Summary Notes on The
New Professional, by
Summarized by J. T. P. Yao,
"… It is estimated that between 50 and 80 percent of new college graduates leave their first job within the first three years. … While not so easy to quantify as turnover is, there is little doubt that new employees who are unhappy, disappointed, and frustrated will not be as productive as they could be. In addition, unhappy employees affect the morale of everyone in the organization. Both cost money. … It [the book] is written for people who are starting their first full-time professional job; most readers will be recent college graduates. … The book focuses on what is really a fairly short but very critical period of time in a college graduate's life, the period from the time when the job choice is made… through the first six to twelve months on the job. … Most importantly, it will help you lay the right foundation for a long and prosperous career. …"
"Each year over a million college students receive a bachelor's degree and begin their first full-time professional job. … Breaking into a new career and company and becoming a professional is not easy, yet the success with which you negotiate your first year is crucial to getting a fast start in your career. …"
"NEW PROFESSIONAL GOALS …
1. Learn your job. …
2. Build professional respect and credibility. …
3. Gain acceptance by the organization. …
4. Confirm hiring decision. …
5. Show you have potential. …
6. Make good impressions. …
7. Become a professional. …
8. Get to know your organization. …"
"Success Breeds Success …
1. You have no professional reputation. …
2. You have negative stereotypes to overcome. …
3. All that counts is what you earn on the job. …
4. You have to prove yourself. …
5. Everybody is looking for good people. …
6. You're given a chance. …
7. The success spiral starts. …"
"Getting Off on the Right Foot …
1. Get comfortable with being new.
2. Be the best inexperienced new employee you possibly can.
3. Make good first impressions so you will get the chance to really show your stuff later.
4. Don't try to do more in your first few months that you should: set realistic goals.
5. Look for a chance to get on the success spiral; most of all, don't let a college mentality keep you off the spiral.
6. Remember that you, and only you, are responsible for your success.
7. Transitions mean adapting, changing, and learning; be prepared.
8. Have realistic expectations, which means looking past what you learned from the recruiting process.
9. Focus on being a great NEW professional, and don't get ahead of yourself.
10. Make learning breaking-in skills your first priority.
…"
"What Your Employer Would Say to You …
1. Your first year is one of the most critical periods in your early career. It all starts the minute you walk in the door, so don't underestimate the damage a poor start can do.
2. Take the time to find out exactly what we expect of you during the first year.
3. We're really glad to have you, but remember that we have to adjust too.
4. The personal issues are important to you, but leave them at home.
5. Show us that you are a serious and dedicated professional by focusing your energy on your job.
6. This is not a college campus: leave your college way of life behind.
7. Your expectations need to be adjusted.
8. Understand us before you try to change us.
…"
"Professionalism …
1. College gave you lots of knowledge but did not teach you how to be a professional.
2. You're expected to look, act, think, and talk like a professional from day one.
3. A key complaint of employers about new hires is lack of professional maturity. There is no excuse for it.
4. Professional maturity, integrity, and judgement are not just a function of time; they can be learned.
5. The bottom line is getting the job done.
6. Getting the job done means learning how to communicate with people well.
7. Manage your work, or it will manage you and you'll never get anything done. Practice effective time management.
8. Manage yourself too.
9. Don't let what you wear mark you as an inexperienced rookie.
10. Good office skills will let your true ability shine through.
…"
"People, Relationships, and Politics …
1. Work gets done by, with, and through people.
2. Regardless of your profession, you need strong people skills to succeed.
3. Professional relationships are unique but critical to your success. Cultivate a strong network.
4. Learn to work and get along with all types of people.
5. Playing politics is simply the way to get work done in organizations.
6. Politics do not have to be a negative force in the organization.
7. Understand who has the power and sets the agenda for the organization.
8. Protect your ego, because you won't have much power at first.
9. Learn to 'play the game' - you can change the rule later.
10. Politics do matter in your first year, so learn effective political strategies."
"The Facts of Life in Organizations …
1. Learning culture means learning the ropes and how you are expected to behave.
2. Organizations aren't things. They are people with attitudes, values, beliefs, and habits.
3. It is rare that can ever change an organization's culture before you become a part of it.
4. Culture is everything and everybody around you - look, listen, and observe to understand it.
5. The 'organization man' (or woman) may be dead, but conformity is still the rule for the first six months.
6. Remember that every organization's culture is different (often radically), so don't let experience blind you.
7. Understand the culture, and you'll be able to understand many of the mistakes your peers make and avoid them yourself."
