Sabrina’s Money Matters

My son starts school today, some of your children, nieces and nephews probably started already, my son has been anxious to start 4th grade. It’s a big deal.

The basic principles you learn in school are applicable for years and years after you graduate:

1. Keep your hands to yourself.

2. Raise your hand if you have a question.

3. Treat others as you want to be treated.

4. Be polite.

5. No running in the hallways.

6. Share.

7. Use your inside voice inside and outside voice outside.

8. The only stupid question is the one you don’t ask.

I think most of those are pretty self explanatory, it’s something we’ve all grown up knowing, and if we didn’t follow these rules… Well, you know, mothers would be called, principals visited, behinds busted etc.

If you think about it, these are very good general rules of the working world and business world as well. Feel free to mention exceptions to these rules, because every rule has exceptions. But generally they’re good to follow and remember throughout life.

Personally I feel that number eight is the most important one, and the one I have always taken very seriously.

8. The only stupid question is the one you don’t ask.

If you don’t ask questions, as I’ve said before, you won’t ever learn all you need to know about anything, and really you never do learn all you need to know.

Embracing knowledge and a willingness to learn are the kind of qualities that are very valuable in the world, recognized easily because you stand out as a beacon. These are rare qualities in people. I would wager that the kind of people that remembered these lessons throughout life, have been the most successful.

As a continuation of Career Week, today we’re going to talk about things in your first week that affect the rest of the time you work with your new employer…

1. Don’t complain about the work the previous employee did not do, or did not do correctly.

After all there is a reason they are no longer there and you are, it’s not up to you to point out all the little problems that person may or may not have created. You must also realize that other people that you work with might have been attached to the person there before. However that person left is none of your business, but you do not need to step on other peoples’ toes by talking about their friends behind their back. Because that’s how it will be seen.

Before I left my last job, an employee was hired and took the position of a friend and coworker who moved, immediately she was complaining about small little things in her new job. Things that my friend didn’t do wrong, just did differently, this person left an immediate distaste in my mouth. She right away ruled out any trust that I would have in her because she wasted no time in commenting negatively about someone she did not even know.

2. Don’t act like a know-it-all.

Because you don’t know it all, and acting like it only makes people not like you. Recognize that you will need help sometimes and don’t be afraid to admit when you don’t know something.

3. Ask a lot of questions!

You want to know your job and do it well right? You have to ask questions in order to do it right, if there are other employees that do the same job, don’t interrupt, but ask them questions when it’s convenient for them so that they don’t get annoyed.

4. Don’t move in!

Don’t bring a bag of crap your third day there and set up house. Bringing personal things should be gradual, not all at once, if your kids are all teenagers, don’t bring baby pictures for your desk all the way up through high school. Exercise a little common sense.

5. Don’t try to be everyone’s best friend, friendships will come naturally.

And don’t be a needy coworker either and expect drinks with the guys/girls by Friday, you’re expecting too much. If you’re a likeable person, they will come to you. Smile a lot.

I’m off to my fourth day at my new job, those of you doing it with me, good luck to you :D!

So the job search is over, YAY! Now you have a new job to go to…this is always a strange time, unless of course you do it frequently.

At this point you should have knowledge of several things for your first day, including a contact persons’ name and number, you should know what the dress code is, and also your job title and duties. By this time, if you’re going to be on a probationary period with this employer, you’ll know it.

This means that the job isn’t “yours” yet. You have the time period they gave you (typically 30 - 90 days) to prove you should be hired beyond the probationary period. A lot of companies are opting to do this now because sometimes you just can’t find out everything in an interview. Legally.

Y’all know what I mean, tardiness problems, bad hygiene, bad attitude, improper dress, chronic illness, laziness….family drama that spills into the workplace…it’s a long list that gets longer everyday because of those sorry people who don’t take their jobs seriously enough to actually earn the money they make.

They give good employees a bad name, like you and me. To be perfectly blunt, this is why personality tests and credit checks are becoming commonplace in the interview process. Bad habits and choices spread across your life, they don’t just affect your home life.

Anyways, when you go to work somewhere new, it’s difficult because you don’t know a soul. Just smile at people as you walk by, that alone can do wonders for other people’s impression as you’re shown around your new workplace. Make sure you keep a pleasant look on your face.

As long as you’re going to be surrounded by other people, working for someone else, you need to be an adult and make the best of it, learn what you can, take opportunities that are available and grow. Corporate America has things to offer, you just have to recognize it. All employers have something to offer beyond just a paycheck.

Part of the first day on a new job is the fear of not being liked, of making a bad impression. How do you combat it? Your smile can disarm even the hardest of arses.

Use it often, make sure it looks good of course, but use it as a tool, don’t be greedy with it, a smile will light up your face and draw people to you. Seriously.

Additionally, don’t ask one person every question you have. If you don’t know where the bathroom is yet, use that as an excuse to introduce yourself to a coworker, “Hi, I’m Sabrina and I’m new here and haven’t been pointed to the bathroom yet, do you mind?” Simple as that, and when it’s lunchtime ask someone where a good restaurant is, or where the cafeteria is, whatever you’re expected to do for lunch, ask another coworker a question, but most importantly smile.

Say thank you and please, and be very agreeable. This trial period isn’t just with your boss, the people around you have a little bit to do with how your co-existence will be, make no mistake, if you’re a snot and your coworkers don’t like you, it will be known and you may not last past your probationary period. Nobody likes an arsehole.

I’m posting this on my first day at a new job too, so I can understand all the things going through your mind, and it’s going to be fine. It’s just another day, another dollar - another window of opportunity is open for you now. See it for what it is, a new, fresh day with opportunity in your path. Who wouldn’t want to be you?

You had a preview of todays’ post yesterday with Joe’s comment about bad interviews :). So I’m glad that video from Monty Python isn’t one of the ones I was going to use today!

Whoa, that was really something huh?

I think we’ve had a pretty comprehensive week here at Sabrina’s Money Matters and I don’t know about you, but words are starting to swim together and I need a break! So above us there is a silly video from MadTV. Which is only getting funnier over the years. When I was younger, Saturday Night Live was the show to watch, but now that show has lost its funny and MadTV has all the funny stuff. Bobby Lee alone is hilarious, Aries Spears is on too, so it’s a double whammy.

You should check it out, really.

Here’s a collaborative disaster…

There are endless videos of these…someone should tell all those people to come here before their next interview!

Okay, that’s enough now - I don’t want you to forget what I’ve taught you

Every Friday we have Fart Around Friday here on Sabrina’s Money Matters, if you have any video suggestions, consider the comments the suggestion box and tell me what you’d like to see on the Fart Around Friday videos…I’ll do this every week, so if you have favorite videos you’d like to see featured here, leave a comment, or pop over here and contact me!

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