Watch This Before Starting Your Corporate Career (what I wish I knew)
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Emily shares invaluable career advice for those starting their first corporate job or transitioning to a new role. She highlights lessons learned from over seven years in the workforce, covering mentorship, office dynamics, and social interactions. Emily addresses common workplace challenges such as burnout, gossip, and work-life balance, while emphasizing the importance of building relationships, advocating for raises, and mastering basic technical skills like Excel. She encourages viewers to take lunch breaks, engage in after-work socials, and be confident in voicing opinions. This practical guide helps newcomers navigate the corporate world with confidence.
Takeaways
- 💡 Seek out the top performer in your new role and learn from them as a mentor, rather than relying only on assigned buddies or peers.
- 😔 Office gossip and cliques can be worse than in high school. Stay out of toxic conversations and always respond with kindness.
- 🍽️ Take your lunch breaks to avoid burnout and build relationships with coworkers. Socializing during lunch is key to team bonding.
- 💰 Be mindful of spending money on lunches and commuting costs, especially if you're on a starting salary.
- 👟 Wear comfortable shoes during your commute and change into work attire at the office to avoid ruining your nicer clothes.
- 🧺 Keep essential items like tampons, snacks, hand sanitizer, and tissues at your desk—you or someone nearby will always need them.
- 🚫 Avoid bringing strong-smelling foods like fish to the office for lunch, as it can be unpleasant for others.
- 🍻 Attend after-work social events to build strong relationships with your colleagues, as many promotions and opportunities come from networking.
- 💼 Don't drink the company Kool-Aid. Every company will try to sell you on their unique culture, but always advocate for yourself, especially when negotiating raises.
- 📊 Invest in learning basic technical skills like Excel and PowerPoint early on, as they are crucial in many entry-level roles.
Q & A
What is the main purpose of the video?
-The main purpose of the video is to provide advice and tips for people starting their first corporate job or changing positions, based on lessons the speaker, Emily, learned the hard way in her seven years of work experience.
What is Emily's first piece of advice for someone starting a new job?
-Emily advises that on your first day, you should identify the top performer in your role and make it your mission to learn from them, either by shadowing them or setting up formal mentoring conversations.
How does Emily suggest handling gossip in the workplace?
-Emily suggests that if you're caught in a gossipy or catty work environment, you should counter negative gossip with positive comments and avoid aligning yourself with people who spread negativity.
What lesson did Emily learn about taking lunch breaks in her early career?
-Emily learned the hard way that skipping lunch breaks to appear hardworking can lead to burnout and missed opportunities for social connections with colleagues. She encourages taking lunch breaks to build relationships and avoid burnout.
What are some items Emily recommends keeping at your desk?
-Emily recommends keeping essentials like tampons or feminine hygiene products, hand sanitizer, floss, mouthwash, eyeglass cleaner, protein bars, and tissues at your desk for personal use or to help out coworkers.
What is Emily's advice regarding company culture and career longevity?
-Emily advises not to 'drink the company's Kool-Aid,' meaning don't get too attached to a company's promises of long-term career growth. She warns against staying too long at one company, especially if you’re underpaid, and stresses the importance of negotiating raises annually.
Why does Emily emphasize learning basic technical skills like Excel early in your career?
-Emily emphasizes the importance of learning basic technical skills like Excel because many entry-level roles require data analysis and reporting. Being proficient in tools like Excel and PowerPoint can make your job easier and increase your productivity.
What is Emily’s take on mistakes at work?
-Emily explains that making mistakes at work is normal and that everyone makes them, even if they don’t talk about it. She advises letting go of the pressure to be perfect, as it's part of the learning process.
What is Emily's strategy for getting promoted or recognized at work?
-Emily’s strategy is to regularly share her achievements with her leadership team through emails. She believes that people are too focused on themselves to notice your accomplishments unless you actively communicate them.
What final tip does Emily give about office life and work relationships?
-Emily advises that your coworkers are not necessarily your friends unless you socialize with them outside of work without talking about work. She also stresses the importance of after-work socials for building relationships and career opportunities.
Outlines
🌟 Starting Your Corporate Journey
In this paragraph, Emily introduces herself and shares the purpose of her video: to provide essential career advice for those starting or switching corporate jobs. She reflects on her experience working in HR for over seven years and wishes to offer tips she learned the hard way. Emily emphasizes the importance of finding a mentor who excels at your job role and building relationships with top performers for professional growth.
