Fitting In and Well-Adjusted

Well, I've been working as a writing and merchandising intern for nearly two months now, and I'm happy to report that I'm adjusting very well to my first full-time job thus far.

My first two weeks were the most difficult. I had trouble adjusting to my new schedule both physically and mentally. I couldn’t seem to get enough sleep, I was overwhelmed with the long days and countless hours of training and meeting new people, not to mention trying to find the quickest commute through rush hour traffic and the long hours spent in front of the computer.

An adjustment that I was not anticipating, was all of the extra time I had on my hands. While I was job hunting and working part-time after graduation, I just felt like I was on winter break. Once I started working full-time, I felt like I was back at school, in a way, but there wasn't any studying to do afterwards.

I found myself having random mini panic attacks: “I need to get started on that project.” “I have an exam to study for.” “I really should start researching for that paper.” But wait, I don’t have a project, or a paper, or an exam… what the heck am I supposed to do with all my spare time now?

It felt like I had been trapped in a maze and had been trying to find the way out, but kept hitting dead ends for nearly 5 years and then finally, one day, I found a helicopter that someone had left the keys in and all I had to do was get inside and fly away. It was so easy, but it almost seemed too good to be true.

The following weeks and month went much more smoothly. I now have a morning and evening routine, I have more energy and am getting adequate sleep, the long days go by quickly now and I have several routes figured out to and from work. And my extra spare time is balanced between laundry, cleaning, video games, spending time with friends, family and my dog. I also still have two part-time jobs from before Graduation, and it's starting to take a bit of a toll on me, so we'll see how I continue to adjust as time goes on.

I really like my job, my supervisors, coworkers and the company, which makes the days go by really quickly. I also don’t dread going into work on Monday, but I’d be crazy not to love leaving it on Friday. The only thing that I’m still not sure about is the dress code. I’ve held positions in business causal work environments before, but not like this.

We can wear jeans, sweat pants, flip flops, shorts… pretty much whatever we want and it’s kind of hard to know what would be inappropriate, because at all my previous jobs those would ALL be inappropriate. I want to look professional, but I don’t want to look too overdressed. I want to be comfortable, but I don’t want to look like a slob. So what’s the happy-medium?

I found a couple interesting articles from www.jobpostings.net that helped me with this dilemma, and I’ve decided to share some of their helpful tips with you.

“Fitting in on your first job” by Kristen Kaleal, August 2006.

• Blend in with your coworkers, but stand apart from them.
• Treat your daily grooming and appearance like you would for an interview.
• Ask about the dress codes.
• Look at how others are dressed:
  • Those further along in your career path.
  • Those already at your level.
  • Your manager.
  • Those higher up.
• Avoid the lowest common denominator group and set high standards for yourself.
• If you're working with people, customers, clients, etc. be on your best behavior and look your best - You represent the company.

"Dressing down for success" by Kristen Kaleal, February 2006.

• Definition of business casual: a relaxed rendition of business dress.
• Place more emphasis on "business" and less on "casual".
• Pros:
  • improves morale
  • increases productivity
  • greater job satisfaction
• Cons:
  • overly relaxed attitude toward work
  • decreased productivity
• What to wear:
  • long sleeved shirts
  • blazers
  • sport coats
  • wool slacks
  • shirts tucked in
  • shoes are in good shape
  • nice belt
  • socks and hoisery
• What NOT to wear:
  • shorts
  • athletic wear
  • spandex
  • tennis shoes
  • jeans
  • anything that is stained, wrinkled, soiled or torn
  • anything that shows too much skin
    • tank tops
    • spaghetti straps
    • low-cut tops
    • very short skirts

That's all I have for you now. Thank you for reading and to those who commented on my previous posts. Feel free to comment on this and future posts. Stay tuned next time for my next post.