I am starting with my First Real Coporate Job! And feeling a lil nervous..what should I do?

Question

I am going to join a software company tomorrow ! and feeling a bit nervous about the new job enviroment..what should I do to give a good impression to my peers ?

Thanks for all you advice!

Answer 1

I worked a lot with interns, and I always told them the following. Even if they didn't work for us in the end, I wanted them to succeed wherever they went.

1. Chances are, you don't know what you are doing. If you don't, ask for help. Don't try and impress everyone by acting like you know everything because people will see you as arrogant or just plain stupid.

2. Most people are there to help out the team and the company. If you think someone is criticizing you, chances are they are really trying to help or to teach you. If someone tells you that you are wrong, do not take it personally.

3. Be outgoing and be willing to roll with whatever your job throws at you. View each opportunity as something to learn something new, not a burden.

4. Be on time. When you are new, you should be waiting for people, not making people wait for you. (after a few years, at least in the Engineering world, if you are 10 minutes late, you are early).

5. Don't let people see you doing nothing. If you have nothing to do, read some technical documents or buy a book and learn something that will help your job.

6. If your company offers tuition assistance or continuing education, jump on it. The more the company invests in you, the less likely you'll be fired. At the very least, if you get another degree, you'll make yourself more marketable. Think about something you haven't learned yet. If you are a comp. sci. background, consider getting a business degree to learn about how the non-technical side of things work in business.

7. If you drink, don't show up to work hungover, ever. People will notice when you are operating at "half-speed". Save the parties for the weekend.

8. Watch what you say. What you might think is funny, maybe offensive to someone else. Saying the wrong thing can get you fired. Know your audience!!!

9. Trust everyone and trust no one. Your co-workers are there to help, but if times get tough, people will look after their own self interest. Especially when layoffs come, people will stab you in the back to save your own skin. Just something to keep in mind. Use common sense and don't give people reasons to hate you or things to use against you.

10. You remeber the game "telephone" when you were young? It exists in the corporate world times ten. If you tell someone you don't like your boss, by the time it gets back to your boss, you will have said that he is an a**hole, that you are going to key his car, and you'll beat him up after work.

I make the corporate world sounds terrible. In some ways, it is. However, it can be a lot of fun. You just need to keep the big picture in mind. Focus on your career prospects with the company and giving no one anything to use against you.

Good luck to you!!

Answer 2

Starting with a corporate job the key is attitude.

Enter the job looking for experience, professional growth and contribution to your team of workers. The beauty of a corporate job is that a corporation offers opportunity for advancement. Your goal should be to progress within the corporate structure.

Advancement depends on contribution and leadership qualities.

If you are to be a leader you must be a good follower. Your boss and the company rules and regulations need to be heeded. Respect your boss and seek guidance as required. Establishing a good employee boss relationship is important.

You must be accepted by your new colleagues as someone they like to work with. Be yourself, enjoy meeting and getting to know your new colleagues. Do not be afraid to ask for help from more experienced workers. Everyone likes to be important and providing help to a new comer provides that feeling. Treat all your peers as experienced colleagues. Nothing turns off peers like someone they sense looks down on them and their ability, or qualifications. Be willing to chip in to assist any colleague who needs assistance. Early friendship should be defined in the job context. Social friends may emerge later, but concentrate on work place friendship and cooperation.

Concentrate on acquiring knowledge and skills to do your job more effectively. The idea that a worker should acquire knowledge and skill on a "need to know basis" is the most frightfully bad policy both for a company and an individual. Seek to understand context of the job beyond its actual activity.

Press superiors for added background information. What is the company about, its policy its products its business plan. These things may not at first appear relevant to your job, but as you progress this knowledge actually improves your performance and paves the way for new challenges and promotions.

Think of the corporation as your company. By doing this you overcome the petty annoyances of corporate bureaucracy. Never bad mouth your company , its products, its service, its management or its employees to other employees or outside the company. When you are sufficently experienced to do so, you should discuss any such concerns with the appropraite person or persons within the company. If the company its management etc are intolerable and nothing will change , seek another job and leave on good terms. The company will carry on and so will you without damaging friction in the public sphere.

Take whatever job training, professional courses or management training is available. Seek to apply this training to improve your own productivity. Merit is recognized by both your colleagues and the corporation strive for it.

Perhaps the best advice is to adopt the "golden rule" in all your dealings with colleagues. Treat everyone in the way you would like to be treated if you were in their shoes. People are far more alike than different so you will find they react as you would.

Good luck

Answer 3

Be yourself...hold your head up and your shoulders back. Show confidence in yourself... people/peers are always looking for a weak spot so don't show it if you can (that is without coming across as a "know it all"). And there's no harm in asking for help either if you do it right :)
Just be yourself..if you're naturally a happy person and laid back and friendly...they will respond to that so much more than to someone with a chip on their shoulder and an attitude.
Good luck!

Answer 4

Just pay attention, be cheerful, and don't act like you already know everything. Don't be dismissive of anyone you meet. You don't know who is who's best buddy.

They will probably assign someone to guide you through your first few days, so that should help you out.