Succeed at an Entry-Level Job

Can You Prosper Working an Entry-Level Job?

• Get to Know Your Workplace
  Since you are newly starting your job it should be more than a place that you visit for eight hours a day to make money. You should make the most of your experience by getting involved with the people and places around you. Volunteer, socialize with coworkers and don't turn down career-building opportunities presented to you.
  
  You are given an easy chance to network within your company and community by participating in these social activities. The more people you interact with, the more opportunities you will have to move up the corporate ladder.
• Seek Out Help
  Find yourself a mentor and pick that person's brain as much as you can. This person could be your manager or another coworker. Make sure this person has many years of experience and is relatively successful in the field.
  
  Ask your mentor as well as other coworkers and people in the industry what you can do better in your position. Use this feedback to your advantage. You can thrive from the feedback of others, even if it is criticism.
• Create Your Own Work
  If you are not receiving enough assignments to keep yourself busy, take it upon yourself to come up with great ideas that will impress your company managers. Because you get assigned to a project doesn't mean that you can't handle more work. Show your team members that you have an innate ability to juggle many projects at the same time and still come out on top.
  
  If you can't think of projects that you could work on, ask your manager if there is anything with which they need help. Taking an interest in other areas of work shows initiative and demonstrates that you care about the company.
• No Job is Too Small
  Be willing to do anything that is asked of you, even if it is to get coffee. Don't let pride squander your chances to move up in your company. In your mind, you may feel that the tasks assigned to you are demeaning. Remember that you are putting your time into a company to advance your career. So you are getting something out of it in the long run, think long-term.
  
  The position has “entry-level” in the title for a reason, it may not always be the most glamorous work, but refusing to accept these positions is short-term thinking.
• Continually Learn
  If you are in an entry-level position, chances are you are not an expert in the field, so you have a lot to learn. Use every opportunity that you get to increase your knowledge in your field of study so that you may move up. You can consult with your mentors and coworkers about aspects of the position and industry that you don't understand. Most companies have experts working all around you, take advantage of the wealth of knowledge in such a concentrated area.
• Make Yourself Visible, Especially to Your Boss
  Establish a good relationship with your boss by making them look good at their job. If you promise less than you are capable of and then over-deliver you will impress your team, and hopefully your manager.
  
  Being overly attentive to your manager's business needs is not a bad thing. By cementing a good relationship with the person who oversees your work, you will only stand to benefit. When you first begin to work there, it will be normal to feel invisible. With hard work and a positive attitude you can get noticed at work by everyone including your boss and become known as someone who gets things done.
• Clean Up Your Social Media
  Create a new professional image for yourself by reviewing and wiping clean any unsightly personal social media entries. Perfect your LinkedIn and other professional e-portfolios. All of your social media, if not deleted, should be completely cleaned of any comments, pictures, or associations that may be unprofessional. A social media overhaul takes much work, but we offer some suggestions about how to take charge of your social media for business. Don't let your social media entries be the cause of you not getting hired.