A few weeks ago, Kari wrote a very thoughtful entry titled “Things I Wish I Had Known in My 20s“, which I linked to from this blog. Kenny left a comment on my blog that, as someone in his early twenties just entering the workforce, he had hoped there would be some career advice.
I’ve spent the past few weeks mulling over the lessons I’ve learned in twenty years of working and would like to share these things I wish I had known when I started working. Of course, I don’t claim that it is comprehensive. What things do you wish you had known when you started working?
Lessons About Myself
I am responsible for my own growth and development. My manager, the training organization and HR are all resources to help me, but ultimately I am the responsible party.
As such, I should always be learning. Learn from each situation: ask what went well and what could be done better next time and then apply the lessons.
Step up and volunteer for things. Timid and shy people who are afraid of new assignments and more work, are the ones who miss out on the opportunities.
Manage expectations. “Under-promise and over-deliver”, as they say. By setting realistic expectations with others, I avoid some of the the stress of trying to meet unrealistic deadlines. That doesn’t mean that I won’t have tough deadlines to meet, but at least they won’t be tough deadlines of my own making.
Lessons About Companies
Yes, it is my job and yes, I am paid to do that. My job is to help the company succeed and as long as I am not breaking any laws or violating company policies, then I’ll enjoy greater success by doing it, even if the task is outside my normal job description.
“Up” isn’t the only way to get ahead. Lateral moves and moves into other parts of the organization can sometimes be better for my long-term prospects than standard promotions. Consider alternate routes to get where I want.
Sometimes it is better to have to wait for a promotion. Each time I didn’t get a promotion, I took the opportunity to be much better prepared for it when it I did finally get it. As a result, I always performed very well in my new role. Had I been promoted before I was really ready, I would have struggled and possibly failed.
Lessons About Customers
Treat customers the way I want to be treated as a customer. I had a manager who was an expert at empathizing with customers. No matter how angry the customer, she won them over and made them feel that she was on their side. She did the by treating them with respect and caring and by truly listening to them.
Related to that, I wish I had known that I can’t “win” an argument with a customer. While there may be customers I choose not to do business with, feeling any sense of satisfaction after trouncing a customer in an argument is pointless. What have I won? I have lost their business and have sullied my company’s reputation.
Lessons About Managers
Offer solutions, not problems. If I notice a problem or opportunity, think of at least one possible solution before approaching my manager. That way, I am welcomed as someone who brings solutions rather than being someone my manager regrets seeing at her door.
Managing and doing aren’t the same thing. I was a great widget maker but when I became the manager of the widget makers, I discovered that it required a new set of skills. Remember this when criticizing a manager or “the big wigs in HQ”. Remember this also before gunning for a promotion to a management or supervisory position.
Make my manager look good. Even if my manager isn’t perfect or has major flaws, trying to make him look bad will only reflect poorly on me and my entire team. My first manager was a tremendous a**hole and I almost quit because of him. But I decided I wouldn’t leave on his account. Sure enough, a few months later he had been fired and I went on to enjoy a very good 15 years with the company.
Lessons About Coworkers and Vendors
Treat everyone as a customer. When I respond to people with a “How can I help you?” attitude, I don’t necessarily get any additional work, but I do get the appreciation of coworkers and vendors who feel like I am a nice person and someone who helps them rather than hinders them.
Related to that, success in business (and maybe life as a whole) is based on good relationships and strong networks. Treating people well – not bullying, intimidating, yelling, name-calling or back-stabbing them – paves the road to success. Because, sure enough, at some point in the future that “little person” I treated well will hold the key to a door through which I want to enter.
Lessons About Retirement
Start investing in my 401(k) or other retirement savings from day one. Even if I can only afford to invest a small amount – even $20 a month – it is better to get into the habit from the very beginning. The benefits of compound interest and time (forty or more years until retirement) can only accrue if I start saving. I’ve done well with this, but wish I had started much earlier.
Reviewing these, I feel like there are plenty more things I could share, but these are the most critical ones that, had I known them on March 17, 1987 when I entered the workforce, life would have been a whole lot easier and working a whole lot more enjoyable.
What additional advice would you give Kenny?
christao408 
Great post! I started my first job at the beginning of the year and went in knowing absolutely nothing about having a job. My manager had a habit of finding things I did wrong and harassing me about them so I ended up quitting a few months later. These are some things I really wish I’d known then. I’ll definitely remember them when I get my next job.
@christao408 – Thanks for responding to my comment. I think it is great that you have found a job that you enjoy and that you are so enthusiastic about customer service. Also, it seems that you actually care about what the management thinks, and that is good too, I guess. I am not trying to be negative towards you, but I also work in customer service/retail, and have been doing so for about 15 years. Clerks, cashiers, waiters, and other people in similar positions deal directly with the customers, sell the merchandise to them, and basically run the show. Yet they are treated poorly and paid the least. That is why I am so bitter. I think you have a good attitude, and you must be an optimist. I’m not.
i’m only a little over a year out of college. when i first started i thought i knew everything. i guess there are still many life lessons to learn. =)
i totally agree to the things you’ve said. and one thing i learned in my job is never try to impress anyone or you’ll end up frustrated if no one notices your efforts. just do your best in your job, enjoy what you are doing and everything goes. communication is very essential, of course.
