Things you wish you knew before you were hired

[daylight]

Hopefully, this will be seen as a legitimate YM thread. The original name of the thread would have been "Things you wish you knew before you started your first (adult) job", but it was too long.

Obvious starters:

1. Do not do your job 100% on your first day/in your first week/month. That is the speed that your boss will expect you to do your job all day, every day, every time, without exception. This is pretty tricky though since you have no idea what's the norm at the new place.

2. Make sure you know who is the boss's favorite and don't ever complain about this person to the boss's face unless it's a matter of life and death (this one got me nearly fired, even though said person flat out refused to do her job, eg. this proved not to be a matter of life and death).

TBC...

[chiver78]

3. make sure you know who your boss's boss's favorites are, and get on their good side. you never know when you'll need backup in going over your boss's head.

[justwhoever]

How two faced everyone is. If they think it might make them look good or better, you better believe they WILL and DO throw you under the bus.

They only believe in "teamwork" when it's them getting help. If it's someone else who needs/asks for help...well that's not my job will be said. A lot.

No one understands what "work smarter" means. And if they hear that...it's always about someone else because it could NEVER be about them.

[ummboutthat]

1 and 2 really don't apply here at this Corporate Playground!!
I would have wished I clearly understood their is NO advancement. Once hired I will NOT be able to advance within my department. It's a 100% DEAD END position. If still take the job just to say I'll work it until the next. GET OUT QUICK because the perks of this playground will dull over my brain and make it difficult to leave. For example I can work from home, work half day, work full day, work over time, take 3 hour lunches, no body cares.

[daylight]

7. I totally forgot this one: make sure everyone higher up knows when you help someone. They'll never hear it from the person, who needed help to complete his/her job that he/she is actually paid for.

[Opti]

"1. Do not do your job 100% on your first day/in your first week/month."

Interesting choice. Many of my jobs have been in team environments and I prefer being in the top of the pack. In certain teams I've seen co-workers actively try to get the weakest members fired and if that doesn't work harass them on a regular basis in hopes they quit.

My number one choice would be, if you can do the job politics will be more important than almost any other factor.

[ummboutthat]

LOL daylight your #7 doesn't apply at my play land either. Bosses know we help others out. That's how shit gets done. Bosses also send people our way FROM OTHER DEPARTMENTS to get things done.

I would add
when sending an email that has more than 3 lines - the readers attention will glaze over and loose all attention. if an email is longer than 3 lines expect a call from the recipient, asking all the questions that is completely explained in the email. Usually on line 2.

[restless]

If it is a big company...network, network, network!!

Do not burn bridges either as you never know who will be your next boss!

[cubefarmer]

I learned the hard way - never be the super star. I agree don't do your job at 100% when you first start. Leave room for improvement even if you have to fake it. There is nowhere to go from the top then crashing down. It's also hard to sustain superstardom and any little error is magnified. Start at lower middle and peak at upper middle of the pack. As people come and go re-adjust to stay in the upper middle.

[TheOtherMe]

Don't believe a small CPA firm when they hire you for tax season as part time 20-30 hours per week as a job sharing position. You show up the first day and are informed they decided you are so wonderful, they decided not to hire another person. You end up working 70 hours a week.

[share88]

Most new ideas wear off quickly. . .

[dragonfly7]

"1. Do not do your job 100% on your first day/in your first week/month."

I wholeheartedly agree, and would add "ever." DH and I have both learned, multiple times, that doing our best is the quickest way ensure we will be the first ones punished or fired. As previous posters stated, middle to upper middle of the pack is best.

Lifetime jobs and employer-employee loyalty no longer exist.

[ummboutthat]

if college bills are tough then stop going and take some time off. Because it doesn't matter. People are getting hired $20 to $50k over what I make because of who they know and not having the slightest idea or experience of how to do the job.
OH and they also get promoted!!!

[happyscooter]

Boy, Hampton, you are SO RIGHT. It's not what you know, it's who you know. Those people must have learned that while we didn't.

#8. Get a copy of anything that you sign. Any evaluation, commendations, etc... Get copies of everything.

[cytoglycerine]

I agree with everyone saying not to be the superstar, or department hero...Then everything becomes your responsibility, with no extra pay of course - and don't even try to get extra pay either


Then when something goes wrong, it's your fault, even if it wasn't...You get all the responsibility, with none of the authority, and all for the same pay as (or even less than) everyone else!! It is a really sucky position to be in...I know because I've been there...

[jeffreymo]

A few of mine:

- Show up for work every day
- Do your job well and don't worry about the quality of work that your office mates are doing
- Do not tattle on others - if a mistake is made at work and you have to report it - always lead with "we made a mistake"

[cytoglycerine]

Feb 8, 2011 9:48:48 GMT -5 jeffreymo said:

Do not tattle on others - if a mistake is made at work and you have to report it - always lead with "we made a mistake"

This reminds me of another rule - Beware of co-workers or bosses who come down on you when you make an error ("YOU made this mistake!"), but when they are the ones who make the error, they use the more diplomatic approach of "a mistake was made". One of my previous bosses would do this constantly and it really grinds my gears!

