Newly Employed Post Grad Career Tips
Post grads may be quick to celebrate their new job but the newest challenge is remaining employed. All too many post grads get lazy in their work routines and many more bring along bad habits from their college days into the workplace (or learn bad habits from fellow coworkers).
These days, employers are taking great strides to ensure the productivity of their employees and if newly hired post grads aren’t on their Ps and Qs, even their impressive degree and qualifications from a school like Stanford University won’t be enough to keep them from landing back in the job search phase.
Acclimating to a new work environment and finally accomplishing a sense of belonging among fellow coworkers is a big deal for many newly hired post grads. However, it is important to not get caught up with colleagues who are behaving badly.
In “office-speak,” behaving badly includes habits such as using one’s computer to surf the Internet and perform tasks that have nothing to do with work. It might seem harmless but the reality is that whenever employees participate in non-work related matters while on the clock, it costs the company money. This bad behavior even has its own name: cyberloafing.
Office workers tend to think they’re smarter than the boss but the reality is that employers are learning how to stay one step ahead of the game. The use of productivity measuring software offered through sites like http://www.mysammy.com allows companies to find out just how productive their employees are being online. This doesn’t require the traditional techniques of blocking sites or using spyware so employees, including post grads, might be under the radar and not even know it.
Post grads who might have a hard time grasping this concept should consider infographics (http://www.mysammy.com/cyberloafing-personal-internet-use-at-work-infographic) and other recent studies that clearly illustrate how many employees participate in cyberloafing and what it means for employers.
It is important for post grads to recognize that they are replaceable. It is crucial to stay on their Ps and Qs not only during the probationary stage of their employment but especially after they’re considered permanent hires. Avoid becoming complacent and slacking off, including engaging in activities like playing around on the Internet when you should be working.
One of the most common things that happen with office jobs is getting ahead of the workload and having nothing to do. Although such an occurrence is great in college, it doesn’t transition very well into the workplace. Post grads must learn how to pace themselves so that they aren’t tempted to fill in their downtime with cyberloafing on their computers or smart phones.
Ask coworkers if they need assistance with anything, talk to the supervisor about assuming extra responsibilities—all these show not just initiative but will keep idle hands from getting into trouble.
Chatting, social networking, emailing and texting is all well and good but it’s not worth losing an opportunity post grads worked so hard to get in the first place.