The smell of the new chapter of life, with its challenges and opportunities, are really coming on the way for students who will be graduating from college.  The excitement and the anxieties are all there present. When we talk about finishing college, the next thing in mind is we need to land a job. We spent years of study in order for us to be able to land the dream job of our life or to land a job that is worth toiling for. For some people who will be able to land a job after graduation, they mostly face the dilemma of being a “newbie”.

What  does it take to be a  “newbie” in the work industry or in the workplace? A newbie is someone who doesn’t have the experience, knowledge and skills  yet or lacks the experience,  knowledge and skills needed in the said job title. You are new to the world where everyone is always busy working hard in order to do their job well, to stay where they are, to impress their boss in order to gain promotion or to gain additional knowledge and skills for their career development. It simply states that you are an entry level employee which literally means it’s your first time to step inside the workplace. Good for you if your company offers you to undergo seminars, training and workshops.

So what is really the dilemma of being a newbie? The first thing that will come in our mind is how do we win at work at this status?

I have outlined here some helpful advice to win at work for new graduates or newbies who are entering the workplace or their first job after graduation.

1. Prepare yourself.

Nothing beats someone who is prepared.  Even in this present age of the most modern technology,  people who are prepared to win in life  have a 99.9% chance of  really winning.

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin

Yes. When we are prepared for something, may it be a contest or a meeting or any events in our lives, surely we will win and excel.  Whereas, if we are unprepared, most dangerous things happen, and failure is no exception.

So, as a newbie employee, we have to prepare ourselves on how we can win the battle in our workplace. We have to ready our weapons so we will never lose the chance to win. 

First is, we need to prepare physically and emotionally. We need to condition ourselves that we are already an employee, not a student anymore. We must be more mature in dealing and handling people, things and decisions.  We must be healthy with regards to our bodies so we can fight the stress of work that will arrive soon. We must also be emotionally and mentally prepared. We must make sure that we have the knowledge and skills needed for our position and that we continuously strive to learn more. 

Next is we must prepare ourselves for the new environment. We may research more details regarding the company we will be working for. We might want to find out how this company behaves for the past months or years, its status in the business world, the personality of the boss or managers and owners, and who are the people working there and what kind of people they are. It’s up to you on how much information you want to know about the company in order for you to familiarize yourself and be prepared to enter that company.

A week before starting your first day, prepare everything that you will bring to your workplace starting from yourself, your attire or uniform, your  physical appearance, your bags and some important things you want to bring in the office. Then sleep early before that day and wake up early and go to work early. Greet everyone with the biggest smile you can and never be shy to approach anyone but be respectful. Be confident. You have memorized your lines already. Remember, the first impression lasts! Not only on your first day, but as a newbie, always be prepared in going to your work and never be late.

1. Don’t do comparison.

Don’t compare yourself to others, most especially to other newbies whom you think have a lot more knowledge and skills than yours. Hey! It’s okay. Don’t be pressured. Ofcourse, you are still new, so people will not expect much from you. 

Everyone has a different set of knowledge and skills, as well as traits and characteristics because everyone is unique. No two people are alike, even twins. If you are struggling now because you are still learning your job and you find it hard, while others can do it smoothly. Well, that is normal. Don’t ever compare. Because we are different from each other, our levels of coping up and learning will also vary. So it’s okay. As long as you are trying your best, and you know that, things will surely work out not maybe in a week but for sure it will. Just always keep improving.

Comparing yourself to others may just lead you to disappointment, discouragement and worst –  depression that will eventually make you give up.

1. Build trust and connections.

“People who connect and build fluid relationships are trust agents.” 

– Chris Brogan & Julien Smith

As a newbie, socializing with others or your co-employees is very much needed and important. You cannot work alone, you need the team. As a newbie, you have to spend much effort to get to know everyone in your department or if possible in the company. You have to be friendly to the best that you can without faking it. 

In one way or another, you are helping yourself because if you have built connections with your co-employees and superiors or boss, you are making a way for you to feel more accepted and relax in working. At the same time, they can help you and assist you whenever you want help or assistance.  Your connections could be a great mentor for you to learn more about your job and develop into a more effective and efficient employee. 

When you already have built connections, focus on developing trust from them. Prove to them that you are trustworthy most especially to your boss or supervisor or manager or your superior. Trust is hard to build but it’s worth building. When people trust you, you already have an edge. Most especially if your boss has great trust in you, you will be rewarded with a great responsibility and that’s the time you will prove your best to your boss. 

