Adjusting to a New Job
The first few weeks of a new job are always difficult. You want to impress your
co-workers as a hard-working, honest, intelligent team member. You want to show
your boss that you are competent and talented. And all the while, you can't
remember which cabinet holds the office supplies, you've forgotten at least two
officemates' names, and your computer seems to be haunted.
Even seasoned professionals say starting a new job is rough - it's even harder
if you're a recent college graduate getting acquainted with the real world.
However, if you anticipate the challenges ahead, your transition to working
America will be much smoother:
Take advantage of the mentoring program.
If your company offers you a mentor, don't hesitate to sign up for this
opportunity. Not only will a good mentor provide you with unparalleled
networking opportunities, but he or she will also give you tips on how to excel
in your job, advise you on how to realize your long-term goals, and provide a
career trajectory that you might want to use as a model.
Don't be afraid to write things down.
Maybe it's not best to be poised with a notebook during the first round of
office interviews, scribbling away instead of making eye-contact and shaking
hands. However, when you get back to your desk, don't hesitate to write down
co-workers' names and key data about them. While you're at it, write down where
the office supplies are, what day the cleaning crew will empty your garbage can,
where the recycling bin is, and whether you need to contribute money to buy
grinds and filters for the "free" coffee.
Mind the dress code.
For some jobs, the dress codes are obvious. If you're working as a technician at
a hospital, you will probably wear a scrub suit. If you're a police officer, you
will likely don a uniform. If you're an investment banker, you will probably
sport a suit. At many organizations, however, the dress code is not so
clear-cut; it can be hard to size up what the company expects of your
appearance. For example, the dress code in newsrooms around the country is
highly variable - some newspapers are fine with blue jeans; others demand a
workforce dressed to be aesthetically interchangeable with hedge fund employees.
Also, by simply visiting your new workplace, you may not leave with a wholly
accurate interpretation of the dress code.
The best course of action is to spend the first week or two of work a little bit
overdressed or matched with the most formally dressed person you see in the
office. Pay close attention to the finer points of the dress code, and assess
the average level of dressiness. Do women wear tights or hose? Do men wear
playful or conservative ties? Does anyone ever wear sneakers or casual loafers?
Do employees wear tailored, formal pants or standard-fare chinos? Once you
understand the dress code, you will be able to integrate your own sense of
individual style with the workplace aesthetic. By waiting to bring your unique
sensibility to your office attire, you'll be sure not to inadvertently rub
others the wrong way or give the impression that you don't care or don't take
your new job seriously.
Be nice to administrative assistants and clerical workers.
The main reason to be nice to the office staff is, of course, that they're
people, meaning that they deserve common courtesies. Another reason, however, is
that your relationship with the person who operates the fax machine, answers the
phone, files papers, types transcripts, and operates the copy machine can
greatly determine the quality of your job. If you're rude to the receptionist,
why should he or she give you phone messages, deliver faxes, or process your
copy machine requests in a punctual manner? If you spurn the administrative
assistant, why should he or she help you out when you misplace an important file
or realize you forgot to do something once you get home from work? Your
relationship with support staff can have a decided impact not just on the
pleasantness of your day, but also on your job performance.
College isn't corporate America.
The working world can be jarring, especially if you graduated from an idyllic,
elite, liberal arts college. Many such schools - the ones with lush quadrangles
of emerald green grass, ivy-covered collegiate gothic dormitories, and gender
studies departments - offer what many would consider something close to an ideal
society. The college community is relatively egalitarian and respectful - even
if every decision isn't perfectly progressive, the mandate and vision for equity
is palpable.
According to Phyllis R. Stein, a Boston-area career coach, female and minority
clients often express dismay over illegal pay differentials, gendered
entry-level jobs, and sexual harassment. There are no simple solutions to these
problems and realities - everyone's approach to them will be unique. But
handling them will be much easier if the initial shock and disillusionment
doesn't catch you completely off guard.
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