First Week Faux Pas

How exciting! It's your first day on the job and you’re ready to take on the world. Well, hold on there, dude. Believe it or not, you literally have just seconds (or if you are lucky, a few minutes) to convince the entire office that you are a terrific addition. Yes, even before your first cup of coffee, you’ll be the object of lots of office gossip about your wardrobe, confidence, education, economic and relationship status. Even if you do everything right that first day, the rest of that first week you’ll be sized up by colleagues and managers as they try to figure out whether you are a great hire… or not.

Don’t dismiss those first few days believing you'll be given a break because you’re “the new guy.” People aren’t that nice. Instead, be on top of your game because there are a few things that can sour the early impressions people have of you.

Don’t be late. If you show up late to work, you’re doomed. Being on time is a basic expectation that should not be taken lightly. To be safe, do a test run to work and allow extra time for emergencies. Better yet, plan to arrive a few minutes early.
Don’t dress inappropriately. Choosing your work wardrobe– especially during the first week – can be challenging if you're not familiar with the company’s culture. No matter what, stay away from visible tattoos and piercings, unusual hair styles or colors, and any clothing that is too tight, short, baggy, wrinkled or low-cut. Ideally, take a look at an employee manual prior to your first day or contact human resources for guidance.
Don’t forget names. People admire people who remember and use their names. So, try hard to remember the folks you're introduced to during your first week. Associate a person's name with someone or something you know to help jog your memory.
Don’t cuss. You may be comfortably fowl-mouthed with friends or family, but in the workplace such language is considered offensive. Instead, choose your words carefully and avoid phrases like "that sucks" or "that bites." They’re simply unprofessional.
Don’t over-use your cell phone. The hard truth is this: cell phones can become a nuisance in an office setting. If you must use your cell phone, do it privately and quickly. And, if you must bring your cell phone to meetings, be sure to explain why you must have it with you, and put it on vibrate.
Don’t disregard orientation. Training and orientation can be dull – or overwhelming. Don’t create the perception that you are not engaged in your new responsibilities. Instead, ask questions that can give you an advantage during your first few weeks on the job.

So, make an effort to present yourself as favorably as possible right out of the gate. If your co-workers have a good first impression, it will have a positive affect on how they view you in the months and years to come. Remember, you will be sized up every day by everyone you meet. No pressure though. Just be the best you can be. Good luck!

Labels: advice, career advice, corporate culture, impressing your boss, job success, professionalism, professionalism; office etiquette;

Posted by Seymour Jobs on 10/26/2009 10:51:00 AM
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What Does Your Username Really Say?

There are many things in today's job market that you cannot control. You cannot predict which company will hire you. You cannot be sure which job will provide the best benefits. But the things you can control, such as the professionalism you publicly display-- those things should be identified with the utmost attention.

Labels: email addresses, professionalism

Posted by Amanda on 6/25/2009 06:01:00 PM
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Filling Big Shoes? How to deal with a memorialized predecessor.

Assuming a new leadership role – such as department head, group manager or committee chair is tough enough. But, when you are succeeding Mr. or Ms. Wonderful, it can be a nightmare. Here are some tips to help you manage the tension between your predecessor's legacy and the task at hand.

Do Your Homework.
Meet with the person you're replacing before you start the job to get a sense of his or her managerial style. This will help you better understand problem areas and uncover the cherished leader's secrets for handling difficult situations as well as the personalities in your new work environment. Also, speak with the folks who will be your peers and direct reports. Your questions won’t always be welcome, but you'll gain a great deal of insight from the answers you do get.

Contrast and Compare.
Why were you selected as the replacement and what are you supposed to accomplish? Your new direct reports may think you should do nothing more than stay the course. But the people you'll be answering to might have something entirely different in mind. You may need to chart a new direction for your staff. It's also possible that the admiration your predecessor enjoyed caused management to overlook underlying performance issues – and now you are charged with taking them on. You must find a way to reconcile the tension between your predecessor's legacy and moving forward.