[Urban Chicago]

Bad things happen in the passive voice;)

Seriously though, there are no such things as raises. You must negotiate hard when you are hired, because bonuses and raises simply do not happen, at least in my industry.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I wish I had known the entire university was on a pay freeze. While I am still payed infinetly better than at my previous job, it would have been nice to have the heads up.

I just found out about it when I returned from maternity leave and I was discussing projects with my boss. They have the money to raise my salary, but cannot due to university restrictions. Grrr. ..

[jennml]

I guess it depends on the type of job and your own tolerance of BS. Personally, I don't want to fade into the background. That's how you end up stuck doing the same crap for decades. It's a fine balance between being the rising star and not stepping on too many toes.

The main thing I quickly learned upon entering the workforce is the importance of who you know. You have to not only have the goods on paper, you also have to know people higher up who will give you the edge over everyone else who has identical goods.

I do my best to show my strengths and to learn whatever I don't know ASAP. I try and be the first to volunteer for new trainings and always read up on new policy so I can intelligently contribute during meetings, etc. But I also give credit where it's due and acknowledge that those I supervise may know more about something than I do.

I'm also careful about being too friendly or open about my life outside of work. As far as I know, the main negative gossip about me is that I'm stuck up...but seriously why shouldn't I be when I'm so awesome

[Gardening Grandma]

If you have the boss from hell, tell yourself, 'This too shall pass".

If you have the greatest boss in the world, tell yourself, "This won't last forever".

And the co-worker you told to eff himself - he's gonna be your next boss.

[ummboutthat]

ok I've got some Karma work to do
Happyscooter = 6
JennML = 13
gardeninggrandma = 17

manager involvement creates more double work, mixed direction, and next to impossible tasks with seldom rewarding pat on the back for completing the impossible task!!

[stats45]

I'm really interested in this 'not working at 100%, being in the upper-middle of the pack' idea.

How does this work in practice? Does this mean not volunteering to lead assignments or not spending extra time in the office unless requested? What do you use as your reference point for making these comparisons?

I've noticed in my doctoral program that the exceptional students who are making significant theoretical advances and winning awards have extremely high expectations thrown upon them and are expected to produce at that level, even if it is nearly impossible to generate multiple ideas of that quality. Is this what people are talking about? It seems like early expectations follow you around for quite a while.

[Elizabeth]

Don't "baby" people or they will never learn how to do anything for themselves. Also keep any correspondance that will CYA, or any successes that you have had so you can refer to them during your annual review.

[ummboutthat]

that is soo true
Elizabeth = 6 before end of today ;D

use your vacation and sick days every year!
not taking the time is like giving the money back to the company
if you are Project Leader still take the time after project is over
if project is open ended no dead line take the time.

EVERYBODY can be replaced, or fired, the company will not fall apart if you are gone.

[cubefarmer]

Being "upper middle" for me means keeping my mouth shut when I know things management doesn't think I know, asking the occasional stupid question, saying things like "I'm a Ditz," not going above and beyond or if I do, I do not advertise the fact, or when management says something that most people didn't know and I did, I don't say, "Well I knew that." I don't immediately respond to requests. I'll say Oh I haven't seen that email yet (when I have).

Definitely don't volunteer too much. Don't come across as an overachiever. Leave some things undone. In my place of employment, management generates reports from our database that reveals when we didn't do something correctly or failed to take some action and you always want to appear on these reports - but not too much.

It's like being a parent. If you always jump up and react to a child's need without hesitation or try to meet your child's needs before the child knows they have a need - you will create a monster. People - children - need to learn how to wait.

[cytoglycerine]

Feb 9, 2011 8:28:22 GMT -5 cubefarmer said:

It's like being a parent. If you always jump up and react to a child's need without hesitation or try to meet your child's needs before the child knows they have a need - you will create a monster. People - children - need to learn how to wait.

Fantastic analogy (says the childless woman lol)

[cubefarmer]

Here's another bit of advice. If the boss asks you to do something you don't want to do or might make your career look bad - like being the receptionist back-up when that isn't want you signed up for - all you have to do is screw it up. You don't want them to ask you again to relieve the receptionist. Notice the boss always asks the women to be the back up receptionsit and never the men.

If you are in a career oriented position you don't want to take these little steps back in an effort to appear like you are a team player. So you look like a team player agreeing to relieve the receptionist, but then you do a bad job and you laugh it off and throw your hands up and say "I wasn't cut out for this" and unsaid you are saying "I was meant for bigger more important big picture things."

[Clifford]

The only way to advance is to change employers. If you know this going in, then shoot for experience and project titles that will help your resume. When you feel like it is time for a raise, go to the job boards. Tell your extended family that this is just how it is nowadays, and that you will try to look for jobs in the area at least every other placement so the kids can see their grandparents a few times before they go to college.

Wow. The replies to this post have made me sour.

[mcmommy]

I wish I had known that my boss lied when she said there was room for advancement....been waiting 4 years. I wish I had known my boss was crazy and paranoid!

Never mix business with friendship, no matter how much you really and truly think it will work out.