Those of you who are trying to keep your first step in the highly competitive, complex, politicized and somewhat unnerving corporate world can do with many paragraphs of cautioning. Here I have listed out five common pitfalls or mistakes that youngsters make than can harm or limit their careers for decades.
01. Poor Communication
When someone sends you an email or tries to reach you over the phone, respond and be contactable. Never shy away from answering or replying as it is off putting to have staff who do not respond and don’t seem to know what to say about anything. If you have a doubt about how to respond to a mail, get advice from your mentor or boss immediately. Don’t leave it for another time.
From word go, get used to the habit of checking mail regularly, checking your phone for calls that have been missed and messages and respond/ acknowledge as though each is super urgent.
This is a habit that becomes difficult to inculcate later and poor communication will be a stumbling block to your growth and promotions.
02. Being Too Casual
Being formal and respectful will show your good upbringing and breed. The opposite will prove the otherwise; clearly not where you want to go in your career.
How you speak, not to the most senior person, but to the most junior person is a true reflection of your character and values. Always be mindful to discuss suitable topics with each party, address them respectfully and keep quiet when it is not your business.
Refrain from being too friendly with people who are very senior and do not put on airs of familiarity with those who are not your equals. It does not show sophistication; instead, it comes across as naivety and inability to understand corporate context.
Using ‘Hey’ in emails, discussing personal topics with seniors, asking for lifts, trying to tag along for lunch and other breaks with seniors, regularly texting for no particular official purpose and commenting on their appearance or attire can be deadly.
03. Dressing Inappropriately
Well pressed, clean office wear in colours that don’t make you stand out from a mile away are the way to go. Don’t try to exploit the option of ‘smart casual’ too often early in your career. After you have cemented yourself in and won everyone’s respect, the way you should, you can conform to the organisation’s smart casual adaptations on certain days.
Avoid coming across as slovenly, uninterested in appearance and unprofessional at all times. I remember a story narrated by a senior finance professional who had sent a front-line staff member home for wearing a shirt that was too flashy and dark to be worn to work. He remembered the youngster’s name and details when he related the incident twenty years after it happened.
04. Sounding Like You Know Everything
This should be carefully understood – those who don’t know your job, should not be allowed to tell you what to do. This simply means that you should not come across as a ‘know it all’ who is not humble enough to learn from others. There are corporate practices that are unique to each organization which you would need to learn and you should patiently listen and learn them. If you feel that there is a better way of doing any of it, you can take politely discuss the alternatives with your supervisor.
First follow instructions, fall in line and practice. Later suggest improvements, question what seems less sensible and work towards progression.
05. Behaving Like a Kid
Being young and vibrant is an advantage; it should not become a disadvantage. Display the maturity of a corporate professional when at work irrespective of whether you are twenty or forty.
I personally know the challenges of being the youngest in a team and having to lead teams that are on average older than you. The only way to progress and not fall flat on your face is to display maturity and not behave like a kid. Keep those moments of childishness for your meet ups with school friends and family.
Creating a sense of respect and esteem for yourself early on in your career is an investment that will last a lifetime. It will avoid situations such as ‘oh s/he is a good worker, but really took a while to settle down in to the corporate world’ or jabs such as ‘that one was a real freaky kid but matured as s/he grew up’.
Make professionalism synonymous with your name early in your career and reap the dividends for the rest of your life! Feel free to talk to us via fullofetiquette@gmail.com when you feel you need a spot of etiquette advice while you work.
Till I return with ‘Full of Etiquette’ next week, stay safe!
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Praveeni Jayasekera is the Founder and Editor of fullofetiquette.com; she is a regular advocate on the subject. She is an ACMA, CGMA; holds a BSc. Economics and Management; PG in IT and Diploma in Social Sciences. She is employed full time in the capacity of Chief Operating Officer at CL Synergy (Private) Limited; a Sri Lankan freight forwarding company. She is an ardent fan of the written word and has compiled content for numerous websites for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes, corporate profiles and blogs. She has experience in training corporate professionals on customer service and business etiquette. She conducts coaching sessions on etiquette for school children every now and then.
