by by Colleen Clarke
Soon thousands of post secondary students will leave the hallowed halls of higher learning for a real education – the world of work! All those years of toiling away with books and beer will be put to the test at their first staff meeting, a phone call with a client, a team project meeting or casual smoozing around the proverbial water cooler.
The main focus when getting that first job probably has dollar signs dancing in your head. Instead, you should be focused on making a great first impression, establishing relationships and appearing as professional as possible with little or no know-how.
Some aspects you might like to keep in mind include:
• Upon arriving at the new place of employment, befriend the receptionist – she knows everyone and what makes the place tick.
• Find out exactly what time you are expected to come in, when most people take lunch, are breaks acceptable and when do people go home. Note the hours of operation, and when people actually arrive and leave in a position similar to yours or within your department or section.
• Learn the layout of your new haunts so you are always early or on time for meetings. A hallway of closed doors can hide a lot of meeting space.
• Eat in the lunch room often the first few weeks so as to meet people from other departments, learn some politics and broaden your network.
• Ask questions related to business; don’t give out too much personal info about yourself.
• Find an ally in at least one person in your department. Before people will open up to you, you must be willing to share something personal about yourself, not intimate, but personal.
• Keep your business opinions to yourself for the first few months, but ask others theirs. Even strong opinions about social issues should be expressed with candor.
• Share ideas for change, development or depletion with tact and a well founded sense of histronics.
• Dress like you want to succeed in the job, like you want to make an impression, like a grown up. Leave your baseball caps at home and mini skirts in the closet. You may want to visit the building a few days before your start date to scope out how people dress in your new environment. No gum chewing during the day.
• Watch how you sit, carry a nice pen and look people in the eye.
• If you take your cell phone to work, turn it off!! Most work places are well equipped with telecommunication equipment and you won’t be talking to Suzy during work hours for a while anyway.
• Limit your personal calls to “none” the first couple of weeks. Call at lunch on your cell from the street or parking lot.
• Personal email and internet surfing is absolutely foreboden.
• Never tell people you are hung over, don’t be, or you engaged in debauchery over the weekend.
• Never be late. Get enough sleep.
• Read trade magazines and business books. Find out about your competition. Increase your vocabulary.
• Read books about meeting etiquette.
• Keep office or cubicle decorations, like plants and family photos, to a bare minimum until after your probation period.
• Ask people to join you for lunch.
• Don’t expect too much. Let people know you are available to help out in certain areas of expertise, but know your limitations and don’t try to be all things to all people.
• Learn to say “no” where and when appropriate. If you start out as a “yes” person you will have a heck of a time pulling back down the road. Pitch in but don’t sell out.
• Don’t name drop well know friends of your parents.
• Use all the manners your mother ever taught you and use please and thank you often.
You don’t have to lose your youthfulness, spunk or individuality just because you are now a working stiff, but there are politics to be played and noses to be browned!
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Colleen Clarke is a Toronto based Career Specialist and Corporate Trainer. Check out her website to see how she can help change your life.
www.colleenclarke.com
Author of Networking: It’s Telling, Not Selling
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