👥 The Reality of Corporate Gossip
Emily discusses the surprising presence of gossip in corporate environments, comparing it to high school drama. She recalls feeling excluded by cliquish coworkers, especially among women, which made her uncomfortable. Her advice is to avoid participating in gossip and respond with kindness to steer away from negative conversations. She emphasizes that aligning with gossipers could harm your professional reputation and encourages maintaining a positive attitude.
🍽️ The Importance of Taking Lunch Breaks
Emily reflects on her early days in corporate work when she avoided taking lunch breaks to appear dedicated, which led to burnout and missed social connections. She encourages taking your legally entitled breaks, as they are factored into your pay and help build relationships with colleagues. Emily also warns against overspending on lunches, sharing her experience of spending too much on food and coffee when she was on a limited salary.
👟 Smart Commuting and Office Essentials
Here, Emily shares practical tips for commuting, like wearing comfortable sneakers and carrying work shoes in a bag, especially in bad weather. She also suggests keeping a desk basket stocked with essentials like feminine hygiene products, hand moisturizer, snacks, and tissues to avoid inconvenient situations. These items can be helpful to yourself and others, fostering goodwill in the office.
🍺 The Value of After-Work Socials
Emily explains the significance of after-work social events, noting that she initially avoided them to head home early. However, she realized that important relationships and networking opportunities often happen during these gatherings. Emily shares that attending these events helped her connect with a manager, leading to her first promotion. She also warns that colleagues are not true friends unless you build connections outside of work, reminding viewers to be cautious with workplace relationships.
🤯 It's Just a Job, Don't Stress Too Much
Emily reflects on her early career anxiety, where she would stress over every mistake, thinking she was the only one messing up. Her mom advised her that work isn’t life or death, and everyone makes mistakes—even experienced professionals. Emily emphasizes that putting less pressure on yourself will lead to a healthier mindset, reminding viewers that making mistakes is normal and part of the learning process in any career.
💼 Don’t Drink the Company Kool-Aid
Emily warns against getting too attached to a company’s culture and believing the notion that you can spend your whole career there. She shares a personal experience where she stayed at a company despite being underpaid because she bought into the company’s values. Her advice is to negotiate your salary regularly and avoid being taken advantage of. She stresses that advocating for a raise annually is crucial to match the rising cost of living.
📊 Master Basic Skills Like Excel
Emily advises that having a strong foundation in essential tools, like Excel and PowerPoint, is critical for entry-level jobs, especially those involving data and reports. She confesses her dislike for Excel but stresses the importance of learning it early on. She recommends investing time in learning technical skills before starting a job to avoid being overwhelmed later.
👀 No One's Paying Attention—Promote Yourself
Emily highlights that most people are too focused on their own work to notice others’ successes or mistakes. She learned that self-promotion is key to being recognized for her achievements. Emily shares that she sends regular emails updating leadership on her accomplishments, which helps her during promotion and raise evaluations. She advises viewers to do the same to ensure their work is seen and valued.
📸 Be Ready for Your First Day Photo and More
Emily wraps up with practical tips for starting a new job. She reminds viewers to prepare for their ID photo on the first day, look good, and expect lots of company-specific acronyms. She also encourages asking questions in meetings and sharing your opinions early, as your input is valuable even if you're new. This helps you show up authentically and learn faster. Lastly, she offers to expand the video into a series if viewers want more detailed advice on starting a new job.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Mentorship
💡Office Gossip
💡Burnout
💡Lunch Breaks
💡After-Work Socials
💡Work-Life Balance
💡Corporate Culture
💡Negotiating Salaries
💡Technical Skills
💡Self-Promotion
Highlights
On your first day at a new job, find the best performer in your field and make them your mentor to learn how they work effectively.
Corporate jobs can sometimes be more 'catty' and gossipy than expected. Be prepared for this, and avoid engaging in gossip.
If coworkers gossip, counter their negativity with kindness to avoid being roped into uncomfortable conversations.
Always take lunch breaks. It's essential for avoiding burnout and helps build social connections with your team.
Avoid spending too much money on lunch. Preparing meals from home can save you a lot in the long run.
Wear comfortable shoes like sneakers during your commute and change into work shoes at the office to stay comfortable and practical.
Keep a basket of essentials like hygiene products, snacks, and hand sanitizer at your desk for convenience and preparedness.
