Overcommunication
The cardinal rule in being a newbie is to be always asking questions whenever you are not sure, but to ask Google and ChatGPT before turning to a colleague or manager. Remember, your job is to make your managerโs job easier. It is a lot easier for them to answer a 30 second question than to panic over your rework and potential delay to timelines.
Never assume your boss knows that you are up to. It is better to drown your manager in updates than for your manager to wonder what you are up to. A helpful strategy I employ is to do a quick outline of the work that needs to be done and show it to your manager. In addition, when using collaborative tools such as Sharepoint, I like to plonk my structure down in my working file and share it so that my manager can always go in to see my progress at any time without having to ask me about it.
This is a huge leap from the tutorial system we are so used to in Oxford. Instead of hammering away at an essay, hoping that you have had a sufficiently refined piece of work, this is an iterative process.
Sense-checking
While it is important to be thorough with your work, mistakes happen. Nor should you let the need for 100% accuracy slow you down for all tasks (albeit the really pivotal pieces of work may require that). Be aware of how important a piece of work is and use that to estimate how much time you should spend sense-checking. Data in an excel sheet is especially difficult to scrutinise, but using logic to analyse numbers helps – always look for sudden outliers and zoom in on those, rather than trying to parse every single cell.
Flag problems and solutions
Some bosses will say that they want solutions, not problems. However, it is not ideal to sit on a problem in the hopes that you can resolve it. The sweet spot is somewhere between a problem and solution. Set a time limit for yourself to solve a problem, and then go with the initial hypothesis of what solution might be found, before bringing it up to your manager.
You want to bring some form of thought to your manager though – no one likes someone who just acts as a siren for problems. You must have a well-thought out logic flow and explain clearly why you are facing an issue. Bonus points if you can lay out exactly what your manager can do to support you.
Ask for feedback
Be open to getting feedback ad-hoc and accept this with an open-mind. You want to be coachable and show that they are not wasting time giving you feedback. It is for this reason that hybrid work is not as effective for learning.
Also, schedule feedback sessions at regular intervals. These will help to prompt your manager to start thinking about feedback and give it to you in a comprehensive and structured manner when the time comes. It also provides a commitment from both you and your manager to improve your own performance.
Always remember, it takes managers brainpower and time to think of how you can improve. It will yield returns to them only if you are able to take their inputs and hence make their lives easier down the road. Avoid letting them mention the same feedback twice – this is often a fatal point for careers and your manager’s trust in you as someone coachable.
This is not an examination, where you get proper feedback at the end of term. Waiting eight weeks for feedback can be too late in the working world.
Do the small things your boss hates
The key to this is that your boss probably has a higher dollar per hour rate than you do. That is for good reason – they are being paid to spend time on things that will help make your work more streamlined (if they are a good boss, of course).
As such, a good way to stand out is to take on the tasks that anyone can do, but is currently on your managers plate. Work such as scheduling meetings, if your boss has no secretary, or getting documents sorted. It does sound a bit menial and silly, and poor for learning and developmental purposes. Still, it needs to be done and should always be done by the person whose time has the least value.
Take risks at the start
When you first start, that is the best time to look foolish, as long as you look like you try. This is when you have the greatest leeway to be forgiven and the most guidance. Only when you are considered relatively established will you be judged harshly for muck-ups.
Have fun!
It is a new environment, a very different set-up compared to being in university. Work hard, do your best, but don’t be afraid to be yourself, and treat everyone – even the CEO – as just another human being. That is the only way to have a sustainable career.
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