Recently I discovered my new lawyer used to be one of my summer students.
It made me appreciate how many of my other summer students are now Police Officers, Accountants, Businesspeople, Parents, Pilots, Doctors, and a whole host of other professions. Some are successful, some are struggling; however, all are important to me. I am lucky to have known them and to have played even a small role in helping them to develop as people.
I write today’s post because these kinds of relationships don’t just happen and it is far more than just luck that people achieve success. Hard work, motivation, learning reliability, learning determination, making and avoiding mistakes, learning lessons, overcoming frustration, and taking advantage of good and bad luck all play a part. The role employers, especially early employers play can have a major influence on a student’s career path.
If I could have five minutes with every student starting a new job and five minutes with every employer who has a new student coming to work for them, this is what I would share.
For students just starting out
The night before your next shift, make a list of what you need to be ready for work. Time seems to move faster in the morning and obstacles have a way of piling up fast and furiously. Give yourself a break and prepare what you can the night before.
Laying out your clothes and having them ready is a great way to reduce the pressure and free up time for yourself when everyone else in your home is competing to get ready.
Pack a lunch and don’t rely on the temptation to just buy your lunch each day. As a student or young worker, you are unlikely to be making a lot of money and groceries are cheaper than buying your lunch every day. Do the math, it makes sense.
Get a good night’s sleep, try to allow yourself 8 hours of sleep on a work night.
Set your alarm so you have to get out of bed to turn it off. Plan to allow yourself enough time to prepare and eat a balanced breakfast, get ready, and be at work at least 15 minutes before your shift begins. If you are not used to getting up early regularly do not have the snooze button within easy reach.
Be ready to begin work on time, at your workstation, ready to start. Being on time doesn’t mean just arriving, drinking a coffee, and then getting to your workstation; every single successful person I have ever met is early – you can be too.
Ask lots of questions, you will not look bad if you ask about what you don’t understand, you will look bad if you don’t ask.
Asking questions is a great way to learn about the people around you, find out what they are proud of, what their successes have been, emulate them, and modify what they do to fit you.
Learn to develop your filters for making appropriate comments, when to make them, and to know who are the appropriate people. It takes some people a long time to appreciate few things in your work career are black and white.
Don’t get upset if you are assigned what you perceive to be menial tasks at first. You should expect to begin at the bottom … everyone does. It’s how trust is developed in you and your abilities, as well it is often a test to see how you react.
While you are at work, work. Your cell phone should be off. If you complete a task, ask for more, and if no one is around, grab a broom and tidy up. This might seem like the most obvious point; however, it is not for many new people.
You will have days and times when you don’t feel like working. Being reliable and someone your employer can count on is important. You will miss functions and events with family and friends sometimes, work with your employer, providing as much notice as possible, and over time you may be able to modify your schedule if you prove to your employer that you are willing to compromise with them.
Bring a positive attitude to work every day for your entire shift. It is not sucking up to do a good job, your employer is paying you to provide your best work. If you are not in a good mood, check it at the door, part of being professional is being positive at work.
Listen when people try to help you. People will try to help you, let them, listen, apply, and say thank you.
There will be days where you feel your job sucks. If there are more days than not where you feel this way, instead of quitting start looking for a best one discreetly.
Know you cannot sign away your rights. You have the right and responsibility to understand your local labor laws.
If you are being mistreated, speak to someone, your health and safety person, your supervisor, or people you trust, or call the Ministry of Labour and ask for advice. Use 211 to get the contact information.
You are going to make mistakes, and your employer knows that, own your mistakes, take responsibility for them, learn from them, and always do your best.
For employers with new workers or students joining your organization.
Students today are not the same as you were … they are different but don’t forget you were different too when you first started out.
You have to teach students everything … they just don’t know. It’s not that they aren’t good, they simply don’t know. You were the same way too, you likely just learned younger and sooner than they are. By listening understanding, appreciating, and empathizing with them you can build connections with them and help make them into productive and valued members of your team, just like someone did with you.
Develop evolving onboarding processes for your students and new workers. Instead of complaining about how long it takes to train, know that it will and factor that into your training.
Know they are going to make mistakes, anticipate, encourage, coach, and learn to trust them with appropriate safeguards.
If you demonstrate patience and manage your frustrations and expectations; students and young workers can and will develop but it is a process and it often takes longer than you think it should.
Pay students better than just minimum wage or student minimum wage. The maxim, you get what you pay for has never been truer than now.
Be aware of students’ academic and extra-curricular activities and be adjustable with your schedules. Work with your students and accommodate what you can; ask for “trade-offs” so they learn the value of cooperation and compromise.
Focus on Health and Safety, younger workers are much more likely to get hurt in the workplace than older workers. Be constantly aware what many call “common sense” is a learned skill, not something that is obvious to new or inexperienced people.
Give students and new workers responsibility as they learn their jobs and new skills, ask for their opinions, and treat them like regular employees from day one.
Appreciate students and younger workers may not have filters for their comments. Encourage them to share opinions as well as when to share opinions.
Encourage students and new people to participate and become engaged in staff meetings and company events. Fresh perspectives are always good and no organization has a monopoly on good ideas.
Teach students and new people about their rights and their responsibilities. Building trust and educating people to advocate and be assertive is good for every organization.
Understand their maturity will have some lapses. Ask yourself how many mistakes in judgment you made in your youth and help them when it happens to them.
Remember mentorship is about paying forward the coaching you experienced. When you are frustrated, and you will be, take the “long view” and redoubt your efforts to make a difference for them.
If a student is returning to school, offer them their job again next summer. Your training will be reduced, they can do more, and they can help train new students. Remember, though, offer them more money to reward their loyalty and growth.
I have been fortunate; at the beginning of my career, these lessons were applied by my first bosses and supervisors. As I continued to work, my mistakes and poor judgments were mostly handled with patience and understanding, allowing me to grow.
Over time, I have been fortunate to work with some truly great leaders and motivators. I have been fortunate to have also worked with some poor leaders and toxic people. All have helped me learn to appreciate how difficult work can be sometimes. I realize now that being a realist and an optimist are not mutually exclusive and it has helped me appreciate how important helping new people and students is when they are just starting out.
Please use these 15/15 ideas, add to them, improve them, and share them.
Paul.