Never microwave smelly foods like fish at the office. It creates an unpleasant environment for others.
After-work social events are critical for networking and career advancement. Participate in them even if you’re tired.
Remember, your coworkers are just that—coworkers. Don't confuse professional relationships with friendships.
It’s normal to make mistakes at work, and everyone makes them. Don't be too hard on yourself.
Don't 'drink the company's Kool-Aid'—meaning don’t let a company’s culture or values cause you to overlook being underpaid or mistreated.
Ask for a raise every year to keep up with the cost of living, and don’t be shy about negotiating for fair pay.
Learning basic technical skills like Excel and PowerPoint is crucial for efficiency in most entry-level roles.
Share your accomplishments frequently to ensure that your contributions are recognized and you’re considered for promotions.
Transcripts
if you're starting your first corporate
job we're looking to change positions
this is basically a laundry list of
things that I wish somebody would have
told me frankly to make my life a whole
lot easier because I learned this ish
the hard way hey what's up it's Emily
and welcome back to my channel if you
don't know me my goal is to help you
thrive in your nine to five and Beyond I
make all kinds of content helping you
level up your personal and professional
life so if that's the kind of content
you like you're in the right place so
please consider subscribing despite me
looking not a day over the age of 17 I
have actually been in the workforce for
over seven years and trust me I have
learned some and I've seen some
especially given that I work in HR
moment of silence for my coffee I think
she looks really I look real Canadian
right now and we are in the middle of a
snowstorm so I'm just feeling like extra
cozy on your first day in a new job make
your number one task figuring out who
the very best is at what you do and make
it your mission for that person to be
your Mentor usually when you're on
boarded at most companies you're going
to get assigned a buddy or you'll rely
on your manager or your peers and that's
great but that person might not be the
best at what they do I'm talking figure
out who the top performer is Shadow them
figure out how they work understand what
makes them so good at what they do
whether it's asking to go for lunch with
them once a week or more formally
setting up mentoring conversations which
I have a whole playlist on how you can
do that up here basically attach
yourself and align yourself to how this
person operates because clearly
something is working um and there's
nothing worse than learning from people
who aren't good at their job that could
be a whole story time cheers to that I
wish I knew that a lot of office and
corporate jobs are actually going to be
a little bit more catty than High School
ever was I thought the days of gossiping
behind each other's backs and making
people feel excluded were like out the
window once you hit puberty absolutely
not you know who loves to gossip
everybody the problem is everybody loves
to gossip I remember when I first
started out my career there were some
people at work who were just like
straight up mean they'd exclude some
people especially girls like I hate to
say it but they would exclude some girls
there was kind of like a cool girl mean
girl Vibe happening in the office and it
made me extremely uncomfortable because
a I was being excluded and B that's not
the energy that I operate best in I want
to feel like I'm welcomed and that I'm
myself and frankly I don't think there's
anything you can do to make other people
nicer but if I would have known this was
a thing maybe I could have mentally
prepared myself more because at first I
was like is something wrong with me why
don't these people want to get lunch
with me
um it's because I was in a size zero
um yeah and actually wasn't an
so but if you are caught in a corporate
situation and people are gossiping
they're catty there's bad energy and you
don't want to get involved and trust me
you don't want to get involved if they
gossip with you they're gossiping about
you also you don't want to align
yourself to people who optically are
just not very nice you know that's not
the brand we're creating for ourselves
and also finally and most importantly
that's just not who we are as people
like we are not those people so every
time people would gossip negatively with
me like about someone else that say they
were talking about Susie from accounting
and wanted to talk about how bad her
haircut was I would respond with
something really nice about Susie they'd
be like oh my God Susie's haircut is so
I'd be like oh really I think it's great
and you know what I love about Susie
she's just so upbeat so I feel like she
could pull anything off I would counter
everything they said with kindness so
they looked like the and frankly
so that I was never roped into these
conversations that made me very
uncomfortable why are you being rude
it's just not fun let's talk lunch okay
you and I need to talk lunch when I
first started working in Corporate
America just kidding I'm Canadian I
never took lunch breaks because I wanted
to be seen as a hard worker who was
always heads down I was always at my
laptop I was the first in the office the
last one to leave and guess what within
six months I was so burnt out and
miserable and I also missed out on
making social connections with people on
my team because lunch is a social thing
like you all get up you go get your food
you chit chat you get to know each other
I missed out on all of that because I
