Things to Avoid at a New Job - The Muse

Things to Avoid at a New Job - The MuseThings to Avoid at a New Job Sometimes, at a new job, things just click. In no time at all, you feel like part of the kollektiv. Youre joking around with your co-workers, chatting casually with your boss, and, overall, feeling pretty comfortable with the way your new office works.But a word to the wise No matter how comfortable you feel or how awesome your new job is, there are certain precautions that all new employees should take- for the sake of your reputation, career advancement, and overall job success. Sure, theyre things you may easily be able to get away with a few months into the role, but for now, its best to play it safe. For the good of your job, dont try to get away with these five things- at least, not yet.1. Griping About Your Previous Job or BossAs you get to know your new colleagues, youll likely end up in conversations about your background- which can easily end up with you telling stories about your terrible previous job and the awful co-workers and boss you had there. Sure, those stories may generate a few laughs- but as a brand new addition to the team, they can also put you in a negative light. Hearing you gripe about your prior colleagues can make your new co-workers see you as a complainer, someone who doesnt value teamwork, and someone who will probably end up talking about your new co-workers behind their backs. In a few months, when people know you, the quality of your work, and your loyalties, you may be able to get away with telling those stories without any repercussions. But for now- when the ink on your offer letter has barely dried- its better to keep things positive. 2. Taking Advantage of a Flexible ScheduleMost reasonable bosses are flexible, and theyll understand if you have to come in late because of an early morning dentist appointment, leave early to take your dog to the vet, or take a long lunch just because. But even if you have the most flexible boss in the world, to some extent, those privileges have to be earned. For your first few weeks on the job, its important to establish a reputation of being a hard worker- which means that unless a conflict is absolutely unavoidable, its best to show up on time (or early), stick around until the rest of the team leaves, and take a reasonable lunch break. After a few weeks, youll have a better idea of how often its OK to take advantage of the flexibility- and since your reputation will have already been established, no one will be left questioning if youre really leaving for a doctors appointment or skipping out early to catch happy hour.3. Using Excess SarcasmYou want your co-workers to get to know the real you, of course. And maybe the real you uses sarcasm or not-so-politically-correct humor to get some laughs.While I certainly advocate being genuine in your interactions with your new team, crude humor and sarcasm can often come across as a bit harsh or even disrespectful. And that wont set a great tone for your c ontributions to the team.My advice? Tone it down for a bit until you have a better grasp on the rest of your teams personalities and senses of humor- and they have a better idea of yours. Then, you can slowly (and appropriately) start working in your real sense of humor. 4. Judging Your Co-workersWhen youre new to the job, you may be tempted to form some judgements right away about certain colleagues- that theyre annoying, disorganized, disloyal, or sloppy. But, while its somewhat unavoidable to make first impressions, those assumptions arent always accurate. After a few months of getting to know your colleagues, youll likely find out that underneath the seemingly sloppy work is a brilliantly creative mind, or that the incessantly chatty co-worker is actually a whiz at presentations. So as difficult as it may be, withhold judgment when youre brand new. Once you have a mora firm grasp on your co-workers strengths and personalities, youll be able to make much more firm and accurate de terminations about who you want to work with on certain projects, knowing exactly what to expect from each person. 5. Questioning LeadershipWe often give the advice that you should come into a new job environment armed with suggestions and ready to solve problems- and thats great. The trouble comes when new employees immediately start questioning their bosses or executive leadership decisions without a true understanding of the problem, a valid suggestion for how to make a change, or an understanding of the boss temperament and how he or she will take the suggestion. In other words, theyre simply complaining. To make the most effective suggestions- and eventually, changes- it can be beneficial to really dig into your departments challenges, striving to understand what needs changing, whats been attempted already, and why a change hasnt happened yet. Its also helpful to understand your boss personality and communication preferences, so that you can present suggestions in a way thats most likely to be accepted. Once thats been determined, by all means, question anything and everything. But until then, keep digging.Taking these extra precautions can feel like walking on eggshells. But tread carefully for just a little while, and youll have a much higher chance for success in the future.Photo of people walking courtesy of Shutterstock.

