work

I began a new job six weeks ago, so I’m still meeting people and trying desperately to match names to new faces. One morning last week, a head appeared over my cubicle wall. It was an older man with smile lines and light gray hair. I had met him just briefly on my first day, but I remembered his name. Score.

“Can I talk to you about something?” he asked, smiling nervously. “Do you have some time to meet this morning?” Despite my smile, my face must have revealed my curiosity about his urgency, and the fact that we weren’t on any projects together.

“It won’t take long. I’d just like to show you something,” he said. I told him I’d stop by his desk at noon since I already had morning meetings scheduled. He grinned and walked away.

Pardon my absence. Four weeks ago, I began my first real job. This means I began waking up at 5:45 a.m. and getting home after 6 p.m. Add in dinner, exercise, laundry, and exhaustion and there’s not much wiggle room to write.

Maybe you’ve recently joined the work world too. In that case, you get how I feel. There’s a mix of job-offer ecstasy, butterflies of transition, and mild horror upon realizing that there’s no syllabus for this course, business casual means you need a new wardrobe, and you’ve got a lot to learn in order to keep up with your seasoned peers.

I haven’t mastered everything yet—just learned how to use the fancy printer this week!—but here are my do’s and don’ts for your first few weeks on the job:

Can a Whiteboard Change Someone’s Life?

Survival Guide to Your First Few Weeks in Corporate America