A to Z of workplace fundas…

Dear S.P.C.Eites,

Pearls of wisdom (well…being an S.P.C.E.ite, I am allowed to be egoistic, aren’t I?) from an alumni who was recruited straight from THE campus to a company which is one of the biggest financial solutions providers to banks and financial institutions.

So here it is…the A to Z of workplace fundas for all you engineers raring to make it big in the corporate world.

A: Agenda…for the day, for a meeting, for a conference call…you will need it all the time! Make sure you spend time enough to be able to put in all the necessary points for discussion.

B: Boss. No, they are not as monstrous as they appear to be. Just respect them and make them look good as far as possible. They will be more than willing to help you climb the corporate ladder.

C: Challenges: Look for new and challenging work. It can open new avenues and bring better opportunities when they are least expected.

D: Dress. Dress well at all times…even if your work place follows the casual clothing norm, make it smart casuals…you never know who you have to meet and when.

E: English…speak correct English, and it will earn you a lot of respect and admiration, both with colleagues and clients.

F: Failures: This may sound clichéd, but what eventually matters is how you handled the failure. No matter what, don’t let it get you down. You fail when you think you have…not otherwise.

G: Gossip – a big no-no. Remember, you can be a target too, but it makes good sense to keep yours eyes peeled and ears wide open for the grape-vine.

L: Lie: Never ever lie about anything. It is the biggest career mistake you can ever make. Your boss will forgive mistakes but if you lie, you have had it.

M: Mistakes…we all make them. The important thing is to accept your mistakes, learn from them and then get ready to make new ones!

N: No…learn to say no. Be polite but firm, when you have to refuse a task or “call for help” which you cannot fulfill.

O: Open up to new ideas and thoughts. Don’t ever dismiss colleagues’ or superiors’ suggestions without investigation.

P:  Plan…Remember failing to plan is like planning to fail.

Q: Quality…Deliver work of the best quality that you can. At the least you should adhere to the organizational standards for quality.

R: Relax…find a time in the day (even if it is just 15 minutes) when you can just chill out. Take a few deep breaths…and even the biggest problem will not seem so enormous any more.

S: Salary…this is the main reason we all want to work…but don’t make it the only reason. Believe me, if you don’t like the work that you do, even the meatiest salary will seem like peanuts. There really is more to life than money…

T: Time: Always be on time, for work, for meetings or conference calls…or a few minutes earlier…it helps when you have to head for that conference call with clients with time in hand to prepare what you want to say.

U: Unambiguous, be unambiguous, clear and concise in all your official communication, whether verbal or by mail .This will save you a lot of conflicts and issues later.

V: Volunteer for additional responsibilities…makes you look good with the boss and usually opens the doors to better work.

W: Work out…get some exercise. The healthier you are, the better you will perform. Also, a lot of the “top” people are very health conscious…think Anil Ambani…got the point?

X: eXtra…put in that little bit of extra effort and it will go a long way in propelling your career towards incredible heights.

Y: Yes…one 3 letter word, said at the right time, which can really take you places.

Z: Zeal. When you are working, however small the task may be, channel all of this into your work. And enjoy the results.

Here’s wishing you all the best…

Regards,

Roli Gupta

p.s. Well, there are more fundas which I could have put in…but then you ought to learn a few things on your own too, right?