On the Job by Anita Bruzzese The 10 Biggest Goofs Made By New Workers

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese The 10 Biggest Goofs Made By New Workers On your first day of a new job youre often excited and nervous. But after a few weeks, you start to settle in and feel more comfortable with your colleagues and the work. But if youre not careful, you could find yourself unknowingly making the kind of mistakes that will not onlybug your co-workersand boss, but prompt them to label you asannoying,clueless or worthless. If you want to avoid such monikers, consider these top 10 mistakes often made by newbies: 1. Saying I know too much. You were hired for the job because the employer believes you to be intelligent enough to do it. But that doesnt mean your colleagues want to hear a smug I know or an eye-rolling, Iknow while theyre trying tooffer helpful advice. When advice is offered, offer a simple thank you. If it is advice that has been offered before and youre getting sick of hearing it, you can always say something like, Thanks for the advice. Todd and Bridget mentioned the same thing so I can see this is an important issue. 2. Dishing the dirt. Even if you think its harmless gossip such as, Did you see what Kim Kardashian wore the other day? Horrible! you dont want to give even a hint that youmight be a gossip. While office politics and gossiping are part of any workplace, in the early days youve got to be careful not to give anyone any ammunition to use against you. When the new boss asks a colleague how youre doing, you want the colleague to mention how youre focused on work not the latest issue of People or the fact that you gossip with another colleague during your break. 3. Failing to acknowledge the top dogs. In some circles, this is known as kissing up. But paying your respects to leaders and top performers is much more than that. It means that youve done your research and are being respectful of their accomplishments. In other words, dont meet the top performer and say Hi without also noting, I know you spearheaded that big project for XYZ Corp. last year. I look forward to watching and learning from you. 4. Being rude with technology. Yes, its true that everyone relies too much on their smartphone andspends too much timeon Facebook at work. One day you may do the same. But in the first months of your job, dont even send one text during your work hours or even think of checking Facebook. Its a double standard to be sure, but youll be judged much more harshly in the beginning for such behavior. Explain to family and friends that youll be offline except during breaks so youll be less tempted to stray into behavior that will cause others to see you as immature and lazy. 5. Showing up with orange hair. If you were hired with brown hair, that doesnt mean you can show up with neon-colored hair three weeks into your new job. Its also smart to avoid new visible tattoos, piercings or clothes that drasticallychange your look. Bosses can get very (read more here) - See more at: http://quickbase.intuit.com/blog/2013/07/01/10-of-the-biggest-mistakes-made-by-new-employees/#sthash.BXlr1JqP.dpuf