So you’ve just landed your first job/internship. Congrats! Your first experience in the working world will definitely be a learning one…which of course means you will have A LOT of questions on how to act in your new position. Never fear, collegiettes! Below are 7 tips for acting as a professional in your new workplace.
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- Adhere to the Dress Code
They say one should dress for the job they want, not the job they have. While this might not be applicable if you dream of rocking a courtroom while you’re still working at Wendy’s, this principle still holds some truth for all of us in the work force.
My advice would be to find out what the standards are at your work place and go one small step further. For example, if you know you can wear a cotton t-shirt with your pencil skirt in the office without getting in trouble, you might want to go one step further and wear a blouse instead. The same rule of thumb can be applied in a more casual office environment. If everyone in your workplace wears jeans a t-shirts, you might note that it would be slightly unprofessional to wear ripped jeans or a spaghetti-strap tank top.
2. Watch and Learn
Chances are you’re not going to learn how to be the perfect employee/intern your first day on the job. And that’s okay. However, for future reference, you can learn skills for your job simply through watching and learning from your superiors. Notice the way they greet customers, place calls, and interact with other employees. This is an easy way to learn about the workplace culture without having to ask. That being said…
3. Ask Questions
Forget everything you thought you knew before if you were the girl in high school who never raised her hand in class. Asking questions at work does not make you look stupid, just so long as you’re not asking the same question over and over again. Rather, asking questions at work shows your superiors that you are an engaged employee trying to do your best.
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4. Watch Yourself
No matter how casual your workplace is, it’s important to remember that you’re not in class or hanging out with friends when you’re on the job. Yes, it might be acceptable to chat about your weekend or your classes while you and your coworker are going through your inboxes each morning. That does NOT mean that it’s appropriate to talk about your sex life, your finances, or anything that you would typically reserve for a conversation with a close friend. The same goes for your language. Behind closed doors, I curse like a sailor. At work? I try my best to act as though I rarely swear.
5. Be Respectful
Everyone who’s ever had a job has had to deal with that one customer/coworker/manager who is just a straight-up asshole. Make it your personal challenge to be as calm as possible when dealing with this person. I have worked jobs where I spoke to customers who made wild allegations on the phone that I calmly and respectfully refuted over the air, while in reality I wanted to strangle the people on the other end of the line. Remember—you only have to lose your cool once for your boss to lose trust in your abilities as an employee.
6. Own Your Mistakes
Few things suck as much as making a stupid mistake at work—especially if said mistake is costly to you or your employer. If you screw something up at work, the best thing to do is simply own your mistake and be honest. Don’t apologize profusely, but do apologize and own your shortcomings on the issue. The only thing that sucks more than making a stupid mistake at work is making a stupid mistake at work, lying about it, and getting caught in the lie.
7. Know When to Keep Your Mouth Shut
Office politics can be tricky to understand, but when in doubt, shut up and keep out. Yes, you may also hate your coworker Jan. But if you make that known in the office that’s problem going to get back to Jan. And that’s going to make you look incredibly unprofessional in the long run.
No one goes from check-out girl to girl boss overnight. But, hopefully, these tips help you get one step closer to the job of your dreams!