70 things one should know while starting career and during his career.
70 things one should
know while starting career and during his career.
After years of experience in job and feedbacks
from friends in other industry led to following list of things that we should
have known and should know when we start our career. Just add your thoughts on
the same to make the list comprehensive guide for better Career.
1.
The career you think you’re going to have? This is not the career
you’re going to end up with. The job you went to college for? That’s not the
job you’re going to end up with.
2.
You will spend a good portion of your work day with nothing to do.
3.
Meetings almost never solve anything and never end on time.
4.
You will seriously embarrass yourself, and possibly endanger your
career at at least one (and maybe more) of your office Christmas parties.
5.
Trusting co-workers can be bad for your career.
6.
The movie Office Space isn’t just a comedy.
7.
Pay is really about sitting or standing. The more you are sitting, the
more you get paid.
8.
Having a passing knowledge of current sports events is a critical skill
for office small talk.
9.
You’re probably way, way overeducated for the job you’re in. A good 30
thousand of those student loans you’re still paying off were wasted.
10. There are plenty more
important things in life than your career.
11. You know that 401 k
matching plan? It was really a pretty good idea. Grab a calculator. Calculate
how much more money you’d have today if you had started contributing the day
you were hired instead of 2 years ago when you finally broke down and did it.
Now faint.
12. Some workplaces
function EXACTLY like high school.
13. The company’s stock
will not always go up.
14. Learning to look busy
is a valuable survival skill.
15. You’re unlikely to ever
meet a happy accountant.
16. No one really takes the
time to adequately train you. All new employees are inadequately trained.
17. Upper management is
more focused on improving their golf game than improving their company’s bottom
line.
18. The mistakes you make
are sometimes more valuable than the things you did exactly right.
19. When your career is the
only good thing you’ve got going in your life, it’s time to reassess your life.
20. That temporary job you
settled for… is it really temporary if you’re still in it after all this time?
21. Tuf wars and office
politics exist in every office, no matter how small.
22. Be nice to the
administrative assistants; they are the key to everything because they keep the
world turning.
23. It’s rare that your
colleagues are actually smarter than you; it’s all confidence.
24. Old white guys are not
old and wise guys.
25. Dear lord, office
bathrooms can be gross.
26. You never really get to
rest. A career is about always building, always moving forward.
27. Your boss is a human
being too.
28. No one will believe in
you more than you.
29. And if you don’t
believe in you, you’re not going anywhere.
30. Office gossip can be
positively deadly.
31. Sometimes the game is
rigged.
32. Lunch - try to never
skip it. You do not earn points for working through it and it helps you stay
sane.
33. It IS possible to one
day wake up and realize you hate your dream job.
34. You fear taking your
eye off the ball, but sometimes that is really what you NEED to do.
35. The car you drive to
work is very important. Office workers put a lot of value judgments on fellow
workers vehicles.
36. Timing, like location,
is literally EVERYTHING.
37. Networking is not just
a buzzword: it’s the most valuable thing you can do for your career.
38. Take the lowest paying
job with the best job description and title, rather than the best paying job
with the worst job title.
39. “Follow-through” is a
great characteristic to be known for when you are first hired.
40. Do what you love, even
if it pays less than something you’re good at.
41. Set personal goals.
42. Stay away from those
who say “You Can’t”.
43. Plan and prepare for
the long haul.
44. To land a meaningful
job, prepare for a really tough interview.
45. Keep improving through
the job search and beyond.
46. Develop a personal
board of advisors for support.
47. Surround yourself with
a diverse group of people with diverse thoughts.
48. Develop a backbone.
Even successful careers can have disappointments
49. Think around, outside
and under the box. The way forward may not necessarily be clear or straight
ahead
50. Don't expect your
career paths to be logical to everyone looking on.
51. Don’t burn your bridges
behind you. You may need a reference or two eventually 52. Be
mindful of what your associations can say about who you are.
52. You don’t need to have
all the experience in the job description to apply.
53. Job descriptions get
rewritten all the time.
54. Be open to the fact
that you might be underestimated.
55. Some people will like
you for the job and some will not.
56. Some will laugh behind
your back when they find out you are applying for a certain job.
57. The real work begins
after you land the job.
58. Know your competition
and do not underestimate them.
59. Think transferable
skills.
60. You may have to say
things during an interview to impress your future boss.
61. You have to build
consensus to move ideas forward.
62. Keep track of your
accomplishments; no one else is obligated to do that for you.
63. You may find people want to hang around you,
just because you are successful – not because they care.
65. Education and training
mean something.
66. Hard work and
discipline pays off eventually.
67. It is not a shame to
strategically plan your career.
68. Many people are not
working in their college majors.
69. The more people who
support you and your ideas, the more successful you will be.
70. You are always
preparing for your next career opportunity, regardless of what you are doing.
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