For the past 6 years I’ve been responsible for a training
program that brings in a group of new employees, right out of school, and gives
them an opportunity to learn about our organization and participate in hands-on
job shadowing rotations over the course of a year. During this one-year process, I get to
witness their ups and downs of starting a new job and wondering “what’s next,”
and along the way I offer feedback about their individual performances: “If you
know you get sleepy in the afternoon, maybe you should become friends with the
coffee machine.” Every so often I give
advice and answer questions on how to handle work-situations: “Is it okay to email a top executive directly?”
My answer is usually “Yes,” followed
with a quick, “but it depends.” (It’s always ok to thank someone for their time
or follow up on an initial meeting. It’s not ok to email a list of your
suggestions for “things we need to improve” if it’s your first week on the
job.)
My new group just started work a couple of weeks ago, so I
thought it’d be a good time to share some of my most frequent “make a good
impression” pointers as they’re starting their careers:
