“Wear a white crisply ironed shirt for interview”, “Remember positive body-language” or “Don’t forget to meet eye-to-eye and offer a firm handshake” are the most common tips we are used to when it comes to our initial professional interview tips from the more experienced lot. However once you land up your dream job usually you are left on your own, to figure out the intricacies and fight small day to day battles. Despite being professionally competent most of us do encounter teething troubles during the initial stages of our careers in the form of non-alignment with seemingly difficult managers or complex work environment. This is largely due to the gap between classrooms and corporate boardrooms. What they don’t teach in the classrooms are usually lessons about complex human behaviour when it comes to professional expectations and attitude. Here are a few smart tips for young beginners that can come in handy during such challenging moments:
Sense of purpose: First and foremost, a first-jobber needs to have a serious fix on his/ her role in the organization, where they see themselves in a particular time-frame and having a personal clear vision of what their role is in the larger scheme of organizational goals. This is the most critical building block, something that usually is the role of a mentor in shaping up a fresher’s initial years. This helps get a sense of the journey. You have trouble figuring this out, don’t hesitate to seek help from your mentor, senior colleagues or even your peers.
Self-discipline: this is usually the toughest for young recruits as there are many distractions and professional traps most of the time. Imagine a Friday evening get-together when you have to submit an assignment on Monday morning. The choice is yours: either give in to temptation and party hard and scramble hard to manage the project on a Sunday (which most often is not easy) or ask for an extension (which leaves a poor impression). Such situations are far too common in the corporate world. Remember, the choices you make often shape up your professional persona in the long run. Little sacrifices are often worth it when you look at the larger picture.
Sincerity of approach: As a fresher eager to absorb and understand, sincerity to a large extent means that you deliver what’s expected at your best level. It means taking personal responsibility, sharing your learning and also adding best value to what is expected out of your inputs. The more you share your viewpoints with others the more you shall benefit. Sincerity is always appreciated in the long run.
Taking initiatives: This is more of an attitude and isn’t assigned to first-jobbers alone. At workplace there will always be plenty of situations where leadership will need solutions to simple as well as complex challenges. Walking the extra mile, doing more than what is expected and enthusiastically sharing inputs will always yield positive results in the long run. Those who take initiatives, help others and offer solutions are always the ones who will be seen as leaders in the long run.
Corridor conversations: As a fresher it can at times get tempting to get pulled into non-productive office gossips or casual conversations involving personal details. Tempting as it may be, it is best to strictly avoid them and stay professional. Focus on your work, on what is expected out of you and what will yield productive results for your organization. Boring as it may sound, this is what will bear rich fruits in your professional growth and also motivate you on the path of professional leadership.
These are by no means an exhaustive list but surely very indicative of what are some of the things that one needs to be mindful about. Our actual learnings in the workplace also play a large part in shaping our professional growth, one needs to be consciously looking for all the learnings, make course corrections as required and above all never hesitate to admit mistakes and press the reboot button!