Starting a new job isn’t the easiest thing, particularly when you realize that years of lawn mowing and babysitting won’t necessarily transfer to the fast-paced world of an internet start-up. So I figured I could use a little advice before starting my summer tenure at Affinity Circles. With a little help from my friend Google, I got some pretty good tips on how to get the most out of my time at Affinity.
Monday, June 15. First day. Sales reps Mike Torres and Justin Brown show me the ropes, and I jump right in. Performance reviews, importing data, exporting data, creating user tutorials…it’s a whirlwind of Excel, PowerPoint, and Adobe Captivate. There’s a lot of work to do.
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Tuesday, June 23. Now, with a successful week under my belt here at AC HQ, I think it’s time to share some of the best advice I received:
Show up on time.
Remember people’s names.
Now this one was easy, especially when the weekly Team Meetings feature personal recaps from everyone on staff. Not only did this allow me to learn more about everyone’s specific responsibilities and specialties, but the welcoming applause I received on my first day certainly helped ease the transition. Sitting there at the table, only a day into my new position, I couldn’t help but smile as they clapped for me, thinking, “I could get used to this.”
Unfortunately, this sort of applause is not a regular thing – apparently doing your job correctly is expected rather than cause for celebration.
New Goal: Earn another round of applause.
Also, as my name (spelled correctly!) was featured on one of Affinity Circles’ Twitter feeds, I figured it was simply good manners to return the favor.
Bring your own lunch. Except on Fridays.
Be nice to the intern.
Be open and willing to work hard.
As an English Major, working for an internet-based social networking company may not seem like the most natural fit, but I’m quickly finding my footing. Just because a week ago I would have told you that Java and ColdFusion were things that you ordered at Starbucks, doesn’t mean that, armed with the right attitude and ready to learn, I haven’t been able to pick up a few useful skills. After only a week, I’ve gone from barely managing one laptop in my college dorm room, to working with three separate computers at the same desk – one for e-mails and data processing, one for graphics, and one for designing web tutorials. Also, Affinity Circles has quickly proven to be so much more than programming. Working with the Sales Reps, I’m getting a chance to put my skill set to use – by writing this blog, for example. It’s so cool to have real responsibilities, to actually be a contributing member of such a talented team.
And, if you’re really computer-challenged, working in an office with almost a dozen computer whizzes helps a lot.
