Nailing your first job is crucial. It’s the first step on your career ladder and getting it right can be key to opening doors and opportunities.
Fortunately, staying in your boss’s good graces is simple. Here are our best tips compiled from managers who have seen it all — great new employees and ones they wished they never hired.
Be professional
Even in offices with lax dress codes and happy hour every Friday, you should still remain professional at work. Don’t discuss your personal life in great detail or how crazy you got last Saturday night.
“New hires should be careful to not be too familiar or chummy with older workers, at least until they find out the climate in the office and get to know people better,” said former magazine editor Kim Hannel, who has managed dozens of interns. “Plopping down in someone’s office chewing on a candy bar is probably not going to be perceived well.”
Even if you see your peers acting informally, you should hold off until you’ve been there a while. Sometimes that behavior has to be earned over time.
Ask questions
When you’re new at work, it’s easy to feel like you don’t know how to do anything. This is a completely normal feeling, one that everyone goes through.
Don’t let your pride get in the way of doing an assignment or task correctly. Ask for help if you need it.
“Everyone understands there’s a learning curve and that you will have questions as you learn on the job,” said Jesse Dyer, co-founder and president of Funding University. “Never be afraid to ask your coworkers questions, everyone wants you to have the information you need to succeed.”
It’s better to ask for help in the middle of a project than to find out you’ve done it all wrong at the very end. However, you can also veer too much in the other direction. Try not to ask for help every five minutes. Instead, ask if there’s a resource guide, support videos or FAQs that you can use.
Be formal in emails
Texting with your friends and emailing with your boss isn’t the same. Stay away from emojis, slang, and GIFs, at least for the first few months.
“Interns and new hires should err towards conservative and more formal communication until they have the lay of the land in their new workplace,” said Alison Silverstein, CEO of Kidfund, Inc.
You should also try to use punctuation and correct grammar. Read through your texts and emails at least once to make sure your autocorrect hasn’t accidentally changed the word “public” to something less workplace-appropriate.
Make suggestions
Companies hire recent grads partly because they can provide innovative solutions. Don’t be afraid to suggest a new course of action if you notice that the company is doing something inefficiently.
“Successful new employees combine a willingness to do even the most menial tasks with confidence to suggest or even implement improvements,” Silverstein said.
When presenting your new idea, be respectful since the person you’re speaking with may be the one who came up with the old system in the first place.
Be early
Being five minutes late to meetings may be fine when you’re an established staff member, but it won’t endear you to your boss when you’re a new employee.
Always be on time or a few minutes early when possible. Adhering to deadlines or meeting times shows that you respect everyone else’s schedule. When you’re frequently late, it makes you look selfish and inconsiderate.
Provide solutions to problems
When they encounter a potential issue, most employees will go to their boss and say there’s a problem. This isn’t wrong, but it’s also not the best way to handle things.
Instead of just stating the problem, come up with a few preliminary solutions. It doesn’t matter if they’re perfect or if they’re not selected, but your boss will appreciate that you thought of some.
“My old boss used to tell me that if you only come to them with problems, they’ll start associating you with them,” said personal finance writer Zina Kumok.
Managers appreciate an employee with a problem-solving attitude. They also remember who makes their job difficult and who makes it easier.
Have a good attitude
We’ve all had days where everything goes wrong, and work is the last place you want to be. Even when your personal life is a mess, you should separate that from your work life.
If you’re dealing with a family member’s illness, you can share that with your coworkers. But don’t let it become an excuse for rudeness, missing deadlines, or generally being a bad coworker. Remember, everyone has their own problems so keep your bad mood to yourself.
Don’t get distracted
It’s natural to look at your phone when you get a phone call or text message, but you should try to avoid glancing too long.
“If someone is talking to you, don’t look at your phone or your computer screen,” Hannel said.
“The same goes for meetings, as far as I’m concerned.”’
Even if your meetings are over Zoom and it’s easy to look at other tabs, try to stay focused on what’s happening in front of you. People can tell if you’re not paying attention — and that will definitely hamper your career.
Volunteer for tasks
Bosses love to see initiative, and a new staff member who says yes to assignments instead of grumbling will be rewarded. It may take a while, but eventually you’ll be remembered as someone who can be counted on.
“A willingness to dive into new challenges is always great to see from a new hire,” Dyer said. “In small companies, it’s especially important to be brave and tackle tasks outside of your comfort zone when help is needed.”
Take it seriously
Remember, doing well at your first job is important because it’s your first chance to show off your skills. Doing well here could lead to your next job, one that you love.
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