Business Etiquette
Business Etiquette 101
What you need to know after landing the job
Now that you have successfully landed your new job, what are the next steps to stay competitive and ahead of your co-workers? Zyloware is here to help you navigate your new job and impress your new boss!
Stay connected
Once you've made a professional contact, you need to maintain the relationship or you'll lose it. Follow a “three times per year” rule for staying in touch with industry contacts. Once in the fall, spring, and summer. You want to form genuine relationships; not use people to get ahead.
Accept rejection — and move on
When you're still learning the ropes, rejection will become a common occurrence. Get used to it. Your ideas, pitches, and attempts to impress your boss will all be rejected at one time or another. However, it's important to accept these moments, realize that no one gets it right every time, and learn from the experiences. Focus on your successes instead, which will motivate you to push forward.
Don't take things personally
Don't take criticism at work personally — no matter how difficult that seems. If your boss points out weaknesses during a performance review, take their comments as goals to work toward, not jabs at your personality. It's their job to evaluate how you perform as an employee, not how much they like you.
Stay organized
Keep your desk neat, update your calendar regularly, and stay on top of your inbox at all times. If you're diligent about being organized, nothing will slip through the cracks and you'll prove that you can handle more responsibilities.
Don't say 'I don't know'
No one will hold your hand if you proclaim, "I can't" or "I don't know how." Instead, it's important to learn how to figure things out yourself. These situations are the perfect opportunities to show you have initiative. When a tough situation arises, be resourceful; don't give up and hand the problem back to your boss.
Be confident
First and foremost, have confidence in yourself. It's impossible to accomplish anything worthwhile if you're not willing to put yourself out there. By putting yourself on the line time after time, you are able to watch potential failures turn into successes.
Create systems that work
If you enter a job that already has systems in place, for anything from sorting the mail to arranging meetings with clients, find a way to improve them. Sticking to the previous system might mean sticking to a flawed approach, so don't be afraid to tweak things and find what works for you. Additionally, taking initiative will likely impress your boss.
Dress appropriately
The classic adage, "dress for the job you want," still holds true. To get your colleagues to take you seriously, always aim to look professional and polished. Even if your office embraces a laid-back dress code, it's still important to mind how you look. That means no leggings, flip-flops, or ripped jeans.
Set deadlines — and stick to them.
Deadlines mean everything in the working world, and missing one not only affects you, but your boss, the client, and anyone else involved on the project, as well. Always give yourself extra time when determining a deadline, and hold yourself to that date.
Set goals
Continually make and update your goals and priorities so that you're always pushing yourself forward. Your goals can be anything from getting promoted to developing a better understanding of the industry.
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