Dear Graduating Class of 2009,
I don’t envy you. Not one bit. Not only are you graduating into an environment where companies are often looking to cut jobs, not create them, but you have to deal with huge amounts of student debt, panic-inducing media coverage, and the prospect of moving back in with your parents. Yowsers.
All is not lost of course. Many of you already have jobs lined up, or at least a summer internship. Don’t believe the hype that no one is hiring. Its not true. So go out and get a job already. Then come back and read these tips on how to work in an office.
I’ve been working for two years now. Not long enough to break my youthful idealism (never, right?), but long enough to figure out a few things out about playing nice with the grown-ups. Here are some of the most important things I have learned, while you guys were still going to house parties and sleeping in (lucky).
1) If you were raised as a Trophy Kid, the workforce is going to hurt.
I am a card carrying member of the Trophy Kid club. At the end of the school year, I would come home loaded down with small trophies and certificates of achievement for doing, well…not that much. So it honestly came as a surprise to me when after my first year of working, doing everything that was asked of me (but not much more) that I wasn’t awarded with a) a 20% raise and b) a promotion. Honestly. Keep your expectations in line with reality and you won’t get your feelings hurt.
2) Teamwork is good, but not everything.
We grew up doing everything as a part of a team. Group projects, group presentations, group papers. Our generation sometimes feels like it suffers from groupthink overload. There is something to be said for collaboration, and it is true that it will serve you well in your working life. But don’t be afraid to do things on your own. The same group work that makes us great contributors also keeps us from going to the bathroom alone. Join a gym where you don’t know anyone. Don’t take a job at a big corporation because your friend works there. At work, make decisions for yourself, and don’t let your ideas suffer from “death by committee.”
3) Take advantage of your “fresh eyes.”
When you first join an office, you have a unique opportunity to see things differently than those of us in the trenches. Take some time to notice how things get done, why they get done that way, and who are the keepers of “the way.” The third point is especially important, because when you start talking about ways to improve a process, you will step on someones toes. Those who defend the status-quo have the most to loose by changing the way things are done. Tread carefully here if you must, but don’t be afraid to make suggestions.
4) Get appropriate clothes.
So here is the thing. You will most likely need a suit for interviews. Buy the best one you can afford. Get a few other “nice” pieces. Wear them only when you absolutely have to (like when you meet clients). Hopefully you found a job that doesn’t require you to wear formal clothes everyday, because you are going to feel like you’re playing dress up for at least a year.
5) Be visible.
Take every chance you have to meet people that work outside of your team. Sign up for cross-departmental projects, be friendly in the hall and break room, volunteer for community outreach programs, organize an after hours Wii bowling tournament.
6) Don’t eat lunch at your desk.
You are not that important. When you first start working, you won’t be that busy. You may have 10 hours of honest work to do even if you are expected to be there for 40. Don’t “work” through lunch and try to look busy. Everyone will see right through it. Get out and enjoy your lunch break. Staring at beige walls will eventually turn your brain to mush…after about 2:30 it gets hard to keep going. Get some fresh air, some vitamin D, and some relief from eye strain (which you will get if you work at a computer, and it sucks).
7) Pick your “extra” time.
Come early or stay late, not both. Burning the candle at both ends is the fastest path to burn out. Unfortunately, many companies still have some inclination towards face time. There are some of us working to prove that we can get more done (and done better) if we aren’t chained to a desk 12 hours a day, and some of us so eager to prove our dedication that we happily sit and surf the web for hours on end just to look important. Don’t be that person. Get there early and leave at a decent time or come in at a decent time and stay late if you feel that you need face time. (Then try to get over that feeling.)
8) Have hobbies & interest outside of work.
Be interesting. Pick up a new activity, whether it is gardening, mountain biking, pottery, yoga, meditation. Have something waiting for you when you get home at the end of the day that gets you excited. So much entry level work is pure monotony, you will need something to keep your brain working.
9) Keep up with news in your industry and in the world at large.
Do you watch the news? You do now. You need to be able to speak intelligently about what is going on in the world around you. Equally important are things going on in your industry. Why did the stock market close lower yesterday? What new designer debuted at NY Fashion Week? What new product did Google just launch? Subscribe to industry publications (often free through your job) and get your learn on.
10) Take a genuine interest in the lives of your co-workers, but don’t kiss ass.
Like it or not, a little small talk with your co-workers will get you far. Remember children’s names, ask about the vacation that they just took, bring someone Subway cookies just because you know they love them (and who doesn’t love them, really?). Don’t be a kiss ass, but you know that already. What you may not know is how hard that line can be to walk, unless you have lots of experience under your belt. Hopefully you got that in college, if not, begin brushing up now.
That is a lot of information to digest in one sitting. Forgive me, but I didn’t want to sugar coat anything. The real world is certainly a very different place than college, and thanks to 2008, it just got a lot harder to survive. The first 6-12 months are going to be extremely hard. My friends and I all felt varying degrees of exhaustion, anxiety, uncertainty and bewilderment. I’d like to help you avoid it, but honestly it needs to be experienced. You need to go through it, and you will.
Your first year out of college can be fun too. My first real paycheck was a beautiful thing, I actually have come to love my morning routine, and some of my co-workers are a lot of fun.
It’s not all fun, but it is what you make of it.
