Early career success comes from reliability, responsiveness, humility, and a willingness to work harder.
My article for The Zweig Letter this week is for those of our readers who have a child or someone they are mentoring who is graduating and about to start their first “real” job. Maybe it will be useful as something you can pass along to them.
Every May, a fresh crop of graduates walks out into the world armed with a degree, a decent GPA, and just enough confidence to be dangerous. I know because I was one of them once, and if I’m being honest, I probably thought I had things more figured out than I actually did. The good news is you don’t have to be perfect. The bad news is you do have to work.
Let me start with something that shouldn’t be controversial but somehow is. Work ethic still matters – a lot. You can be smart, personable, and well educated, but if you don’t outwork the people around you, you’re going to stall out fast. Early in my career, I figured out that showing up early, staying a little later, and being the person who actually finished what they started put me ahead of people who were probably just as capable. It isn’t profound advice, but it works. You will most likely be salaried and not hourly. But salaried doesn’t mean you are restricted to 40 hours a week. Nobody ever got in trouble for being the one who put in the extra time and could be counted on.
Closely related to that is responsiveness. Answer your phone. Return emails. Acknowledge texts. Do it quickly. Be faster than anyone else. Speed matters. You don’t have to have all the answers, but you do have to let people know you’re on it. It’s shocking how many opportunities go to the person who simply responds first and follows through. I’ve built entire relationships and won business over the years because I didn’t leave people hanging. Silence reads as indifference, and indifference is career poison.
Now let’s talk about the part no one puts in the job description. You are going to be asked to do things that feel beneath you or unrelated to what you studied. Do them anyway, and do them well. When I was getting started fresh out of grad school, I did everything from stuffing envelopes to building desks to fixing problems no one else wanted. None of that was in some grand career plan, but all of it built trust. People remember the person who says “yes” and figures it out. If you’re waiting for the perfect assignment that matches your degree, you’re going to be waiting a long time.
There’s also a mistake I see almost every new graduate make at some point. They want to improve everything immediately. I get it. You’ve got fresh eyes and new ideas, and you’re convinced the place could run better if people would just listen to you. Maybe you’re even right. But you haven’t earned the right to be right yet. Every company has its own way of doing things, and there are usually reasons behind it that aren’t obvious on day one. Your job at the beginning is to learn how the place actually works. Ask questions. Pay attention. Figure out what has been tried before and why it did or didn’t stick. Then, after you’ve built some credibility, start offering ideas in a way that shows you understand the context. Timing and delivery matter just as much as the idea itself.
Another thing I learned, sometimes the hard way, is that attitude travels faster than ability. If you’re positive, curious, helpful, and willing, people will pull you into better opportunities. If you’re negative, entitled, or constantly keeping score, people will quietly route around you. You don’t have to love every task, but you do have to act like you’re glad to be there. Energy is contagious, and so is the lack of it.
Finally, understand that your first job is not your last job. It’s part of your continuing education. The habits you build now, how you treat people, how you respond under pressure, how reliable you are – all of that compounds. I can still trace relationships and opportunities in my career back to how I showed up in those early years. You’re not just doing a job. You’re building a reputation that will follow you long after you forget your starting salary.
So go to work. Answer the call. Say “yes” more than you say “no.” Learn before you try to fix. If you do those things consistently, you’ll be ahead of most of your peers before you even realize it. And then one day, you’ll be the one giving advice to some kid who thinks they’ve got it all figured out just like an old guy like me can!
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Mark Zweig is Zweig Group’s chairman and founder. Contact him at mzweig@zweiggroup.com. |