The Thankful List

Starting a new job or internship somewhere unfamiliar? It’s easy to feel like you are an outsider or a “guest in someone’s house” for the first couple of weeks. You aren’t sure what is the correct protocol, everything is really formal, and you might not know many people. But that’s okay! Everyone needs their own time to adjust to a new place, new co-workers, and new bosses. Here are a few tips for transforming from feeling like a guest to being right at home! 

1. Look and feel your best. This starts even before you step into the front door of your office or work place. Make sure you feel like you look presentable and great this could be done by wearing a cute (but business appropriate) outfit, or making sure your hair and make up are done. For the gentlemen it could be wearing a favorite tie or having a cleanly pressed shirt. Feeling like you look 110% will make you feel more confident. The more confident you feel the easier it will be to feel like you can engage with the professionals around you. It’s an old saying but it is so true, “dress for the part you want to have!”
2. Get to know your co-workers and bosses. It’s easy to forget but they are people too. They have families, go on vacation, and have stories to tell. Ask them about their weekend or how their day is going. People appreciate that kind of thing and they will begin to ask you in turn. Building a rapport with others is important in feeling like you are part of the team. Eat lunch in the break room with them, visit their cubicle or desk. Get to know them and let them get to know you.
3. Do not leave early and do not take short cuts. In your first couple of weeks you will have to make a lot of first impressions. Make sure that people’s first impressions of you are that you are hard working and dependable. People will treat you differently based on if you are a uncommitted worker or one that is hard working. Make sure you are the latter. You teach people how to treat you and if you skimp on the work and cut out early, you may not like the results!
4. Participate. If a group of co-workers invite you to go to a movie or out to dinner or a baseball game, go! You can get to know your co-workers in a more relaxed setting, cut loose (a little, don’t be a company PR nightmare), and have fun. It’s a great way to make new friends in your office. While you don’t have to say yes to everything, saying no to everything they ask you to do may cause the invites to stop. Make time in your out of work schedule to attend these events!
5. Add personal touches to your space. Whether it’s a desk, cubicle, or the background of a computer, make it your own! Add your own unique touches to your own space to make it feel more inviting. If you feel comfortable in your space you will be more relaxed. So add a little zen garden , fun mini poster, or cute desktop background! Your space will be instantly more cozy!
6. “Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does!” William James In the first few weeks you will be challenged to learn all the ins and outs of your internship or job. You will be tired, get annoyed, be so happy, and find out if it is what you love. Through it all work hard and stay positive! What you do each day matters in ending up where you want to be career wise in the long haul! 

These are just a few tips to go from house guest to right at home! As you work through your new job or internship you will find even more ways to leave your mark! Good luck! 

There are hundreds of American’s who wish they could go to work.

Get up and move around! It’s good to take a walk or a lap around the office to recharge and re-energize for the rest of the day! Scientifically, it’s beneficial because when we move around we get more oxygen to our brains and this helps us focus better! So put your mouse, phone, pens, or what have you down and take a chance to enjoy this beautiful spring day (or the lovely fluorescence of your office space!)! 

Keeping track of everything that goes right keeps our focus on our ultimate goal. Chin up and keep on! 

You have been given a life. Mold it into what you want it to be. Find a goal and shape your life around meeting what you want to accomplish. Along the way collect friends, memories, and experiences to help guide you and put joy into your life. You only have this one life, make it wonderful.

As a soon to be college grad I can tell you one thing that has been haunting my dreams since August, change. The unknown has always had a profound grip on my nerves. I don’t like it but as I have gotten older, I have tried to accept it to the best of my ability. 

It’s interesting how four years ago I planned a little life out for myself about how things would go and where I would be in four years. Standing at the end of my college career four years later, it is very different from where I thought I’d be. Some of my plans didn’t work out, some I am still trying to attain, and others (the glorious few) have far exceeded my expectations of what I thought I could accomplish.

As of now, I am not sure what the future holds, I still have my big goals of what I need to do and where I would like to be. It’s just going to be hard to leave Virginia Tech and the comfort of going to classes, sorority meetings, and being surrounded by mountains and Hokie stone. It’s hard to settle with the fact that this time next year I will not be sitting in the Biology Building stressing over classes. It’s even harder to settle with the fact that I have no idea what I will be doing this time next year. 

But even though I have these feelings I have to look forward to the future, I have to look change in the eye and say “okay what’s coming next.” Because we can’t just sit around and lament on the past, we can’t become trapped in wishing we could go back in time and do it all over again. We have to look for the future and see what’s in store for us there, because that is where we all are headed, ready or not.