'95% of success is showing up on time': 30+ Workers share their sage advice to workers joining the workforce

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    Photograph - "What advice would you give someone starting their first job?"
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    Font - awileycat Pack a lunch! Eating out can put a huge dent in your paycheck! 5.0k ↓ Reply Share RE Quantum ExileMusic Can't stress this enough. For the price of eating out unhealthy food for 1 day you can usually pack healthier lunch for 2-3 days Reply Share 938 ●●●
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    Font - _PM_ME_YOUR_T] _PLS. Also on top of this, meal prep for the week. A thing of meat is around $4-$6(beef and chicken prices vary) and rice and veggies are a few dollars. So you can have lunch every day for under $10(about $2 a day). Another plus is that you don't have to pack your lunch every day, as you'll do it all on one day of the week, giving you a few extra minutes every day to do something else. 286 Reply Share
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    Font - Firebolt164 95% of success is showing up on-time and not having a bad attitude. 2.9k Reply Share tyrannosean There's a quote that goes something like: you don't need an advanced degree to show up on time, work hard, and have a positive attitude. I basically used this as my mantra as I built my career (and still do). Reply Share 310
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    Font - LeakyFaucett32 They won't expect you to know sh but they'll expect you to give a sh 3.5k ↓ Reply Share raoulduke212 Yep, when I was younger I always thought that just showing up on time, being a decent person to work with, and doing a good job were the bare minimum that everyone did....I learned later that this will put you above approximately 90% of your co- workers. 1.4k Reply Share
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    Rectangle - 1320Fastback POp on company time. 1.5k CampDreamy OP Well, sho 350 FrungyLeague Atta boy! 个 56 凸 Reply Share Reply Share Reply Share ●●●
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    Font - MaximumZer0 Don't worry about fi going to fr up. We all fx up. Constantly. up. You're Learn from it when you f it up so you do it better next time and you'll be the best employee in any job. 1.7k ↓ Reply Share super5aj123 And when (not if) you fup, own up to it, and do your best to fix it. It's way easier to fix a mistake when it first happens than 3 weeks, or even hours down the line. This applies to basically any field. 289 Reply Share ●●●
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    Font - Gamer MomLife Listen to gossip if you want, but never spread it. 831 Reply Share super5aj123 Yep. I worked in a private pool snack bar kitchen last summer, and nearly all of my coworkers were high schal girls. The amount of so they talked on each other was insane, but I just tried my best to not get involved. It never became anything other than slo talking, but it's just a good idea in general to keep your head down. ↑ 140 Reply Share ...
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    Font - PublicEnema11 If they tell you to sweep, just sweep. You still make the same amount. Unless you're an MD or something else, in that case you're f 759 ↓ Reply Share Cacafuego ●●● A programmer consultant I knew in the 90s lived by the motto "it all pays the same." You want him to spend his $50/hr time doing things that an unpaid intern could handle? Sounds like an easy day. 412 Reply Share
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    Font - kbrown423 Don't burn bridges if you quit or get fired. ↑ 826 ↓ Reply Share ●●● sophistt_ "Never cut what you can untie." - Robert Frost 304 ↓ Reply Share ●●●
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    Font - Chandysauce HR is not your friend or there to protect you. Never say anything to anyone that you're not fine with everyone else knowing. ↑ 2.5k ↓ Kinky_mofo Reply Share HR is not your friend or there to protect you So true. They protect the company, not the employees. 560 Reply Share
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    Font - CouchieWouchie Assume everybody in the company plus clients will read every email you send. ↑ 365 ↓ Reply Share ●●● FrungyLeague Yeah this is genuinely a great rule that will save your a. Write every email as if it will be read by the whole org. 97 ↓ Reply Share
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    Font - Laximum Effort Show up to meetings five minutes early when you can. Proofread your emails and don't add the addressees until you're done writing. Be honest, don't gossip, and meet your commitments. 1.3k Reply Share CallMeLargeFather Man your 2nd one is a great tip im gonna use that 252 Reply Share
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    Font - Dejected Donut Document EVERYTHING. Every time punch. Every direction from your supervisor. ↑ 274 ↓ brockenspectral CYA Reply Share ●●● One bit of advice from a good coworker of mine from one of my first "big" (and toxic) jobs- C YA- cover your a Turned out to come in handy later. Hopefully, you won't be in a toxic environment, but you never really know 'til you're in it ↑ 75 ↓ Reply Share
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    Font - Olivia123321 Keep on good terms with your supervisor/manager/someone who can write you a reference for your next job. My work has had a few young people quit without notice, so I'd say avoid doing that. Don't tell your coworkers anything you're not fine with the whole workplace knowing. My philosophy is clock in, don't get on anyone's bad side, make my money, and clock out. Keep track of what skills you pick up from your job (working with cash, customer service, etc.) and add them to your
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    Font - owenthegreat Find the biggest, toughest, meanest guy there and beat the sout of him the first day, everybody will respect you after that. ↑ 975 ↓ Reply Share devon__vh Just did this on our coffee break, best tip ever. Everybody started cheering, boss gave me a 200% raise and then Obama came in to promote me to CEO. THIS GUY WORKS! ↑ 325 ↓ Reply Share
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    Font - Action Man48 Show up on time, know your job, work safe. 81 ↓ Reply Share
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    Font - idkwhothisislmao Be aware of everything around you and don't stick your head in work drama. Just sit back and watch the clowns do that e 70↓ Reply Share ...