wanted to be perceived as a hard worker
I literally did that stuff even when I
didn't have a lot of work to do
diabolical crazy and not good it leads
to burnout also it's really inhibiting
your ability to build relationships with
your team so start taking lunches you
are legally entitled to them in fact you
taking a 30-minute break throughout the
day is factored into your pay yeah
you're getting paid for 40 hours of work
a week right that's factoring in your
breaks as part of your compensation so
make sure you're taking it in addition
to that when I started taking lunch I
noticed that most of the people I was
working with were purchasing lunch like
we'd go walk to cup fruit and Kim which
is this little vegan Bowl place or we'd
go get a Subway sandwich we'd go get
whatever and then I ended up spending so
much money on lunch I'm talking twenty
dollars a day 20 bucks plus the five
bucks for my cup of coffee okay because
that was a non-negotiable that was part
of my morning routine plus the cost of
my commute which at the time I think was
eight dollars one way and then eight
dollars back
I was spending
editing me will put in that much that
much money that's a lot of money
especially when you're making a starting
salary I remember my first salary my
first job right out of school I was
getting paid
nothing literally nothing and I had no
benefits like the salary was horrible on
the note of commuting I very much wish
that I knew you don't have to commute in
your work heels you wear sneakers on the
way to the office and you put your fancy
shoes in your backpack you get changed
at the office there's a blizzard outside
don't wear your nice dress pants wear
track pants fold up the pants that you
want to wear at the office put them in
your backpack get changed in the lobby
of your office building you will thank
me later everybody's doing it it's not
just you I also wish that when I first
started working my corporate job I had a
basket of these things at my desk
because eventually I ended up having to
go out and purchase all of them number
one is tampons your feminine hygiene
products even if you're someone who
doesn't menstruate it's just nice to
have in case there are people in your
vicinity who might eat them hand
moisturizer hand sanitizer floss
mouthwash I wear glasses so eyeglass
cleaner or replacement contacts a couple
of like protein snack bars and Kleenex
or tissues because Kleenex is a brand
not the actual product put that in like
a little bag it inside of your desk and
I promise you will need them or someone
in your area will need them and that
will either make you a new friend or
it's going to save you from having a
panic like oh crap I just got my period
moment at the office on to office
etiquette my friends I don't care how
much you like Halibut or salmon you are
not bringing that to the office and
microwaving it it smells bad fish is one
of those Foods the smell is pungent it
smells like good when you're cooking it
live but microwaving the next day in the
office me thinks the not so you're
gonna pack your salmon and eat that
cold or you're having it for dinner
sorry I also wish I knew at the
beginning of my career how important the
after work socials were going to be I
always used to avoid going to them
honestly because I just wanted to get
home I used to have an hour and a half
commute from my office to my parents
place where I lived when I first started
working and I was like I don't want to
grab a beer with this team I want to get
my ass home and get on with my life and
let me tell you that held me back
because a lot of the great relationships
are built in the after hours so once I
started to realize oh I feel like
everyone's getting close and I'm kind of
on the outskirts I kind of started to up
my game and it really did help I built
amazing relationships I identified new
mentors and events like that is actually
how I landed my first promotion at the
company because I met a manager for a
team I wanted to work for we hit it off
connected boom she hired me with an ear
I got news for you too even the people
you think are your friends at the office
are still just your co-workers unless
you hang out outside of work and when
you do hang out outside of work you
don't talk about work at all that is
just your colleague that is not your
friend they will happily throw you under
the bus if it means they're going to get
ahead in their career so act accordingly
so this one I can't even tell you that
nobody told me because my mom fully told
me this every single day while I lived
in her home and then commuted to work
was that it's not that serious I would
come home after making a mistake at the
office and I would cry like all night I
would be so stressed it would consume
all of my thoughts I would have so much
anxiety I was convinced literally that I
was the only person on the Planet who
actually makes mistakes everyone around
me is perfect everyone around me knows
what they're doing but not me me I'm a
idiot that's what I am no
everybody around you is making mistakes
they're just not talking about it
they're feeling the exact same way that
you are right now in this moment you are
not special I'm not special we are both
going to up royally and that's just
kind of part of the plan so stop putting
pressure on yourself to be perfect you
are never going to have it all figured
out I've been a recruiter for seven
years okay guess how many times a day I
make a mistake minimum one minimum one
time a day for an average of seven
mistakes a week okay so you just have to
release that pressure you're putting on
yourself and let go because at the end
of the day this is just a job it took me
