Tips for a Succeeding in an Entry Level Job

Whether you were a liberal arts student or a business major, chances are the degree you got in college did little to prepare you for the new situations you’ll face at your first “real” job after graduation. The first day at work can easily feel like the first day of kindergarten. Someone directs you to your assigned seat, and you don’t know most of your co-workers.

I’ve interviewed more than 200 young people facing the post-graduation work force for the first time. Many of them have told me, “I’m not prepared for a real job,” even if they’ve done well in school and have a great track record at the internships and part-time jobs they had during college. The good news is that most employers take the time to train you. But the training manual and orientation sessions probably won’t tell you the best ways to make the most out of those first nervous days.
10 Tips for Getting Settled in a New Job
1. Organize your workspace. You’ll be more effective if you feel at home in your surroundings.
2. Meet everyone you can. It’s as easy as saying, “I don’t believe we’ve met yet…”
3. Ask lots of questions. Be a sponge and try to soak up as much as you can.
4. Start a reading pile. Gather up everything you can about the products, the company, the industry, etc.
5. Meet with your boss. Get your game plan together for the day, the week, the month, or longer.
6. Observe your surroundings. Take it all in and you’ll gather clues to how it all works.
7. Listen and learn before you present all the answers. Your simple solutions probably are neither simple nor solutions.
8. Establish a routine for your work week. Prioritize, look for patterns, and make your routine compatible with your boss and co-workers’ schedules.
9. Follow through on everything you promise. Be realistic and true to your word.
10. Realize things take time. It’s good to be eager, but have patience.
Another suggestion I share with young people about getting started in a new job is to learn “cube etiquette.” The office cubicle, like it or not, is the most common office workspace situation for college graduates.
“Cube etiquette” boils down to common decency.
• Control the volume of your voice.
• Keep personal phone calls brief, or make the calls from your cell phone away from where others are working.
• Keep your cell phone ring tone low or on vibrate.
• Don’t eavesdrop. If you can’t help it, don’t join in conversations you’re not a part of.
• Dispose of food containers in the cafeteria or break room. No one wants to smell your leftover Kung Pao chicken.
• Use discretion with your cubicle décor.
Many young people, though, get a little too caught up in “keeping the volume down” in the workplace when they start a new job. They think it’s best to always agree with the boss or go along with what all their co-workers seem to want. In meetings, they listen and rarely speak out.
I’ll confess, I wasn’t so humble. When I started a marketing job many years ago, I always spoke out, looking to demonstrate my leadership skills. I soon got promoted to a management position, but I didn’t have many friends. I had a lot of relationship repairs to make to do my new job effectively.
So, is it better to be bold or humble? Outspoken or silent? I think it is okay to speak out. Most companies want employees with critical thinking skills. The key to speaking out is to do it diplomatically.
7 Ways to Get Noticed in Your New Job—Without Stepping on Any Toes
1. Don’t be a know it all (especially if you don’t know it all). You want to prove how smart you are, but no one likes a person who thinks he knows everything and obviously doesn’t. Ask questions and do research to learn as much about the situation as possible before proposing a solution.
2. Propose your ideas in question form. Instead of saying, “We need to call the company directly to tell them they need to pay right now,” say, “Would it make sense to call the company directly to request payment?” Questions start discussions and don’t sound bossy.
3. Watch your tone. Sarcasm may fly in English class, and your mom may let you get away with a demanding attitude, but neither tone will leave a good impression in the workplace. Beware of sounding impatient, frustrated, short, or rude. The right approach is to be gracious and inquiring.
4. If you see a problem, offer a solution. It’s easy to point out all the reasons why something doesn’t work. It’s also easy to annoy your boss and coworkers with nay saying. If you see a problem, offer your thoughts in the form of a solution. Instead of, “That won’t work, there’s no one here who can design that,” suggest, “We might be able to overcome the design issue by hiring an expert.”
5. Don’t get defensive. If someone attacks you, the first thing you’ll want to do is attack back, but you can’t. Let your attacker look the fool by responding with respect and genuine grace, and you have a better chance of coming out of the barrage looking good.
6. Don’t get personal. Business isn’t personal, it’s business. Be passionate about what you do, but don’t let personal emotions get in the way in a work situation. Stay rational.
7. Don’t wait. When you have a real problem with a co-worker or the way something is being done, speak up early. Recognize the conflict probably won’t go away. If you can talk about the problem before it becomes a big deal, you’ll find it easier to be cool and rational.
Speaking up, if you do it right, can be a critical part of your overall game plan for making a good impression at work. But if you’ve followed these tips and you’re still not getting the results you’d like, you may need to allow more time to prove yourself in other ways. Make sure your work in those first weeks is consistently above par.
Demonstrate that you understand the company you’re working for and the industry you’re in. Make connections with co-workers who can help you learn, grow, and advance. Once you’ve proven yourself as a hard-working, high-quality employee, there’s a good chance that you’ll be heard the next time you speak up in the conference room.
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Nicholas Aretakis is a life skills and career coach and the author of No More Ramen: The 20-Something’s Real World Survival Guide (Next Stage Press). He hosts an online community for college kids and recent grads at www.NoMoreRamenOnline.com.