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    Font - Banfing Coworkers are not your friends. Don't gossip the first 6 months. ↑ 68 Reply Share ●●●
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    Font - Designer-Bid-3155 Those are your coworkers, not your friends. 552 Reply Share
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    Font - GameDoesntStop For getting paid your worth: job hopping > annual raises Spend more effort on job searching (while you have your job) than you do exceling at your job. Hard work is usually not rewarded accordingly. Reply Share 303 CampDreamy OP Will keep this in mind. Thanks! ↑ 52 ↓ Reply Share ●●●
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    Font - GameDoesntStop For getting paid your worth: job hopping > annual raises Spend more effort on job searching (while you have your job) than you do exceling at your job. Hard work is usually not rewarded accordingly. Reply Share 303 CampDreamy OP Will keep this in mind. Thanks! Reply Share 52
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    Font - dr-dog69 Don't work too hard. Keep work and private life separate. Know your rights. Don't be afraid to quit. I'll add the most important thing I learned. Youre just there to earn a paycheck. ↑ 407 ↓ Reply Share
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    Font - Commercial-Ad8834 Have a back up plan 21 ↓ Reply Share ●●●
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    Font - Disastrous_Ad626 You don't know so and you ain't sho Do your job and go home you don't have to prove anything to anybody other than you can do your job. Share 86 Reply
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    Font - bobo8891 Take a responsible attitude to any job 53 Reply Share ●●●
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    Font - Bubbly-Low6939 Listen, be curious and never ever tell HR the truth 109 ↓ Reply Share eatingpotatochips ●●● never ever tell HR the truth HR is not on your side but you shouldn't lie to them, since you'll get instantly fired if they find out you lied to them. Usually if you just avoid doing morally questionable things at work it's fine to tell HR the truth about your actions at work, though you should definitely limit what HR nows about your private life. 62 ↓ Reply Share
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    Font - Ikeelu Start investing in your future instead of buying useless things. If they have 401k, especially if it's company match, put into it at least as much as they do. If they don't and/or your part time, invest that money yourself for your future. Find some good stable ETFs to DCA (dollar cost average) 15 ↓ Reply Share
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    Font - BRIIIIIICKSQUAAAAAAD Do your work with pride. Don't bend over backwards or break your back for your employers, but when you do a job, do it correctly and efficiently. Do not half aOor cut corners in your work, just do it the right way ↑ 11 ↓ Reply Share
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    Font - ReviewIcy5267 DO NOT TELL YOUR COLLEAGUES ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL LIFE. Do not tell them about your weaknesses, your struggles. They do not care, will secretly judge you, and worst case scenario will use it against you. Be polite and civil but do not trust your coworkers. ↑ 13 ↓ Reply Share ●●●
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    Font - mxxiestorc Don't miss any major life events (or the major life events of close family/friends) for work. You might feel pressure from your employer not to take the time off. The family/friends will still be around for many years, the first job probably won't. 12 ↓ Reply Share
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    Font - Armadus2 Get good at being interviewed and making a good first impression. Take interviews with no intention of accepting the job. Practice is important. 25 Reply Share ●●●
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    Font - Aggressive-Pie-4829 Ask questions when you don't know what to do, seriously the only thing more annoying than having to stop and help a coworker is explain to the supervisor why the fu up happened and how I could've prevented it. 19 ↓ Reply Share
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    Font - THEONLYFLO Your character means everything. Protect it. 8 Reply Share
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    Font - Kinky_mofo Work hard and learn. You don't know everything yet, nor are you expected to. ↑ 8 Reply Share
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    Font - Spez_Guzzles_Cum Be someone they don't want to replace and don't put up with bullsh Reply Share 6 ●●●
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    Font - osoblancobx Hard work is rewarded with more hard work. ↑ 18 ↓ 2x4x93 Reply Share 4 No good deed goes unpunished ↓ ●●● Reply Share ●●●
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    Font - Dread PirateGriswold If you're on time, you're late. If you're early, you're on time. Phone on silent for your workday. Just look at it for communications sparingly during the day unless that's the primary mode of communication with your boss and team. Take notes. Learn quickly. Learn how your job fits into the company. ↑ 5 ↓ Reply Share ●●●
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    Font - JillAnd Jack Learn how to take criticism, be open to feedback, but also set boundaries and don't let yourself be disrespected. 6↓ Reply Share
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    Font - antiprogres_ do smalltalk to.everyone until you know them. Don't talk about politics. ↑ 5 ↓ Reply Share
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    Font - Rotchend Dont take it too seriously. The working environment is 50% bullsk SIC Reply Share Ton 6

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