Selling skills – I suppose you could throw this under ‘communication and interpersonal skills’ and ‘treating everyone like a customer’ but I think it requires its own section. During one of my job interviews, the interviewer asked me all sorts of standard questions about myself, how I could help the company, etc. and instead of going through the motions of an interviewee, I just tried to build rapport, assess, then sell myself and convince him that he should hire me… if not, convince me why they shouldn’t. The interviewer was so impressed by my memorable performance, he hired me on the spot…
Sadly, I was a little under qualified lol. I made it work for over a year, then left that stepping stone onto a different field.
I disagree with euphorie, there are times you need to, not necessarily intimidate or bully, but be the stronger personality.
Good lessons, I concur.
@Rainbow_Brite_Beth – Fair enough. Again, thanks for adding to the conversation. It is nice that Xanga creates a space where people can share ideas and opinions. We certainly don’t have enough of that in this world. Cheers!
@VividDelusion – Sounds like the first job experience was a little rough. No worries, though: the next one will be better. If any of the lessons in this entry help you, then I’m glad you took the time to read it. If not, I still appreciate the fact you stopped by to read it and wish you all the best. Cheers!
@MuseErato – Thanks for stopping by and commenting. One of the great things about life is that it never stops providing us with lessons to learn. Now whether we learn them or not is another question… Cheers!
@jayze256 – What a fantastic addition to our list. Work to please and impress yourself and the rest will fall into place. Thanks for adding that. Cheers!
@SeiGe_Jet – Thanks for adding that very good suggestion. I considered adding selling skills to the list and, along with computer skills and communication skills, felt like those would probably go into another list altogether, one that might be called, “Skills to develop to ensure you grow, advance and succeed in the workplace.”
As for the personality issue, I agree that there are times when you need to be tough or to have a strong personality, but I think you should always be fair. It is one thing for people to say you’re a tough and demanding person to work with and quite another for them to say that you’re a mean bastard who is rude and thoughtless.
Thanks for your participation in this discussion. It is much appreciated. Cheers!
@d_art – Thank you for commenting. Much appreciated!
Thank you, i’m going to get my first part-time job, probably end of the year. That definitely helped alot! 🙂
Man I wish I had a ‘real’ job so I could take this advice. It’s good advice, all of it, especially about retirement. It’s so easy to forget to do that. And in my line of work where you only have a job every few months I should think more wisely about my saving habits, as in it doesn’t exist. Poop.The ‘real’ world is scary!
Ooooh. I may have to use this entry in my English 105 course (Tech Comm)…How about THINGS I WISH I WOULD’VE KNOWN WHEN STARTING COLLEGE?I’m teaching a new course called First Year Experience,and it’s all about that… (teaching blog: http://www.xanga.com/teacher47)
@withaaron – I’m so glad you found it helpful. Good luck with your first job; I hope you learn a lot and have a good time with it.
@CharsisT – It is true, lots of scary things in the real world. That’s what makes it interesting, though. Thanks for adding to the conversation and best of luck to you. Cheers!
@fargobradshaw – You’re most welcome to use this information for your course. As for the “Things I wish I’d known when starting college” entry, I don’t have particularly strong thoughts on that subject. You should write it yourself and then see what other suggestions are added. Cheers!
Appreciate public holidays. Make the most of any vacation time you have. A properly recharged person is more productive. Don’t neglect to have a life outside of the office.
loved your post! things to ponder on…. thanks for the advice!
@thinfriendxxo – Very nice points to remember. Thanks for adding to the conversation. Cheers!
@Luchando_x_seguir_en_su_gloria – Glad you liked it; thanks for stopping by. Cheers!
I’m about to reenter the work force after a brief hiatus due to having a child a little over a year ago. Thanks for the great post; what nice reminders. 🙂
mm i’ll keep these in mind. i’ve yet to enter college, but i know it’ll be here any second.thanks for an insightful post.
BTW, great post.
oh man, good things to know as I’m young and not quite ready for work but will be! Thank you!
Oh man, I’ve been going through this tumultuous twenty-something stage… wondering why I had NO IDEA it would be this rough. Thanks for this post. A few more things I’d add:1. Your first job will probably not be your last job. Use it as an opportunity to pave the path to your dream career.2. You may have little to no idea what that dream career actually involves. It’s okay, that’s what the first job(s) is/are for – to learn what you like/don’t like and to discover the the areas you tend to excel/crash and burn.3. It’s kind of a huge identity crisis-inducing atmosphere. But from what I hear, it gets much better after the first few years. 4. You’re not alone in experiencing all of this!
good stuff
this is awesome information for the future! i always found the saying ‘learn from your elders’ to be true. one can save a lot of time and energy from following the advice of people who’s been through similar situations. thanks for posting this entry up! 😀
Hello, I saw you on the front page of Xanga.
That was a fantastic post, very well written and so right on.