Make your mission known.
Certainly, if you’ve been charged with shaking up the status quo, this will be tough to do. However, it is important to help your staff understand the challenges you've been mandated to address. Prepare yourself to hear the inevitable comment, "but she always did it this way." When it surfaces – and it definitely will – resist the temptation to back down and simply copy the behavior of the former boss. Instead, turn this temptation into an opportunity to help your new reports better understand your own leadership style.

Get the right hands on deck.
Retaining a staff member with a mediocre performance record is a common mistake. This is an area where your leadership can make a huge difference. Give your direct reports a chance to get on board and meet your expectations. But don't wait too long to make the necessary changes. At the end of the day, only those folks who are willing to work with you will help you accomplish your mandate.

So, thanks for the memories Mr. Wonderful. But, now it’s time for all of us to move on.

Labels: experience, hard work, management style, professionalism, real-world knowledge

Posted by Melissa on 5/29/2009 09:48:00 AM
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Recession-Proofing Your Job

It’s sad but true: job security is an oxymoron. The workplace is simply not as crowded as it used to be. But, if you are fortunate enough to have a job, especially one that you enjoy, now’s the time to keep yourself from becoming a statistic and take hold of your career.

First of all, this is no time to be invisible. If they don’t notice you, you’ll be one of the first people to receive a pink slip. Instead, adjust that attitude to fit the seriousness of the times, and safeguard your position. How?

• Perform! Being a valuable contributor to an organization has never been more critical. Be a good employee. Be a team player. Be a top-producer.
• Stay tuned in. Skip that $4 latte in favor of the office coffee klatch. Eat at your desk instead a grabbing a sandwich at the local café. Move your lunchtime workout to after work instead. The more you’re around the office the better plugged in you’ll be.
• Talk up your contributions. Make sure you're adding value by going above and beyond your basic job responsibilities. Then make sure your boss knows it -- without being obnoxious. Document what you do, and how successful you are at it.
• No whining. If your workload increases, deal with it. If you have to come in early, stay late or work a weekend, suck it up. This is not the time to be thinking about work-life balance. Remember, happy campers are less likely to get laid off than chronic complainers.
• Never stop networking. The day you’re let go is not the day to start calling old colleagues and asking former bosses out to lunch. You should be doing that right now. How quickly you land a new job after a layoff often depends on how consistently you've networked.

In this economy, preparation is just as important for those who still have jobs as it is for those seeking them. So, stay focused on what you’re doing, but have an exit strategy in your back pocket. Good luck!

Labels: job security, jobs after college, professionalism, real-world knowledge, recession, the real world

Posted by Seymour Jobs on 4/10/2009 02:44:00 PM
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Acclimating to the Cubicle Culture

Labels: advice, first job, productivity, professionalism, the real world

Posted by Seymour Jobs on 1/30/2009 12:07:00 PM
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Proceed with Caution!

One of the hardest lessons I've learned from being an active user of sites like Myspace and Facebook is how to put out the best image of myself for the world to see. I, like most college students, enjoy the occasional social outing and like to take pictures to remind myself of the days when everything was easy... The problem is, come Sunday morning, those pictures might not showcase my most attractive qualities.

Keeping your profile set to "private" or "friends-only"' is the first step to separating your social life from the professional, classy side of yourself you want everyone to know and love. In addition, do not accept friend requests from people that you do not know or do not want to associate with. Having promotional companies for nightclubs on your Top Friends, for example, may not look very appealing to a pencil-pusher boss. In addition, when your profile reads that you plan to attend a "Pimps 'n Hoes" party or a "Get Tanked!" night at the bar, your boss may not be so appreciative of your late night lifestyle.

The main thing to keep in mind with any networking site is that people will only see a two-dimensional version of you. The pictures that you understand as being appropriate to the occasion may not appear so when the viewer does not have a life-size explanation to go with it. The best you can do is keep it classy and remember to always monitor the things you put out there for everyone to see.

Labels: professionalism, security, social networking websites

Posted by Amanda on 12/12/2008 12:38:00 AM
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How to Make Your College Experience Prepare You for the Working World

Summer is long gone, and for many of you, you are deeply entrenched in your fall semester of college. You finalized your schedules, paid your tuition, bought your textbooks, and are attending classes bright-eyed and bushy-tailed; ready to learn! Well, at least that’s what you tell your parents, anyway.

