cubefarmer
Established Member
Joined: Dec 26, 2010 14:08:21 GMT -5
Posts: 443
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Post by cubefarmer on Jun 4, 2011 18:37:46 GMT -5
Ah yes, public fornicating - is there *any* job where that isn't a possibility? We had some of that just last month in the stairwell of our large lovely suburban corporate campus.
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hoops902
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 22, 2010 13:21:29 GMT -5
Posts: 11,978
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Post by hoops902 on Jun 4, 2011 19:11:55 GMT -5
On the topic of not taking "little steps back" in order to advance. I disagree. If I didn't want to do it, I might point to all of the work I've got going on that I would personally consider more important, but in all likelihood if I pointed out how busy I was, and they still wanted me to do it, I would. I certainly wouldn't make it a point to intentionally fail. If I can't handle doing a job "below me" why would they think I could do a job higher than what I currently do. Particularly basic tasks like answering phones, I would take "I'm not cut out for this" to mean either you're too dumb to use a phone, you're too socially inept to deal with people, or you're just too lazy to do your job correctly.
I also disagree on the idea of not doing your job 100% from day one. You WILL be expected to keep doing that. But if you're even a decent employee you SHOULD be able to do more the longer you're there as you learn the work and the environment. Early impressions are key. I started in the same department with 20 other people during a hiring boom. By the end of the first month they were already separating out who could take on more responsibility and not coincidentally those have been the people promoted. Not giving 100% immediately is a useful way to skate by and keep expectations low, but it's no way to advance.
Things I wish I HAD known prior to starting my first adult job:
1. Titles. Titles, titles, titles. When I started and was promoted to "senior" (we just had regular and senior) I had much better success applying for jobs at other companies than I did when we added a level and I became "level III". "Senior" is universal, "level III" could be out of 20 levels. We have another position which randomly titles people as "Team Lead" or "Supervisor". Same position exactly, the problem is other departments in the company have both positions as unequal with Supervisor higher.
2. Why the hell are you sending me all these freaking emails when I sit ten feet away from you and why are you cc'ing in our managers for absolutely no reason? Oh, it's to cover your ass.
3. Add-on to #2, when you work with someone else on something, be the one to send the emails to higher-ups. I can't tell you how many times I let others send the email for "us" only to see them get nearly all the credit even though they clearly included in the very first line that both of us worked on the project.
4. Don't assume that just because someone is your boss that they have any idea what is going on. Along with this, do not befriend or alienate your boss. You rarely know how your boss's boss's boss views your boss, you don't want to be chopped just because he's horrible at his job. Become the person your boss neither likes nor dislikes, but absolutely depends upon. My own personal strategy has become to give my boss 100% focus when we are discussing work, but when she comes around to socialize about her weekend to seem incredibly bombarded by work. I know she only does it because feedback in the department was that people want a lovey dovey boss who discusses "life" with them. I like to make it clear I'm not so overly friendly with my coworkers that I would find difficulty in managing them as their boss.
5. There are 2 ways to get put on special projects, teams, etc. One is the wait to be recognized for your work and asked to work on it. The other is to tell people you're interested in doing it. The latter is much easier. I started out as the former, and it worked to an extent, but I soon found myself not being put on projects i wanted because others were asking, and simply working hard and doing good work never really expresses interest.
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Knee Deep in Water Chloe
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 27, 2010 21:04:44 GMT -5
Posts: 14,087
Mini-Profile Name Color: 1980e6
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Post by Knee Deep in Water Chloe on Jun 4, 2011 19:43:54 GMT -5
Scottie knew what he was doing. Always overestimate how long something will take you.
;D My husband uses this exact analogy often.
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daylight
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 15:24:19 GMT -5
Posts: 195
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Post by daylight on Jun 5, 2011 15:01:08 GMT -5
2. Why the hell are you sending me all these freaking emails when I sit ten feet away from you and why are you cc'ing in our managers for absolutely no reason? Oh, it's to cover your ass. 3. Add-on to #2, when you work with someone else on something, be the one to send the emails to higher-ups. I can't tell you how many times I let others send the email for "us" only to see them get nearly all the credit even though they clearly included in the very first line that both of us worked on the project. As for 2, I used to be angry with people for cc-ing the manager on every e-mail. That is until I found out that my direct boss sells my work as his in its entirety to higher up bosses. I wish I *could* cc my higher up bosses on emails, but after a couple of years, it would look suspicious. I never let other people send an email in my name. First time I did this, co-worker presented the problem to boss, wrote down something very stupid and claimed it was me suggesting this and presented my solution as hers. I *did* write a two-line reply about how I never suggested item 1) and asked co-worker to communicate my solution - item 2) as mine, but it would have been a lot nicer if I had email connection and could have just omitted the whole hoopla.
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Mardi Gras Audrey
Senior Member
So well rounded, I'm pointless...
Joined: Dec 25, 2010 18:49:31 GMT -5
Posts: 2,082
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Post by Mardi Gras Audrey on Jun 5, 2011 16:55:10 GMT -5
Find out what the policies are for any downsizing/reassignments/etc. I worked at a company that went purely on date of hire (It didn't matter what your performance was like when layoffs came, it was all based on your date of hire). It let me know that it didn't matter what I did/didn't do, if it comes down to it, I'm out. As far as not doing 100% and not doing things that are "beneath you", I disagree with this. Doing other people's jobs gives you a better understanding of what they do and can help you figure out where everything fits in the company. It can also help you later if you need their assistance, as you can provide the information exactly as they need it, know how it will take, etc. Doing this also helped me in the job I previously discussed. I did get laid off but was hired back within a few weeks because I always gave 100% and would work in other depts if it was needed. I would say the layoff actually helped my career with that company because the time off gave the boss and the bosses in other depts the opportunity to fully see what I did (I was support-kind of a "man behind the curtain" role). During the layoff period, no one else stepped up to do the work (they were all mainatining the status quo) and the product suffered. Bosses from other depts noticed because now their people were having to do more work to fix the poor product.
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Catseye
Familiar Member
I took the road less traveled, now where the hell am I?
Joined: May 20, 2011 13:27:14 GMT -5
Posts: 766
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Post by Catseye on Jun 6, 2011 11:09:37 GMT -5
A lot of wisdom in this thread! I wish I'd known that there's a difference between "work" friends and other types of friendship. Never, ever go into too much detail about your private life at work. You'll be gossiped about mercilessly and it could get back to your boss. Stay as professional as possible. Also, it's not the best idea to go to work for a company because someone you know already works there. I lost a friend this way. A few weeks after I started there, she turned on me and tried to get me fired. She left the company about a year later because she'd offended too many co-workers and our supervisor. After she left, she tried to come back and our boss wouldn't let her because she'd been such a pain in the tucus.
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muttleynfelix
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 15:32:52 GMT -5
Posts: 9,406
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Post by muttleynfelix on Jun 6, 2011 11:34:00 GMT -5
I wish I would have learned not to take it personally. It doesn't really matter if I'm right, but how I react to being told I'm wrong. It took me a long time to learn that while yes my work is my baby and I am usually right (which gives me a lot of confidense when people tell me I am wrong), I need to still be professional about it.
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