss. You'll be ahead of the game if you make a point to find out for sure. For example, I want people who are punctual, reliable, honest, dedicated, can work with others, etc. Your boss may see things differently.
Some people aren't punctual, don't see the value in it, and keep trying to convince me that it's overrated. Unfortunately for them, I get to decide what's important so they are only hurting themselves by continuing to be late for work and for meetings. For them to be upset with me that I won't adjust my expectations to match their behavior is silly.
It boils down to this: to be successful, find out what your boss wants, and give it to him/her. Simple, I know, but so few people understand the value in it.
- Regardless of your position, go out of your way to be nice to the secretaries, the mailroom people, the cleaning staff, the facilities manager, etc. On paper, they have no power. Most people treat them like dirt. In reality, they can do a lot for you. I have a nice cordless headset, a huge office that looks out over a river, I get a phone call if my boss is on his way over to see me, etc., all of which I don't really qualify for, but I got by being nice to those people. Do favors for them if you can, and it will come back to you 10 times over.
- When you start, you'll probably have some co-workers who will be telling you to slow down, you don't need to work so hard, etc. They'll have a bunch of reasons to justify it. In reality, they just want to drag you down to their level. They don't want you making them look bad. Ignore them and do your best.
- Study the culture of your company. Is it formal? Loose? Do most people work extra hours? Do people take long lunches? How do they dress? What types of jokes do they tell? While I'm not suggesting you remake yourself into someone else, you should at least be aware of the type of culture your company has. Every company has a culture. If you want to succeed, try to fit in. Being the odd person out won't cost you your job, but you won't be able to develop the contacts that will help you down the road.
- The biggest thing that holds people back is poor communications skills. Spell check isn't a magic bullet. Learn to write coherently, with good structure. Learn to spell on your own. Force yourself to make presentations to others - no matter how bad you hate to do it. The truth is NO ONE likes it at first because it makes you damn uncomfortable. The first few will suck, and it's better to get them out of the way as early as possible before you have to do one that's important.
You might think that using "where r u going for lunch" in an email is harmless, but it's a habit you'd be better off breaking. You can't imagine how many times I've seen emails that made the author look like a 12-year-old get forwarded to people higher up in the company. What happens is that the higher-ups get the impression the author (who they don't know personally) is illiterate. You don't want to get a label that's hard to shake.
- Some rules are breakable, but there needs to be a good reason. The quickest way to get on my bad side is to say "The rules say that X isn't allowed, but you let Bob do X, so I want to do it too." It's not a democracy. There was a good reason I allowed Bob to do X. That reason doesn't apply to you, so don't whine. You might need special treatment someday for a different reason, and if you let me do it for Bob without demanding equal treatment, I'll do it for you. You cannot have every single thing that every single other person gets.
- On the subject of whining, don't go around bad-mouthing people and the company. Believe me, word gets around. Another deparment just force-retired a guy at age 58 because he was a chronic complainer and no one could stand to be around him. A particularly evil thing that some people do is encourage the new person to complain about stuff, then tell the boss behind their back.
- The sad reality is that people probably won't tell you what your shortcomings are. It's unpleasant to tell people they have B.O., or they talk too much, or they have terrible communications skills, or they are too nosy, or they spend too much time on personal calls, or a million other things. So most people won't say anything, leaving you to figure it out on your own. Make an effort to sense how people react to you. I've tried to correct my big faults over the years and even though no one ever told me about them directly, I can see the benefits.
- Find a way to have fun with your job. It's possible, and it will make working a lot more enjoyable. If you can't figure out how, find another job. You don't want to be 30 years old and wake up one day realizing you can't stand to go to work one more day.
- Keep developing your skills. Most people begin to vegetate the instant they start working. If you want to have a lot of value, keep learning. Read trade journals. Talk to the experienced people at your company and pick their brains. Most people are happy to share their knowledge when asked. You can't sit back and wait for someone to train you.
If the company has a rough patch, you'll be kept while others aren't.
On a related note, don't be the type of person who says "That's not my job". I've been really successful by taking on anything I've been asked to do. I've learned more by doing things outside my core job and am more valuable as a result.
- It's a fact that most people coming out of school are lazy. They cheated in school, copied papers from the Internet, lied to get out of assignments, blew off working when there was a party to go to, etc. What happens is that when they get into a real job, they don't even know how to work! They can't focus, they can't work with others, and they often don't feel like they have to work. If you work hard, I guarantee you will automatically outperform 90% of your co-workers. You can be thankful for the lazy ones because they really make it easy to move ahead.
For all of you starting out a new career after graduation, I wish you the best of luck.
And read the rest of the thread for additional tips from other members! Good stuff.
Facebook
Twitter