By Will LinkAs you begin a new job in 2020 or an internship for the spring semester, you will probably feel both excited and a bit nervous. You have a chance to be immersed in your desired industry and are entering a new environment where your contributions will have a tangible effect on your organization. If you follow this advice during your first few days in the workforce, you can turn your new opportunity into a learning experience that will act as a springboard for your own professional development. Stay Updated on Trends Within Your Employer and Industry One way to manage any initial nerves you might have about your new position is to refresh yourself on what your organization wants to accomplish and how your role fits into their goals. To find this out, set up a Google Alert for the company’s name. Google Alerts will regularly email you the latest collection of pertinent news items and press releases that mention the organization. You can adjust the alerts to your preferences by tweaking settings such as how you would like to receive them, how often you would like to be updated, and what types of sources that you would like to draw from. In addition to following certain organizations you can also track keywords and trends. This way you can be prepared for any changes that might occur to your tasks or role. Refresh Yourself on Industry Specific Jargon To make your transition into your job or internship more seamless, become familiar with common phrases and acronyms that you are likely to encounter. Jargondatabse.com lists thousands of different terms, sorted by industry, that you might need to become familiar with in your workplace. Doing so will give you more confidence in your ability to understand the tasks that you will be presented with. Always ask your supervisors or co-workers for clarification if they refer to a phrase or acronym that you are not familiar with. Introduce Yourself & Network with Colleagues and Managers Even though you are in a work environment you should make every attempt to be as sociable as you can. Even if your position is only temporary treat it as an invitation to interact with all employees. Treat everyone with respect regardless of their role and don’t be shy to ask someone in your desired role out for coffee or lunch. Any person that you meet could become an invaluable part of your network. This Harvard Business Review article has some great advice on networking and particularly focuses on how to introduce yourself. A study of a particular group of seasoned businesspeople attending a networking event found although over 90 percent of the attendees expressed an interest in meeting new people at the event, most of them spent the majority of the time speaking to people they were already familiar with. Individuals at the event who said they met new people were introduced by a mutual acquaintance. Furthermore, the study discovered most people have the same phobias about introducing themselves to new people such as worrying about interrupting or being a bother, fear of rejection, or fear of making a mistake and looking bad. This article gives some great advice about how to get over those fears, make a positive impression, and begin to forge a genuine connection. Focus on Remembering Names Neuroscientists have found that our brains process names differently than they process other aspects of a human being such as their appearance or history. There are some creative ways that you can improve your ability to remember someone’s name. One way is to repeat the name initially as part of the introduction so that it sticks in your memory. Another thing that you should do is write the person’s name down along with any other pertinent information as soon as you can following your conversation, which brings us to our next point. Write Down Information to Retain it Better Writing information down has been proven to significantly help your memory. Although you might be more accustomed to using your laptop or phone to take quick notes, it is often better for your memory to physically write down information on paper. Keep a small notepad or legal pad with you to take notes during meetings and keep track of necessary to-do items. This will keep you more organized. If you ever feel nervous or intimidated by your new position, remember that you are there for a reason. You likely competed against dozens if not hundreds of other applicants and were chosen because you are the best candidate to fill a need. Your job or internship is a mutual opportunity to help your organization and yourself.
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