In reality, you’ll be swapping classes until mid-September, filing for loans, and lapsing into a coma the minute you sit down in your lecture hall Monday morning. Thus is college – a series of formative personal choices that usually result in profoundly unwise decisions, and hopefully, a bit of higher learning, too. Rest assured, my fellow collegiate, that most people tend to make it out of college alive, sane and sometimes, even with degrees!

The workplace, on the other hand, is a completely different, far less forgiving beast. Can’t stick to a schedule in a professional environment? You’re fired. Show up unprepared? You’re fired. Fall asleep during a board meeting? Guess what – you’re fired! No matter how impressive your academic achievements, there are some aspects of professional life that the typical college environment simply does not prepare you for. A little common sense and a bit of preparation, however, can make your college experience work for you once you have graduated into the working world.

A lot of people embark on their post secondary journey with absolutely no concept of how to keep a schedule and stick to it. Those who wish to graduate quickly learn how to do this. Calendars, PDA’s and laptops keep us focused and can often mean the difference between acing an assignment and being laughed out of class. If you can develop effective time management techniques by your second or third semester, you’ll have a marked advantage over your less-organized peers that will carry over into the workplace and beyond.

Organizational skills come naturally to most, but the finer points of business etiquette can take even the best and brightest by surprise. If you’re reading this, chances are that you’re mature and canny enough to know that presenting benchmark reports in cargo shorts and a Thundercats T-shirt is a definite no-no. You might not know much beyond that, though. Business classes are a good way to get a feel for professional attire, lingo, and composure, so taking a few, regardless of your major, will help you get your foot in the door and your head in the right place. Keep in mind, however, that corporate culture varies widely from field to field and office to office, so a little research on your part is advisable. If you’re lucky, it could transpire that a prospective employer is just as laid-back as you are… And quite possibly, an even bigger fan of Thundercats!

The most important skill to be taken from your college experience is, naturally, the most elusive and difficult to perfect – the nigh-inscrutable art of responsible independence. Most thirty-something’s haven’t even mastered this yet! In fact, most people, in general, haven’t either. College, careers, everything between, and everything beyond are what you make of them. What you learn and what you do in the educational world determines, to a large extent, how everything else down the line will pan out. Make the most of the opportunities available to you now and doors will open up in places you never imagined. Diligence and an open mind will lead to wonderful things, in business and in life. There’s no telling what the future holds!

Learn how to play your cards, and learn early… You’ll only increase your chances of a winning hand. And who knows – you might even land a gig that encourages you to wear your beloved Thundercats t-shirt!

Labels: college experience, professionalism, real-world knowledge, the future

Posted by Seymour Jobs on 10/10/2008 03:04:00 PM
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Dealing with Un-enthusiasm

I understand that not all professors have to be entirely peppy and upbeat, but when a teacher's bad attitude is clearly apparent, there is something wrong. I am sure the working world is the same, that I over the course of my career-- I will have co-workers and bosses that are overworked, don't like their job-- or just aren't happy.

The difference between school and work, is as a student we are paying an unbelievable amount of money to get a worthy and unique experience from each class. So an unenthusiastic tone throughout a class, from the teacher nonetheless, is completely unacceptable in my opinion. There really isn't all that much time spent in one individual class over the course of a semester.

So, as a teacher, I would think that engaging the students in a heartfelt and exciting way is the main priority. To do otherwise will never allow students to learn the material so that it will stick with us even after college is over. Certainly not all teachers are like this. I'm very happy to have had a great deal of teachers that have gone above and beyond to make us eager to go to class. It may be a lesson in itself to deal with those teachers who we don't agree with. I'm certain that I'll have to do so throughout a professional career--but the difference is if I really don't like a boss or my co-workers, I can always change jobs......

Labels: career, classroom, college, professionalism, teachers, teaching

Posted by jeff on 9/13/2007 07:22:00 PM
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