1. Be a team player.

To be a team player means  you are someone who actively contributes effort and success to your team. You are someone who always has the look out for the accomplishments of the team’s project, tasks, duties and goals. You are someone who also can be a leader and someone who is willing to share his opinion on how to make the company succeed or how to solve a certain problem.

A team needs someone who knows how to prioritize the team’s needs rather than his/her own self needs. You should be the kind of person who values the importance of collaboration or cooperation with the team. You should have the commitment to every task your team undertakes. You should be flexible, reliable and have the willingness to help everyone in the team so the team will succeed. Being a team player contributes a lot to the success of the company’s short term and long term goals.

1. Be obedient.

“By learning to obey, You will know how to command.” 

– Proverb (Picturequotes.com)

What does it take to be a good employee especially when you are still a newbie? Being obedient. Yes, obedience is the key. Well not only to your boss or superiors but most especially to the rules and regulations of the company you are working.

Being obedient means you have deep respect to yourself and to other people. Obedience is one of the best values that every employee or newbies should take into account.  Remember to always obey. When you know how to obey, you know how to understand instructions, then you know how to follow them and with that for sure, you will know how to command someday. Knowing how to obey is one of the best training to make you a great leader someday. You will never go wrong when you obey but keep in mind to obey only to do things that are rightful.

1. Love your job.

As a newbie, you have to learn to love your job. It’s your first job, so it should be your first love. When you love your job, everyday will not be a burden for you. You treat your job as a best friend, a lover or even a stuffed toy  whom you like so much being with you.

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs

With that mindset, you will always look for your job and will always be happy working in that job. Loving your job is a matter of decision. You have to decide to love it no matter how undesirable it is for you. It’s your first job, bear that in mind. Show to the world that you can handle everything given to you even if it’s not your dream job. Eventually, as you practice loving it, you’ll enjoy it and not so long you will be loving it  already without you noticing. 

When you love your job, you will spend much effort in your work, and even go beyond what is required from you. You will even spend a lot of overtime and hardwork in order to do a job well done. You are eager to finish your tasks ahead of deadlines and even ask for more work from your superior. You may struggle a lot but it doesn’t matter for you because you love your job. 

When you love what you do, you will excel in your work. Loving your job will pay you so much success.

1. Work to impress.

Well, this one is important especially for newbies. I am not telling you to work only to impress. This one is an additional thing only especially to the newbies. As a newbie, you have to win the heart of your co-employees, superiors and even your boss. 

You have to impress them so you will be noticed and who knows you’ll have the chance to prove to them that you can be one of the candidates for promotion. Well, it really doesn’t matter if you are promoted or not because you’re still a newbie, but to impress your boss and superiors is already a milestone for a newbie like you. As a newbie, you really have to gather praise or commendation. Remember to always aim to hear a job well done from your superior. So do your best in doing your job to impress them. Bear in mind, everyone is replaceable, so prepare your anchor which is all the commendations you gathered.

1. Mind your attitude.

“When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.”

• Abraham Joshua Heschel

This is the most important thing to bear in mind. As a fresh graduate having your first job, you will be overall assessed by your attitude.  Attitude defines your character and character defines who you are as a person. Simple rule only, always have not just a good attitude towards work but also towards your co-employees and your superiors and even those with lower rank jobs than yours.  You may be the most intelligent with the highest IQ but you failed in your attitude. A good attitude means you are friendly, humble, respectful, helpful, honest and kind. You may forget everything else, but not your character. I’ll tell you, people will value character more than your intelligence. Be kind and you’ll earn not just promotion but different badges of being a good employee and the hearts of your co-employees and superiors.

1. Always wear a positive aura.

              “Let your smile change the world but don’t let the world change your smile.” 

• Connor Franta

A positive person not just always wins his day but his entire life. You can never win over a positive thinker. Truly, I say to you, whatever you choose to think will be attracted.  So as a newbie, who in the office still finds his/her work difficult and the struggle is still hard, all you have to do is be positive. Smile. Shrug it off. Remove all the negative thoughts in your mind. The best way to win is to think about it in the first place. Think that you are a winner and everything will fall into place. Ofcourse, work for it. Running for deadlines? Come on, be positive, you can meet it. Be positive! It means you accept all the challenges because you believe that you can do it. You have trust in yourself that you can do it.

When you are positive in your outlook in life and in dealing things, you will not only benefit yourself but also you can attract others or co-employees to also be positive. They will be inspired by your positivity because you are sharing positive energy in the workplace. When you smile, you attract someone to also smile. Don’t let the pressure and the problems in the office and in your life affect you as a person. Be not the person who absorbs and spreads negativity but be the person who spreads positivity.  You’ll never know where your smile will lead you to. So always wear one.