April 2, 2014 Career Newsletter
Before You Start Your First Job
Written by: Jessica DiPietro, Career Services Student Assistant
With the Spring Quarter just beginning, many of you have found jobs and internships that will be starting in a few months. Congratulations, the initial hurdle is over! Here are some helpful tips to make sure you make a good first impression in your new position.
Do some preliminary research. Learn all you can about your new company before you start on your first day. Researching their goals, philosophies, and corporate culture can help prepare you for your new position. Check around to see if anyone in your network knows any of your future co-workers and ask those people to introduce you prior to starting at your job. It could be nice to see a friendly face at the office on your first day.
Get acclimated. When starting a new job, it’s important to learn the culture and processes before suggesting ideas or changes. It may take several weeks to learn what official procedures are and how the place works, so you might want to wait before immediately asserting yourself and your ideas. An important part of building your career and advancing within an establishment comes down to relationships. If you respect the organization’s hierarchy, you show people that you are capable of making suggestions in a positive way.
Be open to learning. You may want to establish yourself early in a new position so people get to know your skills, qualifications, and who you are. While you have been selected because of your experience, you might not want to build yourself up too quickly. Although you have completed your formal education it doesn’t mean you stop learning. Employers sometimes note that recent graduates start a job thinking they know it all. While it’s good to utilize the skills you’ve previously learned, remember that every workplace has it’s own procedures and its reasons behind them.
Working your new colleagues. Adjusting to new personalities can be difficult at first. Some people may have been with the company for many years and have developed certain friendships or tensions, and it’s not always easy to gauge these lines on the first day. Of course, the best way to make sure you maintain a good reputation is to do your job to the best of your ability. Initially though, having lunch with your coworkers is one way to help you truly discover office culture. Being friendly and having a positive attitude will also let others know that you’re approachable and ready to be part of the team.
Good luck at your new job!
Career-Related Events This Week
iCareers: Employer Info Session with Hewlett Packard
Tuesday, April 1 | 12:30 – 1:30 pm | MGH 420
Internships-What, Where & Why
Tuesday, April 1 | 3:30 – 4 pm | MGH 134
Resumes & Cover Letters
Thursday, April 3 | 3:30 – 4:30 pm | MGH 134
Job Search for International Students
Friday, April 4 | 2 – 3 pm | MGH 134
External Events
Komputer Enthusiasts of Greater Seattle
Monday, March 10 | 6:00pm – 9:00pm
The Seattle MySQL Meetup Group Monthly Meetup
Monday, March 10 | 6:30pm
Bellevue Job Club Networking
Tuesday, March 11 | 10:00am
ProLango Mixer
Tuesday, March 11 | 5:00pm
Marianne Sweeny: Search, SEO and Information Architecture
Tuesday, March 11 | 7:00pm
Seattle Groovy/Grails Users Group Monthly Meetup
Thursday, March 13 | 7:00pm
The Augmented Self From Gucci to Google: Wearable technology
Wednesday, March 19 | 5:30 – 8:15pm
AWC presents: Network Your Way to Success – Sherri Edwards
Wednesday, March 19 | 6:00 – 8:30pm
Highlighted Student Jobs and Internships
- Quantcast – UX Designer Summer Intern
- Corporate Executive Board – Library Science Internship
- Motorola Mobility – Software Engineer Intern
- PNC Financial Services Group – Digital Experience Product Manager
- Horizon Media – Internship – Social Media
- IDEXX – Intern – Software Application Developer
- *University of Oregon – Reference & Research Services Assistant
- *University of Washington Libraries – Reference Specialist, Student Technician
- *Densho – Digitization Project Internship
- *Mount Rainier National Park – US NPS IT Internship (National Park Service)
- *National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) – Web and Digital Communications Intern
- *WebJunction – Content Producer and Story Gatherer
- *Montana Historical Society – Student Archivist
- *Seattle Central Community College Library– Instruction-focused DFW at Seattle Central Community College
*Apply Now Through iCareers!
Highlighted Professional Jobs
- Audible – User Experience Designer
- Ventures UnLimited Inc –Big Data Developer/Lead (Ravi)
- Mercy –Data Manager
- Opower – Product Manager – Outbound Modules
- AAJ Interactive Technologies – iOS Mobile App Developer
- Spokane County Library – Youth Services Librarian
- North Dakota State University Libraries – Sciences Librarian
- Colorado State Library – Manager, Networking and Resource Sharing
- Rare Books Department at Cambridge University Library – Chief Library Assistant (temporary)
- California State University, Los Angeles – Electronic Resources Assistant
- Hennepin County Library– Principal Web Developer
- Online Computer Library Center, Inc – Multiple Positions
- Sandia National Laboratories Technical Library – Information Management Specialist (Job ID 645642)
- *General Services Administration, Office of Citizen Services – Search Analyst
- *CNSI – SQL PL/SQL Developer
*Apply Now Through iCareers!