First-Job Survival Guide - Softcover

Sutcliffe, Andrea J.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0805050140 ISBN 13: 9780805050141

Verlag: Henry Holt & Company Inc, 1997

Inhaltsangabe

Advises young adults on how to make their first job a positive experience, discussing often implicit expectations concerning personal integrity, creativity and initiative, making the boss happy, getting along with others, and professionalism. Original.

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First-Job Survival Guide

1

Your First Three Months

Your first three months on the job are important--and they're not. Confusing? Here's what that means.

It is important to make a good first impression. Make a bad first impression, and you'll find it very hard to overcome.

It is not important to wow everyone with your skills and knowledge at this point. Instead, you should be a sponge for a while and do the best job you can on anything you're given. That part will be easy, because at first you won't have much to do that's very hard. More on that later.

But, you may be asking, aren't first impressions based on superficial things, like appearance and good manners? Aren't they paying me for my brains and my education and my ability to get the job done? Yes, but it's not as simple as that. The reality is that your ability to get along with and gain the respect of your peers and managers is usually more important than anything else--and not just now, but for the rest of your career. Failure to recognize this business fact of life trips up many ambitious, smart young people.

Getting along with others is important because very little of an organization's tasks are accomplished by people working independently. A company's organization chart may show ten or fifteen distinct groups and functions, but it doesn't show how these groups work together and depend on each other. Andwhen people must work together, certain basic human qualities--like trust, respect, courtesy, and helpfulness, or the lack thereof--can make or break even the most promising projects, programs, and careers. Chapter 4, Getting Along with Your Boss and Your Coworkers, explains more about how to deal with and understand the people you work with.

MAKING A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION

The Way You Look

Like it or not, you will first be judged on how you look. Even though today's business dress is more relaxed than ever, there are certain lines that shouldn't be crossed. Dress codes, formal or otherwise, vary widely among professions and companies, but you can't go wrong by following the classic advice: Dress like the people who are in the next position you are aspiring to. This doesn't mean you have to take out a loan to buy designer clothes; it simply means that you shouldn't wear T-shirts and sneakers when the successful people around you are wearing business suits and polished shoes.

Tracy, a marketing assistant in a high-tech company, says, "I found that you won't look your best even in expensive clothes if they don't fit right. I'm five feet tall, and clothes off the rack usually need alterations to look right. It's not cheap to have this done, but it's well worth the cost. Not only do you look better, but you send a message that you care about looking like a professional--and this usually results in being treated like one! By the way, if you find yourself wondering whether your outfit is too casual, it probably is."

If you think that someone will tell you if you're dressing inappropriately, you'll probably be wrong. Most managers are extremely uncomfortable commenting on something as personalas appearance and will avoid saying anything unless it's really necessary. For example, if your boss mentions to you that everyone will be wearing a suit for the next day's client presentation, take the hint--he's probably afraid you'll show up in jeans.

But here's the bigger problem. If you insist on displaying your individuality through inappropriate clothes, hair, makeup, or jewelry, you're probably thinking, "It's my right to be who I am." Unfortunately, your manager is thinking, "When's she going to grow up?" The logical next questions are, "She seems so bright, but is she mature enough to handle this important assignment? And how well developed are her judgment skills?"

"I changed my hairstyle a few months after I started my first real job," says Melissa, a computer programmer. "I went from the curly, permed high school look I'd worn for years to a shorter, neater-looking adult style. I think it sent the message that I was ready to be treated like an adult."

The Way You Talk

You don't want to remind your boss of her seventeen-year-old, who's giving her trouble these days, so it's in your best interest not to talk like a teenager. The last thing you need as you start your career is to be treated like someone's child.

When you speak, do you typically end sentences with a question mark? "So I filled out this form? But I didn't know what you wanted me to put here? So I left it blank? Okay?"

Or do you punctuate sentences with "like" or "you know"? "Like, I finished early, so, you know, like, I started on that other job you gave me." Breaking yourself of these habits won't be easy but will be well worth the effort.

Some young people overapologize for mistakes or interruptions. Saying "I'm sorry" too often at the beginning or the end of a sentence will make you seem unsure of yourself. People are uncomfortable with those who appear meek or unconfident,and frequent apologies seem to reinforce those impressions. Save "I'm sorry" for major flubs.

A little harder to repair are any problems with pronunciation or grammar. Some mispronunciations are mental misspellings of common words, such as medium for median or supposably for supposedly. Other problems may be specific to your line of work. Sara, a hardworking sales rep for a high-tech corporation, couldn't figure out why she wasn't getting orders for a new product her company had introduced. It turned out that she had been incorrectly pronouncing certain relevant words and terms when making presentations to her technical customers. Her errors made them question her overall knowledge and competence. They simply didn't believe she knew what she was talking about.

Like Sara, you're probably not aware of these problems, yet they may invisibly hold you back. Is there someone in your company--in Sara's case, the manager in charge of developing the new product--you could practice your pitch with before you embarrass yourself in front of customers?

Jeff, an editorial assistant with a small publisher, says, "Because of my English degree, I'm often tempted to correct people's speech errors, and if I feel close enough to them, I will. Most of the time I don't, though. If you feel you can take the criticism, ask a close friend or colleague to tell you when they notice a grammar or pronunciation mistake you make. You'll benefit in the long run."

Other speech problems can hurt your credibility as well. Do you mumble or speak too quickly or too slowly? Do you have a thick southern accent that amuses your coworkers in Manhattan? Or is your New England accent an oddity in southern California? Regional accents aren't as big a problem as the others we've discussed, but if your career goal is a position high on thecorporate ladder, consider that some executives have hired speech specialists to help them shed heavy accents and undesirable speech habits.

If you speak with an accent, or you are talking with someone who has one (at least to your ears)--say, you're from Atlanta and you're on the phone with someone from Boston--try this: Shortly into your conversation, ask the person if he or she can understand you. By asking, you're giving your listener permission to slow you down or ask you to repeat something without feeling embarrassed. (If you have to repeat yourself, take this as a sure sign the listener's having trouble.) For example, many southerners think that northerners speak too quickly, and many northerners have a hard time dealing with a southern drawl.

The Way You Act

Your attitude is the...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Henry Holt & Company Inc
• Erscheinungsdatum: 1997
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0805050140
• ISBN 13: 9780805050141
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 230
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar