Rules for new employees
Apr 05, 2009
WHAT do you do if it is your first time on the job? Remember, first impressions last. So, carefully choose your words, gestures and even choice of conversation topics. The following tips designed to help you start off right.
By Vision Reporter
WHAT do you do if it is your first time on the job? Remember, first impressions last. So, carefully choose your words, gestures and even choice of conversation topics. The following tips designed to help you start off right.
Treat everyone equally and well
According to Patrick Okee, a workplace researcher, this means you should be polite. Don’t be overly nice, though, since this may catapult you to the top of the list of people your officemates despise.
Don’t be a ringleader
Avoid crowds or cliques involved in idle talk. Don’t comment about a sensitive topic. Though gossip is tempting, Silvia Nandera, a human resources and management consultant, warns against saying anything when you have nothing good to say.
Respect working hours
Don’t go late for work or use the employer’s time for personal errands. Your supervisor is likely to notice people who are punctual, says Fagil Mandy of Famecon, an educational and leadership consultancy. According to him, punctuality refers not only to attendance, but also respect for deadlines and prompt responses to requests. “If you cannot do the above, then it can as well be fraud, a habit every employer repulses,†he insists.
Go an extra mile
Take on tasks beyond the ordinary job description and stay in office late when tasks need to be accomplished soon. “A serious manager always recognises extra effort and this will lead him or her to think that you are intelligent, smart and trustworthy – key qualities of effective workers,†says Nandera, adding that you should develop a sincere commitment to your work. This will naturally make you shine, Okee says.
Speak out
The only way your manager is going to find out what you are capable of doing is when you perform or say your thoughts out aloud. Shyness will not take you anywhere but if you push yourself a little more to suggest a brilliant idea you have come up with, it might get you places. Also, it’s not good to be tagged as the ‘silent one’ unless you really want to.
Volunteer!
If you want to get noticed when you are a novice, volunteer.
WHAT do you do if it is your first time on the job? Remember, first impressions last. So, carefully choose your words, gestures and even choice of conversation topics. The following tips designed to help you start off right.
Treat everyone equally and well
According to Patrick Okee, a workplace researcher, this means you should be polite. Don’t be overly nice, though, since this may catapult you to the top of the list of people your officemates despise.
Don’t be a ringleader
Avoid crowds or cliques involved in idle talk. Don’t comment about a sensitive topic. Though gossip is tempting, Silvia Nandera, a human resources and management consultant, warns against saying anything when you have nothing good to say.
Respect working hours
Don’t go late for work or use the employer’s time for personal errands. Your supervisor is likely to notice people who are punctual, says Fagil Mandy of Famecon, an educational and leadership consultancy. According to him, punctuality refers not only to attendance, but also respect for deadlines and prompt responses to requests. “If you cannot do the above, then it can as well be fraud, a habit every employer repulses,†he insists.
Go an extra mile
Take on tasks beyond the ordinary job description and stay in office late when tasks need to be accomplished soon. “A serious manager always recognises extra effort and this will lead him or her to think that you are intelligent, smart and trustworthy – key qualities of effective workers,†says Nandera, adding that you should develop a sincere commitment to your work. This will naturally make you shine, Okee says.
Speak out
The only way your manager is going to find out what you are capable of doing is when you perform or say your thoughts out aloud. Shyness will not take you anywhere but if you push yourself a little more to suggest a brilliant idea you have come up with, it might get you places. Also, it’s not good to be tagged as the ‘silent one’ unless you really want to.
Volunteer!
If you want to get noticed when you are a novice, volunteer.