Fresh out of university, armed with a shiny new degree in my back pocket I was ready to get to work. Finally ! It sounded like such a stepping stone in the process of adulting. Earning enough of an income to get an apartment on my own and buy new work clothes, Yay! Little did I know back then that these next few years were going to challenge my self-esteem and my views on what it meant to be in the workplace. Here are some of the lessons I learned.
Beware of those who seem “overly popular”
Alright this one is very important so read this carefully. During school I looked up to those who got peers recognition such as industry awards, features on on magazines, highlights on newsletter, etc. One good example is the award of the kind “top 40 under 40”. The first thing you need to know about these awards is that the individual or their employers pay thousands of dollars for them making it plain advertisement. Second is that the award is provided based on what the application mentions and perhaps one or two interviews with the individual. Their teams are never interviewed. You have no idea how this person treats others or how they behave in a day to day. These individuals are judged strictly based on what’s written on their bio and how they want to portray themselves .
