When I was searching for a position out of the tons of resumes that I sent out, there were two jobs, that I applied for that were “special” to me. They were special because I sincerely believed that I was a perfect fit for these positions. These jobs did not simply involve things that I could do, they involved almost everything that I really wanted to do. When I came across these jobs, something inside of me screamed, give me a chance and I will do the hell out of this job. In both cases, before submitting any documents I took extra extra care to prepare the cover letter, I highlight specific skills in my resume that related to the position,then I eagerly submitted the documents and waited and waited and never heard a peep from the employers.
However, this was not the end of the story, well it would be for me but not for the employer because low and behold about three months later about the time it takes for an employer to evaluate the performance of a new employee, the very same ad showed up again. Okay, another confession, for one of the jobs, I actually started my “get hired for this job” campaign all over again, which failed just as miserably on the second go round as it had the first time.
Now, this is only speculation on my part, but the facts did appear to speak for themselves. Fact, there was an ad for the job; fact, the ad went away, and fact, the ad reappeared in about three months. Speculation, someone was hired and it did not work out. Of course, the first thought that came to my mind was, “they should have hired me.” Then the second thought was, “I wonder what went wrong.”
From life experience most of us have learned that there are lots of reasons and ways for a person to lose or become disenfranchised with a job. The company or the position may have not been what the new employee expected. Also, there are times when people on either side of the table may be less than honest when it comes to discussing a position. Background checks may come back late and reveal information that the employee failed to mention during the interview process. In short, there are many reasons jobs do not work out. Nevertheless, aside from the state of the economy, poor attendance, not getting along with co-workers, and incompetence lead the list of the top three reasons for being dismissed from a job.
Below are some thoughts on managing life as a new employee.
Job Performance
Do take pride in your work
Do complete all assigned tasks in a timely manner
Do take advantage of training when it is offered
Do be ready to prove yourself everyday
Do make your best effort to report to work everyday
Don’t be late arrive on-time or a few minutes early every day. Even if everyone in the office gets there late, make it a habit to be on-time otherwise you run the risk of appearing unhappy with your new job. There are instances where flex-time is a company wide option, if that is the case set a time and report to work at the time that was discussed and agreed to with management.
Don’t be a clock watcher, if need be and possible stay late to complete your tasks. It is a fact, for some people staying late is not an option, especially if there are family obligations. However for those who are able, staying late does not necessarily mean staying until 7:00 or 8:00 pm at night. It could simply mean not being in the elevator at 5:01 pm. Instead of heading for the door at 4:59 pm take a few minutes to clean off your desk, make a list of things that you want to accomplish the next day, check-in with your supervisor to let them know that you are leaving and find out if they need anything before you head-out. This could mean leaving at 5:10 or 5:20, but it also demonstrates that you are not just doing your job but you are involved with your work.
Don’t openly complain about polices make an attempt to learn why things are done a certain way before becoming discouraged or attempting to make changes. If a procedure or policy is hampering your ability to do your job, try to diplomatically find out how the policy came into being. Once you find out the root of the process you may be better able to live with it or propose an effective alternative process to management.
Interpersonal Do’s and Don’ts
Do offer to assist co-workers when and where possible
Do be pleasant and cordial at all times
Do leave your troubles at the door
Do identify a mentor
Don’t participate in and try to steer clear of office gossip. This can be tricky for a new hire because often times the office gossip is among the first people to arrive in your work area ready and willing to friend you. So until you know the lay of the land, keep all conversations polite and casual and if you have any questions that directly relate to your job or company policies address them to the person or persons who interviewed you or hired you. In most cases, these are the people who really want you to be successful in the job because in a way you are a refection of their decision making ability.
Don’t assume that everyone who smiles at you is your friend. There are some people who are friendly and helpful it is their nature and how they are wired. Then there are people who have learned to use the character traits of a friendly person in order to obtain information that can be used against you, steal your ideas or in the worse case scenario twist innocent statements or actions into something more in order to create a bit of drama. They themselves or perhaps someone within the company who is close to them may have applied for or wanted your job, but the company opted to bring in an outside person. Some people feel insecure about their position within the company and believe that they can earn brownie points by pointing out the flaws of others. It could even be something as simple as a person who wants to get the office gossip off of their back and they figure that feeding the office gossip some information on you will provide the gossip with a new focus. In short, it can be difficult to find out what makes a person tick. Therefore, to avoid being placed in an uncomfortable situation where you have to explain or defend yourself, build new relationships slowly.
Don’t get entangled with the ticking time bomb -- Normally, companies have at least one ticking time bomb; however, in this economy people are remaining in positions longer because they feel that there is nothing else available to them out there and to be blunt, they may be right. However, this knowledge does not help to ease their pain and as a result they may be burnt-out. People in these situations will rarely provide new employees with information that will help them to become a better employee in fact after listening to them for a few days a new employee may end up wondering what have they gotten themselves into and feelings about their new job may become tainted.
Do not discuss personal matters with co-workers. The work place in general, is not a place to discuss personal or family problems, but this is especially true in cases where you’re the new kid on the block.
General Info
Do seek out ways to add value
Do take it upon yourself to learn new skills and stay informed about your industry
Do practice good hygiene and take pride in your appearance
Don’t talk more than you listen. Get to know the company, your co-workers and what is expected of you by listening more and talking less.
Do not take anything that belongs to the company home without authorization.
Don’t compare yourself to others. In almost every company there are outliners, people who may come in later or leave earlier than others, people who may earn more than others in the same job, people who seem to get the best clients or assignments. To be brutally honest, this is of no concern to you, especially if just a few weeks ago your main source of income was your unemployment check or mommy and daddy. Right now, your main concern is doing the best job that you can do, making it through the probationary period and getting to the point where you’re having an annual review. If you make it to the one year mark with a good performance record and documented accomplishments then you have a better chance of being able to negotiate for more money, opportunities for advancement and or perks.
Do not tweet or post anything unfavorable about your employer or your job. Remember nothing sent in an electronic format is secret this even includes text messages. So, if you need to have a heart-to-heart about your new job with a friend opt to go low tech, call them or arrange to get together with them.
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