10 Things to Avoid at Your Very First Job

10 THINGS TO AVOID AT YOUR VERY FIRST JOB

I manage to stay in my first industry job only 8 months. Don't get me wrong, I didn't get fired or had a very bad experience, instead I made all the mistakes below and my colleagues with no self-respect used each one of those against me. I quit my job for good, I learned very valuable practice lessons as well. I promised myself not to make the below mistakes. If you're getting ready for your first job, here are a few advise learned the hard way.

1. Don't be afraid to ask

The question can be as simple as "can you help me connect to the printer" or as something more complicated as "how can I access previous reports for such client". It doesn't feel good when you have to ask 10 questions a day to one specific person because you might feel like you're interrupting them, however, that is the only way you'll overcome those problems.

2. There is no such thing as it is a "false" because you are not experienced. Everyone was at that point once in time

I mentioned "I have no experience" every time I didn't know an answer to a specific question. A few months later when I was able to give right answers, colleagues working under my authority questioned it. The right answer for something you don't know could be "let me look it up to be sure" and if you need go speak about it with someone who can potentially answer or guide you to find an answer.

3. Feel free to speak with your manager / boss on positive and negative things

I was pretty unlucky on this one because my boss was my manager and my senior engineer. I had to be very careful what I tell him because I wasn't sure if the answer would come from my boss, manager or senior engineer. However, I do regret not letting him know how I feel.

4. If you're assigned a work that you cannot over come, try to take it as far as possible and let your senior know what knowledge you need to move forward

When I look back now, I know they were not expecting my to do everything that I eventually figured out how to do. I would stress myself over something that sometimes I didn't even think if I had all the data necessary to move forward. Best way to overcome this is by using previous projects, it can at least give you an idea of where to loop up.

5. Reflect your personality - directly

You're older than 21 years old by the time graduate from basic university degree. We all have positive and negative properties and no one will and no right to judge you over it. If you have that one skill that will move the project forward, don't wait and just take action. It might feel like it will look bad since you are there for a limited time but at the end of the day what matters is if the work is done.

6. Know exactly what they are expecting from you

Yes, you'll read the job description and have an overall idea of what they can expect from you. On the other side you might have to do things that are not directly related to your qualifications. This can be as simple as putting files from all departments together. Make sure to know as much as details as possible.

7. There will be longer days, don't let stress take over your life quality and your health

I am a daughter of a workaholic - who would work 24 hours straight if needed. One piece of advise from him was to work until your job for the day is done. One thing he never told me, maybe he doesn't know, was to know your limits. If you need to work late, of course do. But if you are working late because someone cannot do their job right make it very clear that it is not your job scope.

8. If you really need to take a few days off, don't wait until you are sick. Speak with whoever is in charge, there should be ways around it

This is not something I can do until I feel comfortable with the company and people around. However there are days you just don't want to leave the bed. Sometimes even a couple of hours off on a work day can help you re-fuel and feel a lot better. Make sure to let someone know.

9. Don't get into any agreement that will limit your freedom to leave the company

I always prefer unlimited time agreements. You never know what will bring. You may not like the company, job or simply the people around you. Or all of a sudden something great happens in your personal life and you have to leave the city or country for something better for you. It is also very common for a company to ask you to sign a contract because they paid for you business trip or funded your certification. At this point it is up to you to decide. Even though I didn't have to make a decision on such a topic I would probably prefer "to pay back for X work Y years or pay Z amount". It still limits the freedom up to some extend but still gives you a chance in case things don't work out.

10. Don't take it emotional - Almost no one retires from the company they first worked for

It is your very first job. I was so damn excited because this company invested time and money into me. My first few months I couldn't even think about I can quit this company because I believed they put so much faith me. Yes, they hired you because they thought your skills would help however, every single person in industry can be replaced. Don't think about this the bad way. If you're not happy or satisfied with the conditions you have the right to move on. Like you can find a new job, they can find a new employer.