"… Building Professional Relationship…
1. Understand differences in people…
2. Respect experience and expertise…
3. Give, so you can receive…
4. Give credit where credit is due…
5. Make the relationship mutually beneficial…
6. Don't make snap judgments about people…
7. Be open to new ideas and styles…
8. Don't use people…
9. Ignore level in the organization…
10. Make your own judgments…
11. Don't get too close to the wrong people…
12. Smile and laugh…
…"
"Understanding Your Boss…
A boss is simply another professional like yourself who has been given the responsibility to supervise and direct the efforts of other people toward achieving organizational goals. … Your relationship with your boss is first and foremost a professional one. … There is a key difference here though: friendly does not mean the same thing as being personal friends. … I think it is fair to say that it is unwise to let a friendship with your boss get too close. … Neither is your boss your enemy. …"
"What to Expect from Your Boss …
1. Performance expectations…
2. Feedback…
3. Policies and guidelines…
4. Resources to do your job…
5. Means for you to help yourself…
6. Protection…
7. Help with professional development…
8. Use authority wisely…
…"
"Subordinate Savvy …
1. You will always have a boss in an organization, so, to be a successful professional, you must learn how to be an effective subordinate.
2. Your success is inexorably tied to your boss's success, so you have to find a way to work well together.
3. As a new professional, your most important role is to assist and support your boss.
4. It is your responsibility to do everything possible to make yourself easy to manage.
5. Being a subordinate is not always fun or easy, particularly early in your career.
6. Most bosses have shortcomings in their management skills. It is just as much your responsibility to overcome and work around those shortcomings as it is your boss's.
7. Difficult bosses are a fact of organizational life, but they are not a legitimate excuse for your poor performance.
8. Always ask yourself what you can do to contribute to a more effective working relationship with your boss."
"Getting Ready to Go to Work …
1. Every individual approaches and experiences going to work differently.
2. A key to success is viewing your entry into an organization as a dynamic interaction between your style and the style of the organization.
3. The more you can understand about yourself and your breaking-in style, the better you can anticipate and prevent problems.
4. There are few rights or wrongs in the breaking-in process; it is usually a matter of consistent or mismatched styles.
5. It is your responsibility to adapt to the organization's style in the first year, since it is impossible for one person to change an entire organization's style.
6. Use the time before you go to work to discard unrealistic or inappropriate expectations.
7. Make sure your view of the psychological contract matches the organization's view."
"Hitting the Ground Running …
1. Take pride in being a rookie, and be the best one you know how to be.
2. There is no way to escape the necessary passages a rookie must go through to be accepted into the organization.
3. You can make your first few days more effective by taking time to prepare and learn before you start work.
4. Be prepared for the first few days and weeks to be very different from what you expected; be ready for them to be full of surprises and put you through a roller coaster of emotions.
5. Orientation programs are not a waste of time, nor is training.
6. It is natural, but not smart, to be impatient with training programs for new hires.
7. Be dedicated to the orientation and training process; it will pay off."
"Breaking-In Strategies …
1. Look for areas in which you can contribute early on.
2. Know your limitations. If you take on too much and spread yourself too thin, you are not going to do a good job at anything.
3. Work very hard early on, because if you do and it gets noticed, you are going to have a reputation as a good worker for the rest of your career.
4. Leave the brownnosing and politics for later on - just demonstrate who you are and what you're capable of.
5. Show a positive attitude. You have to be happy at what you're doing; if you're not, it's obvious to everyone.
6. The danger is that you'll come across like a college kid. Try to avoid that.
7. Figure out exactly what you are supposed to do, exactly how you are supposed to do it, and whose help you need and don't need to get the job done.
8. Get to work early, work overtime if necessary, and do whatever it takes to go the extra mile.
9. Check your ego at the door.
10. If you want to succeed, you have to play by the rules.
11. Perceptions are often as important as reality. Above all else, you must be perceived as a professional.
12. Don't try and run things. Listen. Understand the organization. Understand the politics. Act very humble.
13. Don't get discouraged."
"First-Year Timetable …
1. The first year moves through multiple stages, each with its own tasks and issues.
2. A good sense of timing will keep you from getting too far ahead of yourself or too far behind others.
3. With each stage you move closer to acceptance by the organization and to the time when you can assert yourself and your ideas.
