I cannot believe 6 months have gone by since graduation, AND that I have been working (more like adulting) for half a year!!! LIKE WOAH! So crazy right! Well, with having 6 months of working in the corporate world under my belt, I have learned some valuable things. So without further ado, here are some of the things I learned in the first 6 months on the job.
ASK QUESTIONS
Typically when you first start working or start a new job/internship you don’t know how to do much, and you have a lot of questions. Ask those questions!! Please don’t pretend you know how to do something and not ask for help and end up messing something up AND please please please DO NOT just say “I don’t know how to do that” when you are given a task! When a new task comes your way and you have no clue how to tackle it, simply say “I’m not sure on how to complete this, but I am willing to learn. Can you give me some guidance on ________?” For example, in the first few weeks, I had to send out a fax to multiple locations. First of all a FAX!! Being the young person I am, I have never done that before. Since I was sending the same thing to multiple locations I knew there was an easier way then having to send one fax to each fax line that would take forever. So I asked for help, and of course there was a programmed button that can send the fax to all the locations I needed. Problem solved! By asking questions you don’t seem like a typical millennial, and show that you are willing to learn! A curious mind is an active mind, so ask those questions!
COMMUNICATION
People communicate in different ways. What may seem sarcastic and joking to you may offend someone else, always be careful with your words and tone. Proper language is best. Choosing the right words is everything. Whether it’s in an email or an actual vocal conversation it is important to use the right words to help your appearance, and how people perceive you.
NEVER ASSUME & EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED
You know what they say happens when you assume. Save yourself the trouble and just never assume. It always ends badly. Also never expect something to go as planned and expect the unexpected. We never expected for a category 3 Hurricane named Harvey to cause this much destruction to Houston but it did.
BE PREPARED
There is never such a thing as being over prepared! This ties into my last tip on expect the unexpected. Let’s say the 15 copies of handouts you printed for a meeting isn’t enough and you are a few short when it comes time to pass them out and it all could have been avoided by printing a few extras. If you are always prepared and have a full on medicine cabinet in your purse don’t be ashamed, trust me being over prepared comes in handy.
TAKE NOTES
Not notes on your phone or laptop, but actually, handwritten notes! Say you get called into your supervisor’s office and they start listing off a billion tasks to do, and you are trying hard to remember them all. You need to become Andy Sachs from Devil Wears Prada and carry a little notebook to jot down all the tasks that get thrown your way because trust me no matter how smart you are or how good of a memory you have, you will forget something. Buy a cute girl boss notebook and tackle all those tasks!
PUT DOWN YOUR PHONE
Unless your job requires you to scroll through newsfeeds and posting on different social media like my job, then I suggest putting your phone down! Be social! Smile and say hi to people in the elevators and hallways. Talk to your colleagues in the breakroom and at lunch. Don’t spend every spare second on your phone. Check your notifications quickly and put it away and be present in the moment.
These are just a few important things every millennial should consider practicing for nailing the first months at a new/first job. The first 6 months adulting after college were great because I learned so much on how to not only improve myself but also help improve my company. With that being said I have an exciting but bittersweet ANNOUNCEMENT to make.
I have been offered a new opportunity to grow in the marketing field and have accepted a new position with a marketing firm in Houston. I am grateful for my previous job helping me grow into the girl boss I am now and I look forward to this new position with all the wonderful things God has in store for me! I hope some of these tips help you succeed as much as they did for me! Until next time!!
Love Always,
Alex
