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what not to do when you’re new
A veteran HR consultant warns of the mistakes to avoid during your first few months on the job.
Starting a new job is a lot like “being the new kid in school, coming in in the middle of the year,” says Lisa J. Stamatelos, president of LJS HR Services, an HR consulting firm in Yorktown Heights. “All the cliques are estab- lished." Here, her five tips on what not to do as the "new person."
DON’T: FALL FOR CLIQUES’ HYPE.
“The thing you need to be most careful of,” Stamatelos says, is becoming part of factions that will try to recruit you to their sides of pre-existing office conflicts.
She adds, “I’ve not yet been to a company of more than two people that doesn’t have office politics, cliques, and issues,” she says.
DON’T: IMPOSE YOUR STYLE RIGHT OFF THE BAT. Especially if you’re not
in a managerial position, Stamatelos says, take time to “get the lay of the land. Does everyone come in at seven in the morning or at five after nine? Do they tend to bring their lunch or all
go out for lunch together?” Departing too conspicu- ously from norms, she says, puts you at risk for being perceived as a haughty or
company. And, generally, co- workers like to be consulted and included by new people making suggestions. “You have to be genteel.”
DON’T: COME IN AS
A “GANGBUSTERS” MANAGER.
Yes, you were hired to lead, even to shake things up,
but Stamatelos points out that you still need coopera- tive workers, which almost always means ones who feel comfortable and empow- ered. If, as a new manager, you have cuts to make, she recommends letting your team know that you appre- ciate them and even asking
“They want that ammuni- tion.” She recommends maintaining diplomacy by saying, for instance, that you haven’t had a chance to get to know a person who is be- ing talked about or to read up on a policy that is being criticized. She also recom- mends that newbies hang out with different groups in the beginning. “If you do like a few people, that’s great, but make it a point to meet other people. You don’t know who’s who in the zoo! You may have hooked on to the trouble-making group.”
stubborn person who can’t work with the team.
DON’T: BE A SHOW-OFF.
In the beginning, Stamatelos
says, “you’re very excited, and you want to show what you know—but people can be very funny.” They might be attached to their way of doing things or just resent those with new ideas as know-it-alls. Again, diplo- macy is key. Good ideas in- clude pointing out that your coworkers have the experi- ence to know if a given solu- tion would work at a given
them where they think costs could be reduced. “They’re not gonna like a cut any bet- ter, but it’s more palatable.”
DON’T: LOSE PATIENCE OR CONFIDENCE.
Many HR managers say it takes about six months to really know your job, and— while it could happen fast- er—it could also take a year or longer. But keep in mind: “You got hired for a reason,” Stamatelos says.
—Ben Brody
Are You LinkedIn-ept?
We could all do better on the ubiquitous—but often neglected— professional networking site: here, some click-by-click directions.
MOST OF US HAVE A LINKEDIN
account, but not all of us are using
it to its full potential, maintains social media maven Stephanie Schwab, founder and
CEO of social media and marketing agency Crackerjack Marketing and founder of Social Media School (socialmediaschoolny.com), both based in Yonkers. So, what should we do?
It’s imperative, says Schwab, “to make your profile as complete as possible,” includ- ing filling out your Headline, Summary, Skills & Expertise, and other oft-ignored sections, including a Twitter handle, if you have one. The goal is to have the kind of information people are looking for. “A lot of LinkedIn is about discovery, and you will
be discovered only if you include the right keywords in your profile. Use all the fields. Write out acronyms, and don’t use too much jargon if it’s not what people will be search- ing for. Also, make sure your profile is wide- ly visible. Under ‘Settings,‘ then ‘Profile‘ and ‘Edit your public profile,‘ select ‘Make my public profile visible to everyone.’”
Also: “Your Headline is the most impor- tant one hundred twenty characters in your entire LinkedIn profile,” Schwab claims. “This is your professional identity and should not be your title—it should be your aspiration.” In the Summary section, she rec- ommends that you “display your personal- ity as well as include lots of great keywords. Write this in first person, and make sure the spelling and grammar are impeccable. Three to four short paragraphs is great.”
Also, when editing, turn off the mode that allows others to see your updates
in the Settings menu. “That way, every- one won’t get bombarded every time you change a comma. Then turn it back on when you’re making one final change so people can see you’ve made an update.” And, use the Settings menu again (‘Profile,’ ‘Edit your public profile,’ ‘Customize your public profile URL’) to set up a customized LinkedIn URL that you can use in letters, resumés, emails, etc.
—Austen Hufford
—BB
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