If ever your parents were so cruel as to drag you to a dinner party during your childhood, you probably remember the inescapable discomfort. The adults, in high-pitched voices, asked what grade you were in, while the people who hated children sent cold stares your way. You didn't belong there and it showed.
Fast forward a decade or so. You're wearing your new suit and sporting your best smile. It's the first day of your new post-graduation job and you're meeting your new co-workers. You hear the same questions and receive the same icy stares.
The workplace is getting older as baby boomers are waiting longer to retire; therefore, there's a good chance your first job out of college will be filled with colleagues who are several years, or decades, older than you. While most people will be glad to have you on the team, not everyone will welcome you with open arms. However, unlike that 8:00 a.m. psychology class you admirably signed up for but quickly dropped, you need to stick with this job.
So how do you convince your co-workers that you belong on the team when you're the youngest member?
Find your place
Part of establishing your role on a team comes with understanding what you can learn from others and what you can offer them.
"While it is important to be knowledgeable, it is more important to understand your status," advises Tina Hamilton, president and CEO of hireVision Group, a human resources firm. If you show a willingness to learn more about your new position and the company, others will be eager to assist you. "Most will be pleased to do so and as such will look at you in a positive light ... If you are inexperienced and attempt to act otherwise, you risk coming across as difficult to work with or immature."
So if you aren't experienced, how do you give back anything to the team? Simple: Use the knowledge you already have.
Lauren Garfield is the youngest person in her public relations agency, and she realizes that her age can be an asset. "Many employers value the new techniques and information you know because you are younger and know a younger audience. Make sure you use your age to your advantage. This is especially true with my knowledge of Facebook and other social networking Web sites."
Caution: Youth doesn't automatically make you an authority on cutting-edge technologies like social networking and new media. Avoid arrogance and ageism by assuming anyone over 40 has no clue what social networking sites are. Offer your view on the subject as a member of the young demographic, not as the only person at the table whose opinion counts.
Earn respect
Thom, a 25 year-old who asked to remain anonymous, recalls his first job in marketing at 18. Not only was he the youngest member of the team, but he was also the only one without a college education.
"I felt that I had to work twice as hard to prove that I actually deserved to be there. It meant that I was the first one in, last one out and had to be more reliable than anyone else in the office," he remembers. "It likely didn't make me popular, but each time the boss had to make sure something got done right and chose me, it made me just a little bit more invincible."
Put in the effort
Learn from Thom's dedication. You might not become the office darling in a day, but good work will earn you the reputation of a dependable and hard worker. Keith Pillow, vice president of public relations firm Abelson Group, offers the following advice to young professionals trying to fit in:
· Communicate like a professional
Speak clearly, intelligently and authoritatively, Pillow suggests. "Make sure to consistently use standard business and workplace vocabulary, not buzzwords or clichés."
· Participate in problem-solving and brainstorming
"Take steps to consistently offer fresh ideas, perspectives and solutions that can resolve specific problems or situations," Pillow recommends. "[These ideas] prove that the young associates are experienced, insightful and initiative takers."
· Dress the part
"There is no way a supervisor or senior executive will take an employee seriously if he or she is not attired appropriately," Pillow warns. "Revealing or casual attire indicates a lack of respect -- for oneself and for the organization -- and a lack of judgment, neither of which will get an employee anywhere."
· Be respectful
"Follow the golden rule," Pillow advises. Treat your colleagues like you want to be treated.
By Anthony Balderrama writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com. He researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.
Fast forward a decade or so. You're wearing your new suit and sporting your best smile. It's the first day of your new post-graduation job and you're meeting your new co-workers. You hear the same questions and receive the same icy stares.
The workplace is getting older as baby boomers are waiting longer to retire; therefore, there's a good chance your first job out of college will be filled with colleagues who are several years, or decades, older than you. While most people will be glad to have you on the team, not everyone will welcome you with open arms. However, unlike that 8:00 a.m. psychology class you admirably signed up for but quickly dropped, you need to stick with this job.
So how do you convince your co-workers that you belong on the team when you're the youngest member?
Find your place
Part of establishing your role on a team comes with understanding what you can learn from others and what you can offer them.
"While it is important to be knowledgeable, it is more important to understand your status," advises Tina Hamilton, president and CEO of hireVision Group, a human resources firm. If you show a willingness to learn more about your new position and the company, others will be eager to assist you. "Most will be pleased to do so and as such will look at you in a positive light ... If you are inexperienced and attempt to act otherwise, you risk coming across as difficult to work with or immature."
So if you aren't experienced, how do you give back anything to the team? Simple: Use the knowledge you already have.
Lauren Garfield is the youngest person in her public relations agency, and she realizes that her age can be an asset. "Many employers value the new techniques and information you know because you are younger and know a younger audience. Make sure you use your age to your advantage. This is especially true with my knowledge of Facebook and other social networking Web sites."
Caution: Youth doesn't automatically make you an authority on cutting-edge technologies like social networking and new media. Avoid arrogance and ageism by assuming anyone over 40 has no clue what social networking sites are. Offer your view on the subject as a member of the young demographic, not as the only person at the table whose opinion counts.
Earn respect
Thom, a 25 year-old who asked to remain anonymous, recalls his first job in marketing at 18. Not only was he the youngest member of the team, but he was also the only one without a college education.
"I felt that I had to work twice as hard to prove that I actually deserved to be there. It meant that I was the first one in, last one out and had to be more reliable than anyone else in the office," he remembers. "It likely didn't make me popular, but each time the boss had to make sure something got done right and chose me, it made me just a little bit more invincible."
Put in the effort
Learn from Thom's dedication. You might not become the office darling in a day, but good work will earn you the reputation of a dependable and hard worker. Keith Pillow, vice president of public relations firm Abelson Group, offers the following advice to young professionals trying to fit in:
· Communicate like a professional
Speak clearly, intelligently and authoritatively, Pillow suggests. "Make sure to consistently use standard business and workplace vocabulary, not buzzwords or clichés."
· Participate in problem-solving and brainstorming
"Take steps to consistently offer fresh ideas, perspectives and solutions that can resolve specific problems or situations," Pillow recommends. "[These ideas] prove that the young associates are experienced, insightful and initiative takers."
· Dress the part
"There is no way a supervisor or senior executive will take an employee seriously if he or she is not attired appropriately," Pillow warns. "Revealing or casual attire indicates a lack of respect -- for oneself and for the organization -- and a lack of judgment, neither of which will get an employee anywhere."
· Be respectful
"Follow the golden rule," Pillow advises. Treat your colleagues like you want to be treated.
By Anthony Balderrama writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com. He researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.
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Thursday, September 17, 2009
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