FIRST JOB SPECIAL.................... A SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR OFFICE ROOKIES - In the first place, get it right

A SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR OFFICE ROOKIES - In the first place, get it right





Your first job teaches you lessons no college does. Here's how you survive the initial months of your career

Young and reckless -that's what we are in our 20s. We motorcycle our way through life with no helmet on, until we hit the career highway. Suddenly, we are expected to be responsible and mature, or at least on the path to being `settled'.The transition from wild to mild is not easy and takes some discipline.But steer clear of these major faux pas and you'll be cruising in auto-mode in no time.

1 DON'T BE LATE

If you have a nine-to-five job, stick to the company's official timings. If you have flexible work hours, stick to your word instead. Walking in at 1pm when you promised to report at 11am reflects on your commitment. In your first year, you want people to take you seriously. And how will anyone do that if you can't even honour your own word?

2 DON'T USE OFFICE AS TINDER

Office romance isn't a cardinal sin, but get to know your colleagues and the rules of your workplace better first. The first year is definitely not the right time for you to swipe imaginary rights on those hotties in office. How about you learn more about the job first?

3 STAY SOBER AT PARTIES

Office parties involve a lot of free booze and that's reason enough to get drunk, right? Wrong! Many inappropriate things can be said and done when drunk and you don't want to face the consequences of something you don't even remember doing!

4 DON'T ABSCOND

Sometimes, it's hard to deal with the repercussions of unpleasant decisions that we take at the workplace -like quitting the job. But remember, this is professional, not personal. Your organisation will be far more appreciative if you resign formally and serve your notice period instead of pulling a disappearing act. Take Shreeji Doshi's case, for example. A fresh graduate, he joined a company while simultaneously appearing for post-graduate courses' entrance exams. Just ten days into the job, he secured admission in a premium college. Unsure of how to break the news to his boss, he simply stopped reporting to work. “That affected our relationship completely.If I had manned up, we would have probably remained in touch,“says Doshi. Absconding can also lead to a bad reputation in the job market, blacklisting and even legal tussles.

5 PRIVATE MEANS PRIVATE

You may find your colleagues friendly, but that doesn't mean that they are your friends. Khusbhu Merchant learnt this the hard way, when she started discussing her personal problems with her teammates.“If I messed up at work, people started attributing it to my personal life, even when it was unrelated,“ says Merchant. In the first year of your job, people may try to exploit your vulnerabilities; don't throw your personal problems to the mix.

6 THINK BEFORE SAYING `YES'

You don't have to impress your bosses all the time. You are new to the job and they understand that.So if they ask you to tackle something brand new, seek help. Here's how: Boss: Rohan, can you make a case study out of our last project?
You: Yes sir, but can I do it with someone who has done it before so that I get it right, as this is my first time? Boss: Of course, of course. Sit with Shreya.

This way, your boss will not only realise that you are aware of where you need to improve at work but also that you have good communication skills.

7 WAIT FOR APPROVAL

If you have a client-facing job, you might be in a position where clients ask you something that you don't have the official answer to. In such situations, do not respond. It is absolutely fine to say that you will get back to them, even if you know what the answer should be.Similarly, do not perform any task without your boss's instruction or approval. Nithin SV, a software consultant, says, “Once, I discussed a software upgrade with a customer who seemed interested. So I got cocky and did the upgrade before getting an approval. I got a lot heat from the customer and my boss. This happened on the second day of my job.“

8 STAY AWAY SOCIAL FROM MEDIA

It's one thing to say, “I hate Mondays“ and quite another to say, “Today I worked on the Reliance accounts file“. You could put your company in trouble or inadvertently give information to your company's competition. You could even put your organisation, and yourself, at risk of legal action.

(The writer has spent a decade in jobs ranging from a management role in a consulting firm to working in the non-profit sector)

Alpana Mandal

MM18JAN16