So you got your first job offer as a total newbie and you are super excited to start learning first hand from and working with other smart people in your chosen field. How do you survive and make an impact in this new world? Do you just ride the wave and see where it leads you to? Or do you make conscious efforts in ensuring you build the right foundation, seeing that your first job plays a huge role in either speeding up or slowing down your career?
I made the mistake of riding the wave in my first ever job. I was non-challant about things. I had difficulty settling in, making genuine connections with my colleagues, and properly understanding the people/company I worked for. I didn't take charge of my growth and personal development. All these happened because I knew absolutely nothing about working with people and I also had no idea that different rules apply in the workspace.
I will be sharing a few helpful pointers that I have gathered over the years, via personal experience. Hopefully, you or someone else finds them useful and they make your first job easier to navigate.
Enough talk. Let's dive right in, shall we?
Be grateful for the opportunity
Not every organization will allow newbies to learn on the job, so if you end up getting one, be grateful for it and ensure you give it everything you've got. Be teachable. Keep learning...never stop learning.
Read the room
This is very key to settling into any new environment. You cannot truly understand the dynamics of an organization if you don't calmly observe how things work. Know who is who, who calls the shots, who reports to who, who is instrumental to your growth and progress, who can make your life hell, who to stay clear of.
Ask a lot of questions
You are not expected to know everything...its normal to feel like you don't know much, compared to those that have more experience than you. They most likely do. Ask your colleagues about your company's inner workings. How does your company operate? This helps in knowing about the company's culture and values. This also allows you to identify gaps you can fill.
Do more than what you were hired to do
Look for ways to contribute and make an impact on the growth and success of your company. This can be from volunteering, taking up responsibilities that may not necessarily be related to your job role. This is a win-win because while doing these, you are also gaining extra experience in other fields which may end up being beneficial to you in the future. Be known as that reliable, go-to person in your organization that is always willing and ready to contribute their quota.
Mistakes are expected
Don't shut down because you messed something up. We all make mistakes. In fact, not making mistakes means you're not being challenged enough. No mistakes mean you're playing on familiar grounds and that especially is not advisable for your growth. Make a lot of mistakes...what matters is learning from your mistakes and not repeating them.
Run your race
Never compare yourself with your colleagues or other people in your field. You don't know their story. They have run theirs, now run yours. While running your race, be genuinely happy for others when they win, and keep working hard for yourself. Yours will come too.
Never doubt yourself
It is easy to get lost and overwhelmed by everything going on in your new job. The feeling that you are a fraud and you don't deserve to be where you are. Dead that thought!!! Everyone brings something to the table, no matter how little or insignificant they feel that something is. I always tell people that the fact that you got the job at all means there was something your employer saw in you that made them hire you. It is now up to you to capitalize on this, or not.
Play the game
People try and run away from office politics but it is unavoidable. Humans make up an organization. Humans are emotional beings. People seldom leave their emotions at the door before resuming at work. We deal with people's emotions at home, with friends/families. The workplace is no different. Everyone has their unique way of running things and handling situations. Have a genuine interest in knowing the people you work with. Get to know their story, what drives them. This will help a lot in navigating daily interactions. Be nice and friendly to all...be willing to help out...develop genuine connections with your colleagues...let people get to know the real you and vice versa. Be yourself.