4. You cannot skip stages; the only variable is the pace at which the organization allows you to move through them.
5. It is rare that the organization's timetable matches your preferences exactly.
6. Find the right balance between patience and assertiveness."
"Breaking-In Issues …
1. Get noticed for your maturity and abilities, not for you dumb mistakes.
2. Look for highly visible chances to showcase your abilities and talents.
3. Without performance evaluations, you have no way to know if you are on the right track.
4. It is unlikely that your early performance evaluation will be all positive; successful professionals think of them as a learning experience and accept constructive criticism nondefensively.
5. Smart, successful initiatives rarely happen quickly.
6. Enthusiasm works best in moderation.
7. The time will come when your abilities are fully challenged, but it may take time.
8. Work offers different challenges from those that college did.
9. If you are in over your head, admit it and let people help you.
10. Organizations aren't always logical, fair, or rational.
11. You don't have to give up your individuality and independence completely; just put them on hold until you've earned your spot in the organization.
12. It's OK to work harder that normal in the first year.
13. Bad assignments don't last forever, but career do.
14. Promotions won't happen until you've mastered the first job."
"Special Advice for Special Groups and Situations …
1. Different professions and types of organizations have special challenges and issues.
2. Most of the information in this book is general; you will need to adapt it to the special characteristics of your organization.
3. The type of degree you have earned will give you some advantages and some disadvantages in the first year.
4. The size of the organization you join will have a significant impact on the issues you face and on how you implement the strategies discussed in this book.
5. The going-to-work transition will affect not only you but the people close to you as well. Be careful to consider them, too.
6. Women and minorities face unique challenges and may need to make special efforts to get off to a successful start."
"Personal Issues …
1. For many new professionals, there are significant personal transitions to make.
2. It is very common for new professionals to have some difficulty adapting to the new way of life.
3. Give yourself time to adjust and learn what the personal side of life as a working professional is all about.
4. Personal time will not be as plentiful as it was in college.
5. While your personal life may get less attention that it used to, you can't ignore it. It is important, too.
6. Your first job does not have to be your last job. Make changes if necessary after giving it a fair shot."
"The Social Professional …
1. A good social life will not happen as easily as it did in college.
2. Successful new professionals limit their socializing at work.
3. You must act professionally when around work colleagues, even outside work.
4. It is a good idea to keep some distance between your work and your personal life.
5. Social events with colleagues are a golden opportunity to network and cement good relationships.
6. Your fellow new hires may also be your competitors one day.
7. Avoid office romances."
"Stress Management …
1. Setting priorities…
2. Time management and organization…
3. Finding ways to relax and have fun…
4. Exercise…
5. Making time for yourself…
6. Transition time…
7. Sense of humor…
8. Discarding perfectionism…
9. Setting realistic goals…
10. Good nutrition…
…"
"The best 'ticklers' and advice on coping with the transition come from new hires and managers. Here are a few of their tips:
1. Make a real effort to go out and meet people. Work isn't like college, where nearly everyone shares similar experiences or has a similar sense of camaraderie. It takes an extra effort to make friends now.
2. Develop friends who have similar experiences in other companies. Learn how they cope with various transition problems.
3. Try to cultivate friends who do not work at your company - and thus don't know what you do for work or care how you act there - so you can relax and feel a sense of freedom with them.
4. Don't get down on yourself simply because you make some mistakes - learn that you have to let certain things roll off your back.
5. Work hard, but when the workday is over forget about it and make time for your personal and social life and enjoyment.
6. Keep a healthy balance between work and play. If you don't, you'll go crazy, and you'll hate your job within a year.
7. Seek out your peers, someone at your age level, someone you can spend time with after work. You don't want to turn into someone who just goes home and watches TV every night.
8. Get out! Get involved in the community and different things that are going on in your locality that will help you to adjust.
9. Have some excuses that you can rely on to get you out of the office, such as an early night class, racquetball, or something other than work. It helps, because otherwise you can get too caught up in your work.
10. Choose what to get stressed out about, and realize that the rest isn't really worth it. Don't get upset or stressed out over minor irritants."
[Readers who are interested in this book are encouraged to read the original version in its entirety. Other summary notes on civil engineering education are available on the Internet at http://lohman.tamu.edu under the heading "Summaries of Papers ..."]