How to Make your First Job a Success

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by Sarah Barnard, ROK Student

ETIQUETTE

Communication:
There’s nothing worse than a receptionist who’s too consumed in Heat magazine whilst texting her boyfriend to pick up the phone. Likewise, failure to inform colleagues of your next-day breakfast meeting may lead to your boss assuming you’ve turned off the alarm again. Communication is everything, without it, companies simply couldn’t exist. Learning to assess the best form of communication between colleagues and clients is just as key. You’ll soon learn that your boss prefers you to leave his phone messages on a post-it and that you should always be pleasant to the security guards as you never know when you may need them to open that meeting room you’ve lost the key to.

Language:
We all like a laugh but “Oi loser! That new bird on the second floor’s a bit tasty isn’t she?!” is one way of getting the MD’s attention for all the wrong reasons. In office hours it’s generally best to leave your social lingo at your front door. The fast-track way to a successful working life is to keep language to a clean and appropriate level. A bit of common sense is all it takes really.

Respect - everyone deserves it:
Work time isn’t the right place to be blowing a gasket and telling the HR Manager to bog off or shouting down the phone at the car park attendant. It would be a miracle if no one in your company got on your nerves but it’s a good idea to count to ten and walk away if you want to preserve your reputation and dignity. Likewise, you should also be given the respect you deserve. Whilst it may not be nice to tattle tale to your peers or have confrontations in the workplace, you should set yourself on respect autopilot but also avoid being sized out as a doormat. The fine line may seem a difficult one but the simple rule is just to learn to get on with as many people as possible and avoid any troublemakers who may make your life tiresome.

Be yourself:
Whilst it may be tempting to boast about your love of golf to the boss (after spotting his cabinet of trophies) or feel obliged to take part in every social event going, including your colleague’s sponsored bring-a-dog-to-work-day (not mentioning the fact you’re allergic)- don’t feel pressured to be someone you’re not. Making a good impressions ticks all the right boxes but making a plonker out of yourself doesn’t and it’ll only be a matter of time before you’re sussed. It’s always a good plan to make a special effort to be polite and approachable in your first role but just make sure you don’t give any Oscar winning performances. Taking the first steps into full-time employment can be a daunting affair, it’s the beginning of what could be your long-term career and that’s a fair weight on anyone’s shoulders but the main thing to remember is that no-one will expect the earth of you. It would be highly unusual if your colleagues expected you to digest all the new job information within your first month at work- you should always be given time to settle in, learn the ropes and have time to breathe. That way, you should never need to pretend you’re someone you’re not.

Timekeeping:
You can’t go wrong being early, that’s my mantra and I’m sticking to it. You’ll be amazed how many people notice how frequently you make it in early or leave after home-time strikes and the same goes for lateness. In my book, timekeeping is one of the most crucial ways to impress in a role. No-one’s even been commended for showing up late one too many times but although you may not want to roll out of bed ten minutes earlier, I guarantee it will be worth it in the long-run. Common sense alert again- if you are going to be late, just ensure you ring your Line Manager in plenty of time. And make sure you don’t use the “my train was delayed” excuse more than once a month!