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Ask Slashdot: What Do You Wish You'd Known Starting Your First "Real" Job?
itwbennett writes: ITworld's Josh Fruhlinger asked seasoned (and some not-so-seasoned) tech professionals what they wished they knew back when they were newly minted graduates entering the workforce. Perhaps not surprisingly, some of the best advice has more to do with soft skills than with tech skills. To wit: 'When [managers] say they are suggesting you do something, it's not really a suggestion — it is an order disguised as a suggestion. Plain-speaking is a lost art at big companies and corporate double talk is the name of the game.' What's your best piece of advice for the newest among you?
Like a kid in a candy store your manager will want more, More, MORE! of your time if you let them. It's a feedback loop to encourage more hard work from you. Advice: pace yourself so that when it is really needed and really an emergency you can show up to slay the dragon. You control how much time you spend thinking about this job, not them.
Hire me...
Link is to slide show site littered with click bait adds. While the topic is a useful discussion to have with new graduates, link is to garbage site....
HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!
How to negotiate for a better salary.
This.... because for some ridiculous reason, the salary for your next job is based upon the salary of your current or previous job. Whenever I get called by a recruiter for a position I'm semi-serious about, they undoubtedly ask me what my current salary is so they can base my future salary on it. I always lie lie and lie some more up to the point of what I think their position is worth.
stephen
this so much. As a lot of young people straight out of college I thought I knew it all. So I heard something and immediatly say "that's stupid, why would it do it that way?" Which ends up as 2 problems a)the person loses some respect for you and b) You could be wrong because you dont know the full picture. So you end up being in a big argument, when finally the other person says something that is key to the discussion that you didnt know about and then it makes sense why they did it that way
So now I always try to do "I dont understand", and "can you please explain the rational?" Because chances are I am just missing a piece of the puzzle. However, I have also learned anything that comes out of my bosses mouth is stupid, so I just nod and agree and do the opposite.
Starting out as a naive new engineer, I thought that my boss would have at least some interest in seeing my career progress. WRONG.
No matter how nice and friendly your boss seems to be, their motivation is to get more work out of you cheap. They are not interested in your future. Promotions mean more pay, and they don't want to pay you any more. They are not interested in your well-being. Nothing personal (usually), just business.
You must be your own advocate. You are the CEO of *your* business, and you are selling your time to another company. Make sure it is worth your while, because the other guy will do everything in their power to low-ball your compensation.
Don't be cocky. You may be good, but you're never that good that you can't be fired. Don't piss people off. Keep emotionally neutral in all your dealings. Think about your boss's situation before making demands.
Live frugally when you start out. Sock money away so you can survive for extended periods without a job. You may never need to tap those funds, but knowing that they are there will give you strength in your negotiations. If your boss senses you are terrified of losing your income, they have you by the balls and you will be their bitch working every Saturday. Deny them that advantage by being willing and able to walk out the door at a moment's notice.
Be only as loyal to the company as they are loyal to you. If they *are* working with you to increase pay and promotions, great, but more often than not they will drag their feet on these things. If there is simply no promotion or pay increase potential, look for greener pastures.
Pay attention to the fiscal health of the company. Remember that it can be costly to replace an employee, so they may want to negotiate to keep you on board, especially if you have been bringing value to the company. Don't make crazy demands when the company has had a bad quarter.
Left MS Windows for Linux Mint and never looked back!
Vote for Bernie in 2016!