Starting your first job is exciting and it also comes with a lot of uncertainty, it can also be a struggle for some of us as it would be the first time we are exposed to the real business environment, it is also the time we make new discoveries – what, where, how, etc.
It is natural for us to be nervous with all the information overload and expectations from the organization, peers, and family. Here we list some of the things that you can do to overcome these challenges and build strong foundations for a successful career.
Build a strong bond with your simultanous hires
During our initial days we are in the training phase, depending upon function and organization this process can be short or lengthy, often during this time we are together with others who have joined at the same time, and with our initial mentors and trainers.
it is important to build strong healthy relationships with this group, which can help you lot as you hit the floor and start the real job.
This informal association can help learn a lot of things that are not a part of explicit training, this group can become a strong touch point as each one of you will gain experience and can share information with each other, and you can become a sounding board for each other in a lot of tough situations and understanding complex problems and situations.
Understand your team, department, processes and work
Though you might feel all these would be explicitly covered during training and induction and more often than not they are, you will need time to process and understand each of these in a true sense, so you should take extra efforts to make sure you understand all this correctly.
As you continue to gain experience things will become clearer all this will help you understand your role, and work better helping you to deliver better and avoid unnecessary errors. At times we take all this for granted which might not impact us directly but it can slow us down if things go south.
Focus on the task at hand
When we start working, we start getting tasks to work on, cutting down all the noise, the idea should be to focus on the tasks, no matter how small it is, they can be as trivial as anwering a call or sending an email or it can be complex and effort intensive. At this stage, all that should matter is how well you understood what was to be done and how well you executed it.
At the end of it, you must be able to assess if you were good at it, or you needed some help, and what you need to know/learn so you can do it well the next time, whatever you do never leave a task incomplete or unattended, in case you are not able to complete it within the given time, you must report it back to your manager or team leader, in fact during the tasks if you feel that you lagging behind you should intimate the same to the right stakeholder so they can take corrective action and adjust their commitments and plans.
If you can do your tasks well, it automatically puts you on right track, and gives confidence to your seniors, which starts a chain reaction, you not only start getting noticed but also get better work to do, which helps to improve your skills futher.
Avoid Distractions, set small goals and todo’s
This initial phase of the career is very important as it becomes our stepping stone in what is about to come, We not only face new challenges, and get exposed to a new environment but are also constantly disturbed by other events happening around us. A friend getting a better opportunity, another peer getting a better role or getting more attention, social media, FOMO, etc. It is for the first time we have to balance our personal lives with work, and all of this is enough to distract us.
The key to building a strong career that can serve you well is to remain focused, you can not shut down all the noise, but having some good habits can definitely reduce the negative impact of this noise. Setting small goals and to-do’s helps us to remain focussed and track our real progress rather than judging it by the scale of others.
Prepare for the next better tasks.
As you start gaining experience you would be able to learn what are the next better tasks than what you are being assigned currently, and if you have to acquire any skill or change something so those should start coming to you. Mostly the next better task won’t be too different or complex than the one you are doing, having ensured success on tasks that you are already doing, it will be only a matter of time that you will get these tasks as well, so be ready for it.
Don’t limit yourselves.
In case you are not able to complete the tasks in hand which are later done by someone else, you must find the gaps, It can be a case where even the best can get stuck, so you must approach the other person and understand what mistake/error you were making so can correct the same next time, if it turns out to be a skill gap or knowledge gap, you must ensure that you fill the same at the earliest, so the next time you are presented with a same or similar tasks you are able to do it successfully.
Don’t compromise on hygiene.
At times we may take certain things for granted, like showing up on time, dressing up professionally ( as per your office culture), basic discipline, etc. these things don’t need any special effort but due to other priorities are often overlooked, but if you want to come across as a true/serious professional you must not compromise on these aspects.
Similarly, don’t underestimate the importance of human values and principles like being humble, respectful, and integrity all of them have a huge impact on how you are perceived. These traits bring you hidden opporutnities as well, as these aspects have more relevance at senior levels.
Don’t hesitate to ask questions, but !!
Asking quality questions can bring clarity to your job, and it can also help stand out, but it should not be done with the desire to impress others, and to draw out real meaning from the conversations, if you don’t understand something you must go ahead and clarify, it would be essential to delivery right results, but simply asking questions without real purpose will get noticed and can work against you.
Finally – Your attitude matters
You may have started at the bottom of the pyramid but it is your attitude towards your job that will define the results, if you treat yourself as an insignificant part of the system you will remain that, but if you believe that you are a larger part for the organization and belong there your attitude will automatically reflect in everything you do.
Take initiative wherever possible, go the extra mile where ever possible, see yourself contributing to the organiztions success, and see yourself becoming a key player in the future, and it will help sort out a lot of things
Summary
We might feel that we are just another resource in the team, but the fact is that your seniors and managers are always on the lookout for someone whom they can trust to deliver what is assigned to him/her. If you can do that consistently you will get all the help and support you need to settle your initial nerves and go on a path to build a strong career.
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Author
Nikhil Kumar Ahluwalia
Founder Upspir
Nikhil has over 16 years of experience in the tech industry, before starting UPSPIR he was Vice President – Support and Delivery at Ameyo/Exotel. Nikhil has a vast experience in leading technical support and delivery teams. By building strong processes around training, mentoring and development of people he was able to create high performing support, delivery and professional services organizations in Ameyo, He is passionate about developing people, which motivated him to start Upspir. With Upspir he aims to take his passion next level by sharing his experiences and learning with those who want to build their career in the technical support domain.