Your Invitation to the Honors Assembly

Your Invitation to the Honors Assembly Your Invitation to the Honors Assembly Your Invitation to the Honors AssemblyOct. 20, 2017On Monday, Nov. 6, at 630 p.m., ASME will present its 2017 Honors Assembly held in conjunction with the Societys International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (IMECE) in Tampa, Fla. This impressive and dramatic audiovisual experience will be one IMECE event you wont want to miss.I am pleased to announce the following recipients to be recognized for their accomplishments at this years Assembly the Melvin R. Green Codes and Standards Medal to Paul D. Edwards the Gustus L. Larson Memorial Award to Evelyn N. Wang the Ralph Coats Roe Medal to Adrian Bejan Honorary Membership to Ramesh K. Agarwal, John Cipolla, and Michael F. Modest the ASME Medal to Zdenek P. Baant and the Hoover Medal to John Staehlin.The Honors Assembly is a free Congress event and everyone is invited to attend.A reception for all the Honors Assembly attendees will be held at 53 0 p.m. preceding the Honors Assembly. During this time, you will have the opportunity to personally meet and congratulate the award recipients, network with colleagues, meet old friends and make new acquaintances.On behalf of the ASME Committee on Honors, I hope you will join us for this special evening.Sincerely,Yildiz BayazitogluChair, ASME Committee on HonorsH.S. Cameron Chair Professor of Mechanical EngineeringProfessor of Materials Science and NanoengineeringRice UniversityHouston, Texas

