Using Your First Job as a Career Builder – Part 2 of 3

Not many new employees understand how to take a simple, often tedious first job and capitalize on the opportunity to advance their career path.  Many people simply look at it as a “job” – something they do during the day, so they can get a pay check. They may hope for a raise, a job change or a promotion, but they have no idea how to make that happen.

• Read the Manuals.  I know that sounds rather tiresome.  Sorry.  You will learn that much useful and practical information can be found in company procedural manuals and company literature.  And I can tell you a little secret – since so few of your peers will have done this, you will invariably find moments to “shine” in front of your new boss, when you are able to mention something you read in the company literature.  The same is true of reading industry magazines, the Wall Street Journal, and paying attention to other news sources, like Newsweek, Forbes, the Washington Post and CNN.  You should pledge to devote at least 30-60 minutes each day to reading.  The benefits of being well-informed about your company’s business may not reap immediate rewards, but I can guarantee that, over time, your efforts will have a very positive impact on your career.
• Make a difference. No matter what job you have, you can always find opportunities for improvement.   Look for wasted materials, redundant processes, lost sales, sloppy filing systems, poor communications, slow follow-up on problems or handling customer complaints, unnecessary expenses, slow-moving inventory, poor company image, or anything else you notice that you could fix or streamline.  Whatever you find, be sure to document it as well as you can and try to quantify the effect of the change you suggested or implemented. You need to be a little careful here and do your homework.  You can make enemies (not the goal), if you criticize a procedure implemented by someone else recently or if you imply that someone else is not doing their job well.  Your goal is to make a difference and take ownership of it - tactfully.  If you received any assistance from anyone else or any other department, do not forget to give formal credit to them as well.  This rule applies to more than just your employment.
• Ask questions. After you have read the company manuals, you will still have questions about how to do your job well.  Ask.  Although you do not want to be a pest about it, you do want to learn as much as you can about how to make the most of your current responsibilities – whatever they may be.  This means understanding not only how your job works, but also how your job is related to the people who work down and up the line, since every position has some relationship with other positions in the company.  If possible, meet with those people at least once so you understand this relationship.  If you are not able to meet, try a phone conference or email.  How does this help your career?  Many ways, actually.  You will be building a network of co-workers; you will be poised to take over another related position should it even become available; and you will find ways to perform your current job better.  Those are all positive career building blocks.
• Keep the little complaints to yourself.  There is an important difference between suggestions for constructive improvements and mere complaints.  If you do not like the color of the paint in the bathroom or the aftershave your boss uses, keep it to yourself.   If others traffic in idle complaints, gossip and criticisms, stay out of it!  You can always find ways to change the subject, especially now that you are reading about your industry on a regular basis.  “Hey, did you hear that…” is a good way to turn a bitch session around.  Barring that, find someone else to meet for lunch.

In my next post, I’ll discuss looking for a mentor, developing relationships, burning bridges, picking your battles and learning “the rules”.

Comments

[stuart mease]

I look forward to tomorrow's piece on relationship building in the career. It is my opinion that every job that you get is based on your network. Some have it and some do not, but networking uncovers those jobs you cannot find online. Once you map your contacts, you can use them in ways you never imagined. Of course, helping others first is always the number one priority.