Launching career? Find a mentor
By Dawn Sagario
It has been nearly two years since Jan Melsh graduated from the University of Iowa.
She quickly jumped into the working world, taking her first "career job" with Target as a sales floor executive in Coralville, Iowa.
In November, she was promoted to the human resources department and took a job in Moline, Ill.
In the past couple of years, Melsh, a Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native, has already learned a lot about making — and missing — smart career decisions.
One regret: She didn't have mentors several months into her career, a time when their advice would have been especially helpful as she underwent rounds of interviews at work.
Finding those mentors or "partners" in the company to help guide a worker is the most important thing newbies to the work force can do, said Melsh, 25.
That's just one aspect of the workplace that many college students who are just weeks away from graduation should be thinking about.
Melsh encourages new hires to network and ask for feedback.
"Don't be afraid of it; embrace it," she said of having people critique job performance. "It's only there to make you better."
Her other advice: Don't take on more projects than can be handled.
It's better to do well and be noticed for the work on several projects rather than "failing in a bunch of little ones," she said. "I've learned that one."
When it comes to getting along with co-workers, Melsh said the key is knowing how to adapt to people's personalities and having an open mind. "It's going to make your job a lot easier."
Julie McClatchey, director of workplace services at Employee and Family Resources, and Angi McKie, director of marketing and public relations at the University of Iowa's Pomerantz Career Center, offered more dos and don'ts when embarking on the first "real" job:
DO
"One's attire does make an impression, and so I think it is important to consider how you want to be viewed; what is the image you want," McClatchey said.
Another tip: Take notice of what the person who is in charge of promoting workers wears.
"They can be such a good source of learning and helping you to learn more about the company and the business that you're in," McClatchey said.
DON'T
"That's more likely to be seen as an individual who is not willing and open to learning," McClatchey said.
While confidence and assertiveness are great traits, she said to beware of those things turning into impatience and aggressiveness.
"I think the bottom line is to be patient and take opportunities to get to know people and be patient with yourself," McClatchey said. "There's lots to learn, and take all those learning opportunities you can. Nobody expects you to be a star right away."