What to Do When a New Job Isnt What You Expected - The Muse

What to Do When a New Job Isnt What You Expected - The MuseWhat to Do When a New Job Isnt What You Expected Youve accepted a great new ort at a fantastic company and cant wait to get started. But, when you arrive for your first day, you discover that the amazing job youd interviewed for is elendhing like what youre facing now that youve actually been hired. Youve been catfished.For anyone who hasnt watched Nev Schulmans riveting documentary or subsequent TV spin-off, catfishing refers to the act of purposefully presenting false or misleading information or creating a fake identity to fool another person. Full disclosure I was catfished by my first full-time job. Shortly after graduating college, I accepted an admissions counselor position with a private university. I was so excited to find such a great job so shortly after graduating I couldnt wait to work with eager students as I guided them through the admissions process. I envisioned myself reassuring nervous parents, decorating m y first-ever cubicle, and building brdeing relationships with my co-workers. Sure, I was a little idealistic, but this was also what the hiring manager told me I would be doing. When I arrived for my first day of work, I was leuchtdiode to a storage room and handed a phone, a sales script, and a long list of phone numbers and told to start making calls. I didnt even have a working computer. Turns out, I had inadvertently accepted a job as a cold caller.When your new job pulls the old bait-and-switch, it can be frustrating, disheartening, and embarrassing. Navigating this situation can be tricky, so lets take a look at six things to do when your new job catfishes you- from someone whos been there. 1. Remain CalmIf your first couple of days on the job are a little turbulent, that doesnt necessarily mean that your new role wont work out in the long run. Your new boss could be having an off week, or the HR department mightve dropped the ball on coordinating your orientation. While a tem porarily distracted manager or a disorganized recruiter arent ideal, these challenges are surmountable. Remind yourself that youre going to need some time to get used to being in an unfamiliar environment, working with people you dont know, and juggling new responsibilities. Changing jobs is incredibly stressful, so do your best to stay calm throughout this transition. 2. Give it a ChanceFew things in life turn out exactly as we expected, and jobs are no exception. Youre going to need a little time to reconcile the idea of what you thought this position would be like with reality. In the meantime, give your new role a chance. Try getting to know your new co-workers by asking them to join you for coffee, impress your boss by volunteering for an upcoming project, and make yourself feel at home by organizing your new workspace. It can take up to a year to feel totally settled at a new company, but you can typically tell whether or not youll be happy after the first few weeks. If each w eek is a little better than the last, youre on the right track. But, if you find yourself dreading work every morning for days (or weeks) on end, this may not be the job for you. 3. Talk to Your BossIf youve given yourself enough time to get a feel for what this job is going to entail, and its vastly different from the role you thought you were interviewing for, its probably time to have a conversation with your manager. Start by sending her a message to request a meeting at her earliest convenience and follow-up with a calendar invitation. Once youve confirmed a time, youll want to prepare your talking points. Pull up the job posting you applied for (if available), track down the description for your role, or draft an overview of what was discussed during your interviews. Then, make a list of what youre actually doing on a daily basis so that you can specifically and confidently address discrepancies. The purpose of this meeting is to get you and your manager on the same page- not to accuse her of catfishing you. There is a chance that youll decide to stick it out in this position, and you wont want to damage your relationship with a hostile confrontation. Start off by letting your boss know that your intention is to gain a better understanding of what this role will actually entail, as you were under the impression that your job would look different. For example, When we first met, we spent a lot of time discussing social media strategy, and I was under the impression that I would be managing the companys Twitter and Facebook accounts. When will I be taking this on? or During my interview, we agreed that I would be responsible for sourcing and prospecting new sales opportunities, but not for closing new geschftsleben. But since coming onboard, Ive been asked to focus on closing new business and managing existing accounts. Did something change?If your manager is receptive to what you have to say and seems to be invested in your happiness, you might be able to salvage this job. But, if shes defensive or dismissive and shows no interest in aligning your actual position with the role you thought you signed on for, its probably time to explore your options.4. Explore Your OptionsOnce youve determined that youve officially been catfished, its time to start preparing to move on. If youre only a few weeks into your new position, you can probably build up your job search momentum pretty quickly. The great news is that you already know how to successfully apply, interview, and secure an offer. If you turned down another offer to accept this job, you might be able to salvage that opportunity. Try reaching out to the hiring manager you were working with to ask if the position is still available. Say something like, I wanted to reach out to you to ask if the insert title was still open. If it is, I would love to be reconsidered for this position. Since we were last in touch, Ive given this opportunity a lot of thought. While I initially said that I was most interested in joining a larger company, I now realize that I am most effective when I get to work with a dynamic, tight-knit team like the one at insert company name. I know Id make a great addition to your department, and would welcome the opportunity to discuss this further. Would it be possible for us to connect on insert date around insert time?Once you start interviewing, you may run into some tricky questions about why youre looking to leave your new job so soon. A simple, concise response like this should do the trick Unfortunately, I didnt take as much time as I should have to learn everything I could about the company and culture before accepting my current position. Ive since realized that this role isnt a good fit for me, and am now seeking opportunities with organizations that value employee engagement and collaboration. Thats why Im so excited to be interviewing with insert company name. As you start interviewing and considering new opportunities, keep in mind that youll want to be extra diligent about learning everything you can about the companies youre interviewing with. Be sure to ask specific questions about turnover and company culture during your interview, get your offer and job description in writing, and check out sites like Glassdoor for reviews from real-life employees. NEW JOB DIFFERENT THAN YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD BE?Ugh, thats the worst. The good news is we have a lot of openings to show you. 5. Jump ShipIts perfectly fine to leave a new job after just a few weeks. Sometimes, things just dont work out. Whether you decide to walk away before youve found a new position or youve accepted a great offer with an honest and transparent organization, jumping ship as soon as possible is totally justified. While its a best practice to give at least two weeks notice whenever you quit your job, if the environment is too toxic or youre absolutely miserable, you should be able to leave without giving any advance notice (just be sure to rea d up on your states at-will employment laws first).Regardless of how much notice you decide to give, do your best to keep things professional and cordial. Let your manager know that you appreciate the opportunity, but since its not at all in line with what you thought you were signing on for, its best for everyone if you part ways now. Keep in mind You could easily be burning bridges in this situation, so dont quit that day and walk out the door just for the sake of doing it. Most catfishing incidents can probably be chalked up to poor communication and misunderstandings, but if you feel that an employer intentionally pulled a fast one on you, committed fraud, or breached your contract, seeking legal guidance may be a logical choice. If anything, consider writing a Glassdoor review to help others avoid a similar experience in the future. 6. Move OnIf you were only at a fishy company for a few weeks (or even a couple of months), you probably dont even need to include that employer on your resume. Recruiters and hiring managers are much mora likely to gloss over brief gaps in employment these days- just be prepared to explain if youre ever asked about it. Most importantly, dont beat yourself up. Every experience- good or bad- is an opportunity to learn and grow. Youll now be even more diligent about finding the right role for you moving forwardAfter a couple of weeks at my admissions counselor job, a tense discussion with my manager, and more than a few tears, I decided to move on. I left without giving any notice (which is a story for another time) and dedicated my time to finding a job with an honest, transparent organization. Within a couple of weeks, a family friend reached out to me about an entry-level recruiter opportunity at her company. Feeling a little wary, I asked her tons of questions about the culture and work environment before deciding to apply. Getting to talk to someone that I trusted, who could vouch for the company was a huge relief, and it g ave me enough confidence to ultimately accept an offer for a job I ended up loving. Looking back, recruiting was a much better fit for me than a career in higher education would have been, and Im genuinely thankful that getting catfished helped to push me in the right direction. Theres always something to be learned if you look hard enough for it. Theres no question that discovering the job you were thrilled to start is not at all what you expected is a major letdown, but know that you can walk away if things dont work out, and youll be just fine.