On the Job Advice
My first anniversary as a full-time, “big girl” working woman is fast approaching. (After graduating from college in 2005 and spending a year in search of a position in my field—marketing—I was fortunate to find my “perfect” job last August.) I love what I do and who I do it for.
Soon after employment, I discovered that college doesn’t really prepare you for the “real world.” I thought I knew…if not everything…at least enough to make me a worthwhile commodity. I’ve learned the hard way, however, that education is gained on the job and not in the classroom. (Too be fair to advanced education, I guess I am using some morsels of knowledge that I picked up here and there on campus, but they are only tidbits compared to what I learn every day at work.)
To help other “new bees” in the workforce, I am going to share some of the things that I learned I should have done from day one on the job. Had I had this knowledge sooner, I would have done better.
Ask questions. When I first started my job I wanted to appear like I knew what I was doing. Because of this, I limited questions. After all, I didn’t want my boss to think I was dumb. Luckily, my boss encouraged me to not only ask questions, but to admit when I didn’t know how to do something. Once I realized that questions were not only acceptable but expected, I was able to better perform my job.