Starting Your First Job Just Got Easier With These 5 Tips

So you’ve survived the hunt for your first job out of college. If you’re like me, then the very next thing you worried about is how you’ll get along with your co-workers. If you’re looking for an extensive list of different sources which cover getting comfortable at a new job, then check out this post put together by The Muse. These 5 tips are sourced from my personal experience getting comfortable at my recently acquired job.

Be Humble

Humility is the most important character trait for getting along with co-workers- especially as a millennial. We have a reputation of being a generation who has a know-it-all air about us (whether that’s actually true is up for you to debate). Once you know you’re working against that stereotype, all you have to do is focus on respecting everyone’s knowledge. You may know more about your co-worker regarding a certain subject, but your first few days are not the time to show it. I did a lot of listening, smiling, and nodding my first week.

Be Eager to Help

Two more misconceptions older generations have about millennials are that we are selfish and don’t want to work hard. You can cover both of these by being eager to help your first few days. Don’t sit around on your phone during idle time. Ask someone if there’s anything you can be doing. Even if it’s just a favor for them, like making a copy, it will help you feel comfortable.

It also shows your older co-workers a couple of  things about you. The first is you are a helpful person, and people tend to like those who are helpful towards them. The second is it shows you are a hard worker. Both of these qualities shatter negative millennial stigmas.

Balance the Line Between Friendly and Professional

This was personally the toughest one for me to handle, and it still is. My co-workers invite me out to drinks from time to time, but I always decline even though I’d love to go.

The reason I always decline is I think it’s important to keep a clearly defined line between personal and professional relationships. Not only that, but post-work happy hour conversations always tend to lead to office gossip. With that being said, it’s still possible to be quite friendly without including your work friends in your personal life.

Here’s an example. When a co-worker asks you to go get drinks, say ” I’m sorry, I don’t really drink anymore, but I’d love to get coffee before work with everyone sometime. Let me give you my number and we can plan a day.”

A coffee before the office lets you be social, but since your minds will be on the workday ahead, you can easily keep the conversation professional. It also tests whether the person who asked you for drinks is interested in building an actual professional relationship with you rather than just being interested in recruiting a drinking buddy.

Resist ALL Temptations to Engage in Office Romance

“Don’t dip your pen in the company ink.” I’m sure you’ve heard this phrase at some point, but you probably haven’t digested how valuable this advice is to your career. Let me give you an example.

When I started my current job, one of the other people in my training class was a girl around my age whom I found extremely attractive. When you are attracted to someone, your primal mating instincts kick in and flood your brain with all types of hormones that make thinking rationally almost impossible.

I found myself thinking how I was going to build a relationship with her at work and eventually ask her out. After a minute or two of this fantasy, I snapped back to reality. I was mentally embarrassed by my momentary lapse in judgement. I started silently listing all of the potential negatives of being in a relationship with someone I work with. The inability to keep personal and professional lives separate, the potential for awkwardness, and favoritism are just a few of the pitfalls of an inter-office romance.

I found the best way to stay out of these situations is to maintain a healthy work-life balance. If you satisfy your craving for romance outside of work, then you will be immune to nature’s urges at the office.

Break the Ice With Your Superiors

This last tip is tough to give concrete advice on, as everyone’s superiors are their own unique individuals. One universal tip for breaking the ice is to focus on common ground.

When you are in your superior’s office, look around for clues to their favorite hobbies, as well as family members with whom they have a close relationship. When I walked into my current boss’ office for the first time, I saw tons of pictures of him on the golf course. I also golf in my spare time, so after we were done talking business, I said ” Wow that course in that picture looks beautiful. I’m a golfer too- which course is this?” This led to a 15 minute conversation on golf and a new level of comfort between my boss and me.

These 5 tips helped me get comfortable at my recent job, and I think they’ll help you too. If you have any questions you can reach out to me on Twitter (@BPucino)