Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Vidyut has been dreaming of the day he begins his first job ever since his school days. While watching
his cousins and friends enter the job market, Vidyut has been patiently waiting his turn.
Now that the big day has finally arrived, Vidyut (like most freshers) is unsure of how to behave at his new
workplace. He wants to make a good impression and use the opportunity to grow professionally, but he
doesn't know how. To help him, and others like him, here are some guidelines on how to make your first
job a memorable learning experience.
Getting started
College days are all about 'chilling out' and 'taking it easy', but at the workplace, this attitude is taboo.
View your work as worship. Take an interest in your company's mission and objective, the goals of your
team, organisational structure and adopt a serious attitude towards work. Learning the mission and vision
of your company could be the first step, followed by your group's tasks or activities.
A lot of times, newcomers feel bored and distracted because there is simply not much to do. As such,
most of them end up chatting with and emailing friends. As a practice, do not use office resources to make
personal calls and chat online. These are distractions that may hinder your progress when you have work
to do. Instead, try to be creative and constructive with the time you spend at work.
Smart work
Commit yourself to your work, get involved and creative. Do not be afraid to ask questions. Before you
start working, analyse the tasks assigned to you and be clear on what you need to do. Also, ensure that
you know the timeframe for completing the task.
What is important is not the number of hours spent in the office, but that the task is completed and meets
expectations. Hence, do not stay late just to impress your boss. Your boss could be better impressed if
you complete the task assigned within the given timeframe.
Whenever you attend meetings or training sessions, take a notepad and pen with you. Sometimes things
may go above your head, so try to get down the key issues down and look them up later.
Mind your body language in meetings. Others can very clearly notice a drowsy, lethargic or sluggish look.
Try to be as interactive as possible.
Email etiquette
Never use SMS language while typing out emails to your supervisors. Also, try not to goof up by sending a
second mail for the missed attachment or recalling unnecessarily sent mail.
Key contacts
As soon your team is formed, try to get the contact numbers of your teammates. If, due to some
emergency, you are not able to attend office, you can inform them about the circumstances and not leave
them in the lurch.
It is always a good idea to inform a couple of people around you if you are not at your desk (even for less
than an hour). Inform your teammate or your supervisor about the tasks at hand before leaving for the
same, so that they may plan accordingly.
Magic words
Do not forget to use 'please', 'thank you', 'excuse me', 'sorry' when necessary; always be courteous.
When beginning your first job, recognise the opportunity you have before you. Stay motivated and learn
as much as you can from the people around you. If you're systematic and methodical in your activities, it
shouldn't be too long before you become the star performer of your organisation.