It’s that time of the year again: time to start looking for a summer job. Last year, I managed to get my first office job after years and years of working in customer service. Here are five things I’ve learned there that can be of use for anyone getting theirs in the future.
1. It doesn’t have to be on your own field – you’ll learn a lot of useful things anyway.
I ended up in a company operating on a field I had absolutely no experience of and no particular passion for. However, even if I don’t think that I’ll continue with the same subject, I still feel like I’ve learned an enormous amount of useful work skills that I can utilize in any job in the future – and I had fun while learning them. So, be open-minded as you apply for new jobs. Everything will steer you forward as an employee and as a person, I promise.
2. Office besties are life-saving and often come in surprising forms.
Now, you got the job. There are other people there, often a very colorful bunch of people of different ages. Be open-minded with them, too! Any one of them can eventually become your office bestie. Having someone to eat lunch with and someone who surprises you with office candy when you’re in the middle of a boring assignment will make your work days so, so much brighter.
3. Leave the office on your lunch breaks.
Speaking of lunch, I’ve noticed that leaving the office at lunch break, maybe getting some fresh air and eating different sorts of lunches makes your work days and weeks much nicer and less monotonous. So, instead of choosing the easy option and eating your food at the office or in the work cafeteria, do make the extra effort of eating out when possible – it’s worth it.
4. Remember your passwords.
If you’re working on a computer, it’s likely you’ll have a lot of different passwords to remember. Whatever your system for keeping them in order is, use it. It’s a bit embarrassing having to ask for help with resetting your passwords again and again. I speak from painful experience.
5. You will totally manage.
Before I entered the office world, I was sort of scared of it. Having my own desk, my own computer and my own tasks felt big and I didn’t really feel like I was on that level, having no experience to speak of. However, I soon learned that you definitely do not have to know how to do everything perfectly right away – still, after nine months, I am constantly learning new things from scratch at work, and that’s only a good thing. So, do not pass on a job only because you feel unqualified to do it. If they end up choosing you, you will eventually learn everything, and come out of the job as a more confident and more skillful person.
Photos: Death to Stock Photo