The first day can make or mar a career

After a fairly long honeymoon period, there are fears that the Indian economy will be going into recession. There are worrying signs; the manufacturing sector's output is slowing down. The automobile sector has recorded negative growth. Unemployment figures are creeping up; the Indian rupee is taking a beating against the dollar and resultantly gold prices are creeping up day-by-day. When the United States sneezes, the world gets a cold, and it seems that the Indian economy is all set to catch the chill!

Most B-school graduates believe that getting the first job is all that matters. Most of them get their first jobs at the end of the 4thor early 5th trimester, and we can observe a remarkable change in most of the students who bag the job offers. They lose interest in the rest of the course and seem to be biding their time to get out of the institute and ride into the sunset – to start a bright cooperate career full of roses! Alas, if only life was so simple!

Students should remember that getting the first job is reasonably simple. Employers test their subject/domain knowledge, communication skills, adaptability to work in groups and the ability to learn and unlearn. The expectations, frankly from new employees, are quite limited. New employees are 'babes in the woods" or "wet behind the ears" and need to be hand-held, tutored and mentored for some time.

Some words of caution for the first-time employees joining an organisation:

Spend the rest of the time in the institute more fruitfully Now that the stress of getting a job offer is done away with, the student should focus on developing skills and knowledge that will help him/her break into the organization as smoothly and as harmoniously as possible. Pick the brains of the faculty who have gone through the same experience and learn from them.

Finish all the courses and other academic obligations as quickly as possible An unfinished project work, summer project or summer internship might come back and bite when least expected. Remember Murphy's law - what can go wrong will finally go wrong.

Look before you leap Commitments made to the organization are sacrosanct and can't be changed. A well-known multinational bank had given offers to many students from a reputed institute. A couple of students (love birds) had job offers from the same bank.

But there was a problem, the boy got his job offer in the state capital, and the girl got hers in a district headquarters. The boy got a very bright idea. He took the Director-HR's number from the job offer letter and called him. Without a preamble, the student requested that either he be given the district headquarters' post or that his girlfriend be given a posting in the state capital. The Director-HR was shell shocked. He never knew what hit him. He politely said that he would do his best and cancelled both the job offers!

The first day can make or mar a career Five bright new employees entered a bank with hopes and aspirations. It was their first day, and they were gung-ho to make their mark and prove their worth as good managers! But there was a huge hurdle! Unfortunately for them, it was the day when the annual bank audit was on.

There was a lot of activity, and there was no one to receive them and slowly break them gently into the system. This lot of new bank employees were made of sterner stuff. They quickly helped the existing bank employees as best as they could. They helped in carrying the files and ran errands. One proudly claimed, "We even got tea and samosas for our seniors". Their adaptability and willingness to assist in the hour of crisis won them admiration among the existing bank employees.

So be on your best behaviour on your first day. Carry all relevant documents, resume, testimonials, job offer letter, PAN card, Aadhaar card, driving license, passport size photos and dress as conservatively as possible. The first impression is always the best.

Treat your seniors with respect New employees' bosses might not have professional qualifications, mouth management jargon, or spout theories or fundas. They might not be very tech-savvy. But they have the experience and the know how to do the job. They also know the work culture, the working style of the management and the leaders. They will be invaluable in navigating the organizational minefields and in settling down.

A new employee of a leading real estate company was distraught. He was asked to accompany prospective customers to field visits in company-owned ambassadors and Tata Indica cars. He wanted the latest swanky cars to chauffeur him. His boss was smart. The company's plots were all in the suburban areas, and prospective customers had to be driven quite deep into the properties. The properties were still being developed and had muddy gravel roadsand using the rugged ambassador, and Tata Indica cars made sense than using the latest swanky vehicles. Unable to digest the slight, the newcomer quit!

Jobs are like manna from heaven. Accept the post and thank god! In the first year, the new employees are not earning any real value to the company. It is instead the other way round. It is the company that is investing in the employee. New employees especially fresh from colleges and institutes, should feel that they are getting extra training and exposure.

Do not harbour unrealistic expectations. A Job offer secured from the institute placement cell is always more fetching than the one that a student bags by himself. Don't leave a job in a huff, or in the heat of the situation. Always try to get another job before leaving the current position! All the best.

The author is a Marketing Professor at Siva Sivani Institute of Management, a premier management institute located at Secunderabad