You covered just about everything… hm, what are your views on hooking up with co-workers? It gets extremely awkward and uncomfortable. Good job :]
@PrincessOfSeptember – @kkong1028 – @grinner08 – @poppoya – @supra_magnus – @iknowHimdou – Thanks for stopping by the page and leaving your comments. I’m glad you enjoyed the post and hope you find the information useful.
@etak_telord – Thanks for adding to the conversation. Those are all really good points and, you’re right: you are not the only one going through this. Cheers!
@xXxBabiGanGstaAzNPRiNCeSS15xXx – I’m glad you liked the entry and thanks for adding to the conversation. Learning from those with experience can save us a lot of time and pain. It doesn’t mean that we can’t think of new or better ways to do things, but a lot of the time those lessons are true. Cheers!
@flicks_of_dark – Thanks for your comment and stopping by the blog. To answer your question, while I have known people who met through work and went on to wonderful lives together, I would generally recommend against dating coworkers. A few thoughts:
If there is a “unequal” relationship in play (manager-subordinate), or there might be in the future if one of you gets promoted, then it is probably a violation of company policy and for good reason: it could lead to lawsuits.
If you work in the same office or in close proximity to each other, consider what happens when you have an argument in the relationship or, worse, break up. You’ll have to be around that person all day. Not only will it be uncomfortable for you but it will be uncomfortable for your coworkers, too.
Finally, couples who work for the same company or in the same industry often find that they only thing they have to talk about is that company or that industry. Make sure you have other interests in common to sustain the relationship.
Hope these thoughts answer your question. Thanks again for stopping by. Cheers!
Thank you for the wonderful pointers, great post Chris.. as always. And very timely as I am going through a self evaluation with my job on how I could be a better employee.
Very good post. It is always nice to have people post their lessons such that people can learn from them rather than having to learn after making the mistake.
This is a page I’d like to save for when I start working fulltime. . great advice. . keep them coming.
@waiszeblogs – Glad you liked it and I hope the self-reflection is useful. Sometimes I think the simple act of reflection is the most powerful thing we can do.
@misstcc – Glad you liked the entry and thanks for stopping by. Cheers.
@shortyno1 – Feel free to bookmark it or cut and paste for future reference. And then, once you start working, come back and share your experiences and lessons. Cheers!
I suppose I’ll have to wait until I truly learn for myself.. but in the meanwhile, this is insightful. Thank you 🙂
@wuwu – Glad you liked the entry and thanks for stopping by. Cheers!
Thank God there is another human being out there that realizes that they are being paid to do their job and also that they should treat their customers as they would like to be treated!!!! I believe that customer service has been going downhill gradually over the years. Waitresses don’t even come back to give refills anymore!!! Honestly, I have ALWAYS treated my customers the way I would like to be treated… it’s common sense. My job has always been about customer service, and I don’t find it something hard to do at all. But it’s so hard to find good customer service these days… and no, I don’t think I’m being harsh. My boyfriend thinks I am too critical about the waitresses we get at restaurants, but I have been a waitress before, so I do know what they go through… and what they should be doing. Also, I’ve had customer service hang up on me before, and that’s unacceptable!
Thank you for sharing this. I have yet to join the workforce (still in school) but have been thinking about the future a lot. The advice that you list here addresses some of the anxieties that I have found myself having. Again, thank you for sharing this.
I thought of some more things. Don’t take anything fragile to the office (pictures, fancy coffee cups, glass drinking containers, crystal flower vases. Because sooner or later they will be dropped and broken. Take something plastic if you absolutely MUST decorate your cube. If you must have a china/glass coffee mug, take an old chipped one from home. Big point– lock up your “good stuff” at night when you leave. This includes nice ink pens, decorative candles, staplers, scissors, CANDY, calculators. This especially holds true if you are in a high traffic area like I once was. People traveling by will snitch things (especially your good ink pens) and take a hike with them.
ilena holder Rose Garden…..Awe-Struck ebooks 8/1/08
@insoMINAk – Thanks for adding to the conversation! I, too, am surprised at what poor service people provide in service roles. At the same time, I’m always suprised at how poorly cutomers treat the people who are serving them. In general, I think the societal discourse has become ruder and ruder, which is too bad. One thing I enjoy about living in Thailand is that there is a great emphasis on “face” and on making sure your public face is a happy one. Makes life much more pleasant for all.
@Willow_chan – You are very welcome and I hope you find the lessons interesting and useful. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Cheers!
@ilenaholder – Excellent, very practical suggestions. Don’t put anything breakable or precious on your desk, in your office, or around your cube. Thanks for the additions.
I’m only going into my third year in the workforce, but I can add a couple of things.Even if you don’t feel like going out for drinks after work with your coworkers, do it – especially if you’re a woman. If people in your organization have a choice about who they work with on projects, they’re far more likely to work with people they know than people they don’t. Hanging out with your coworkers socially gives people the chance to get to know you.Be proactive, and don’t just think about doing the tasks that are in your job description. Think about doing things at the next level up. Make your manager’s life easier.Exude confidence (but not arrogance). Sound confident in your assertions and be prepared to defend your point of view, stating assumptions where necessary. Unfortunately, seeming uncertain seems to give managers less confidence in your work.Be on top of your work – know your sources, and try to keep a step ahead of your manager.