The Newbie in the Office

Your first few weeks in your new job in the company are important.

Whether your future in the company is secured or subject to failure, it depends on your technical skills AND how you behave at your workplace.

As you start work in the office, being the new guy or girl, do your best to avoid these career-killing mistakes, in BPO Philippines.


Disregarding the Office Culture

Possibly the greatest challenge for those starting a new job, was adjusting to the corporate culture, which is different from a campus culture or culture at home.

Many aspects of a company's culture can be subtle and easy to overlook. So during your first few days in the office, observe everything.

Do coworkers prefer phone calls, emails or face-to-face conversations? Dress shoes or sneakers? How much should you socialize?

Observe how people behave at work and during breaks -- when they get their coffee, where they take their lunches, how they wrap up at the end of the day.

Observe, and then do your best to follow, conform to how things are done as reasonable as possible.

Overconfidence

Some new hires, because of the merit of their academic performance and credentials, come into their new workplace and insist on doing things their way, because they're purportedly hired for their brilliance.

Humility can go a long way, listen and learn. Take time to understand the company and how things work before you decide to make changes.

Being Shy

On the other hand, timidity at work will not bode well for you and your career.

Do your best to build positive relationships from the first day. Network with your colleagues by having informal conversations to learn what others do and how it affects you. This is also a good way to learn the culture of the company.

Not asking the Right Questions

When you don't know what's expected of you, it's hard to deliver.

Meet with your manager to discuss the responsibilities of your position and how success will be measured. What are the priorities? How should you provide project updates? How will your performance be measured?

Not Admitting Mistakes

Everyone makes mistakes, and new hires make plenty. But don't make the mistake of thinking that if you don't admit them, nobody notices them.

Accept ownership, learn, make the correction and move on.

Not Requesting for Feedback

You don't have to wait six months or a year to learn how you're doing. In fact, waiting that long could put you, your team and even the company off course.

You can take the initiative and request your supervisor for an evaluation after one month.

Discuss what you've done right, where you made some mistakes, how you can make corrections and do better.

It would take a while, some time in acquiring experience, but when you're willing and open towards learning, getting ahead in your job and in your company is a sure thing in BPO Philippines, where diligence and ability is instantly rewarded.