10 things you should never do on your first job;

Your first job is the stepping stone to a bright career. Here are 10 things you should NOT do to ruin your chances.

1.  Being cocky

You may have been a university topper and were most likely your teacher’s pet. But the moment you stepped out of the gates of your institution, know that none of it really matters. Your mark sheets and certificates can only get you a job. And while your teachers would have been happy to cut you some slack because of your academic performance and ignore your cockiness there’s a good chance your boss won’t do the same. If you must be cocky, earn the right to it.

2. Posting updates about work on social media

While this holds true at every stage of your career, it becomes absolutely crucial when you’re in your first job. Almost everyone these days is on social media websites and it only takes a click of a button or a tap of a screen to read what you’ve been posting there. We cannot stress on how unprofessional it is to talk about how much you hate Mondays or how you’ve had a terrible day at work on a public forum. It will come back to bite you at a time when you least expect it.

3. Asking for a raise in the first year itself

You’d be surprised to know how many people new to the workforce nothing wrong in asking for a raise in the first three to six months or nine months. More often than not, the salary you’ve accepted when taking up the job is what you’ll have to live with for at least a year. The convention is that you don’t ask for a raise till you’ve completed a year in your job.

4. Getting involved in office gossip

While office gossip is almost always unavoidable, it is perhaps best that you stay away from the water cooler as far as possible at your first workplace. Gossips and rumors have a way of getting a life of their own. More often than not they affect company morale and almost always difficult to control. And if you earn the reputation of being a gossip monger in your very first job, it is a reputation that’s difficult to get rid off.

5. Taking sides

Contrary to what everyone may claim about ‘being on the same team’, every office has its cliques and people will try to ‘recruit’ you. And while you will find yourself drawn to people who have similar ethics and working style as you, it is best to stay as neutral and objective as possible. By taking sides not only will you be reducing your scope of influence, you will also end up reducing the opportunities to learn from as many people as possible. And isn’t that the whole point of the first job?

6. Being judgmental

While this is best avoided at any stage of your career or indeed your personal life, it applies a lot to the time you are working your first job. Don’t judge a book by its cover. As someone who is new in the workplace (and indeed the workforce) you should take your time to study the people around you. Some people may take more time to warm up to you than the others. Give everyone the benefit of the doubt; you never know who’ll end up being your best friend!

7. Going AWOL

Here’s the thing: when you go on leave, you simply have to return on the day you promised. There are very few reasons that can justify a delay in your return and missing your flight or bus isn’t one of them. When you don’t return from leave on time, you don’t just add to the pressure on your colleagues, you also reveal how irresponsible you are. And so, the next time you ask for leave or an outdoor assignment, this will always, always be held against you.

8. Showing your lack of interest

No matter how boring the meeting is and no matter what your other colleagues may be doing, you would do well by not revealing your disinterest in the meeting. Always remember this is your first job and the only person who is responsible for leaving a good impression on your behalf is you!

9. Pretending you’re still in college 

No matter how casual your workplace environment is (media companies usually tend to be a lot more chilled out than the others) remember this is still a workplace. Your teacher may have excused you for walking into class late on one occasion too many but try that at a client meeting and you’ll probably end up losing the one job you do have. A lot of young workplaces do tend to take things easy but even those places will tolerate just that much of your teenage behavior.

10. Getting drunk at the office party

Yet again, this is something that you should avoid at all times, no matter how high up the pecking order you go but getting drunk at your very first office party is something that’ll stick with you for a very, very long time. For a lot of people office parties are equal to free booze. Don’t be one of those people. Carry your alcohol responsibly. Not only will you leave a good impression on your colleagues, you will also come across as being a responsible adult and not an overgrown college kid.