5 Mistakes Young Professionals Make at Work
November 5, 2008 by Lauren Fairbanks
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Young professionals, making their way into the workplace for the first time, are eager and enthusiastic employees – usually ready to tackle their first project and start making the steep climb up the corporate ladder. But too many young adults make serious mistakes in the workplace that undermine their professionalism and credibility. Keep on reading to find out what mistakes are the most common for young professionals, and how to side-step them to emerge victorious from the masses.
1. Dressing Too Casually
This isn’t college, and unless you’re working in a start-up or a tiny, super-casual company, you’re going to have to step it up. This means: no jeans, t-shirts, sweatshirts, or sandals. Dressing too casually for work can show a lack of commitment and professionalism. If you’re not sure about your outfit, throw on a sports coat or a blazer to polish off your look a bit.
2. Saving Personal Documents on Work Computers
Not every company does this, but enough of them do to make it a potential issue. Personal documents on your work computer are easy to find — just ask your IT guy. If you need to work on something personal during work, buy a small USB key and save docs on there. It’s incredibly easy for co-workers and bosses to look through your files — especially if you save your documents on a network.
3. Personal Phone Calls and IM’s
I’ve known many a young adult who got hired, moved into their cubicle, and proceeded to spend a good four hours out of the workday making personal phone calls and constantly instant messaging their significant other and various friends and family members. This is a big no-no. You’re not senior management, and most likely not yet deserving of a corner office and unlimited talk time. The occasional phone call — especially if for a doctor, etc — is fine, but keep it as brief as possible.
4. Not Integrating into the Office Culture
An issue that many new graduates face when first entering the workforce is integrating into their office culture. This means being a part of the office — adhering to the unofficial policies and complying with them. I realize that most people (myself included) loathe office politics, and for good reason. Unfortunately, it can have a huge effect on whether or not your coworkers “accept” you and can also have an impact on your happiness there. You are spending the good majority of the day with these people, so it makes sense to try to involve yourself to an extent.
5. Being Overly Confident
Too many young workers coming straight out of college have an overinflated sense of self. Now, being confident is one thing. Thinking that you know how to run the business straight out of school with no work experience is quite another. I was always told by my father that regardless of what they teach you in school, a job will re-teach you everything you need to know about working for them. And he was correct. Your job is to not only do said job, but ofttimes to do it the way they want you to do it. Assimilating to their method is key.
Related posts:
- To Charge or Not to Charge: Should Credit Card Spending be Restricted for Young Adults?
- Are Young People Afraid to Invest?
- Review Corner: I Will Teach You to be Rich by Ramit Sethi
- Are Paid Networking Events Worth the Cost?
- Thrive on Behavioral Budgeting, Financial Literacy and the Future of Financial Management – Part 1
Finding happiness in the drudgery is what sums all this up for me. No one needs to know or be reminded that there are many other places you’d rather be than in the office because if you want to be somewhere else, then it implies that you think the people around you aren’t all that awesome… and no one likes to be insulted like that.
And visible tattoos and/or piercings and other body modifications. Don’t even bring that crap around my office.