a long time to realize that it is not
healthy to drink your company's Kool-Aid
oh I'm gonna say it every company you're
at is going to tell you that you can
have a full career at that company that
they're special that their values are
different that the way they operate is
different that they have a special sauce
in their culture there are a lot of good
companies out there but you cannot drink
the Kool-Aid otherwise you're going to
stay at that company for the rest of
your career and even worse you're
probably going to let them take absolute
advantage of you every single
opportunity that they can I used to
drink this out of the Kool-Aid at
the last company that I worked at
because they were so great at selling
their value proposition I felt like I
could stay there forever that I was okay
with the fact that I was grossly
underpaid like gross underpaid I could
have made so much more money if I left
or if I negotiated why did I never
negotiate and on that most importantly
if you are not asking for a raise every
single year you are losing money you are
entitled to a raise because the cost of
living keeps on going up why isn't your
salary matching the cost of living don't
be humble don't be shy don't be any of
those things at the end of the day this
shit's a job if you won the lottery I
doubt that you'd be showing up to this
position or to your new position so make
sure you're advocating for the amount of
money you genuinely deserve I grossly
underestimated at the beginning of my
career just how important some of the
basic technical skills were going to be
and I spent a lot of time just getting
up to speed on those when I could have
been learning or investing in higher
value work most especially Excel and
PowerPoint damn it Excel you raggedy
little I absolutely hate Excel but
there were so many things I had to do
early in my career that involved like
data and reports and all of that great
stuff and a lot of entry-level roles do
have a lot of data and Reporting in them
naturally so understanding how to use
Excel like basic VBA being able to use
pivot tables that is really really
important so just take 40 minutes before
you start your new job and get yourself
up to speed take a couple of like
YouTube videos or courses on it it
really does help I honestly just taught
myself via YouTube and it has helped me
immensely and babe babe babe babe babe
nobody is paying attention to you not a
single person is paying attention to you
no one is paying attention to you making
a mistake no one is paying attention
into you for wearing the same dress
pants two days in that week I see you
girl but most importantly nobody's
paying attention to the good things that
you do either and that was a tough pill
to swallow I was convinced that if I did
a good job people would notice I would
get promoted I would get raises baby
everyone is too busy focusing on
themselves so the only way I got
promoted and the only ways that I get
raises even still today in my role is I
share every single win I will literally
send out emails to my leadership team
being like hey everybody here's what I
accomplished this week have a great week
that's it that's the whole email and you
know why no one is going to understand
the volume and the quality of the work I
do unless I am making it easy to
understand and then when it's promotion
season and Race season suddenly everyone
seems to think Emily's really good at
her job you know why because Emily
reminds you that she's good at her job
okay these are like tinier things but I
also just wasn't mentally prepared for
them number one on your first day of
work probably you should be ready to
take a nice photo because they often
have to give you a badge so you can buzz
into the office so make sure you're
looking and feeling good be ready for
that picture and get ready for a lot of
acronyms yeah people especially big
companies love and acronym I wish
somebody told me that it was really
normal to have questions and to be
confident voicing my questions or even
my opinions in meetings you don't need
to be in a position for a long time in
order to be qualified to have thoughts
or opinions or even stop people when
there are questions in meetings I want
you to leverage and use your full voice
I wish that I had sooner because that's
how you can show up as your authentic
self that's how you're learning and when
you are sharing your opinions who knows
your opinion or idea might be the one
that gets taken up or is that
breakthrough opportunity for you
starting your first job or starting a
new job is actually terrifying I could
make this video literally six hours long
because there's so much like you know
what time should you be waking up how
much time should you be budgeting to get
to work how do you socialize how do you
make small talk if you want this to be a
series I am so happy to but I just had
so many things in my brain that I needed
to tell you if you are gearing up for
your first day or thinking of starting a
new role or just graduating because it's
terrifying but you know what else it is
really exciting and you should be really
proud of yourself for being in this new
position starting something new you are
going to be fantastic I already know it
if you do have questions you can always
hit me up in the comments don't forget
to check out my other socials and I do
Post two little videos here every single
week so definitely make sure you're
checking this out and subscribe so you
can be a part of the Familia and thank
you so much for hanging out with me you
know what's coming it's the song I'll
talk to you on my next video
a little spicy
Browse More Related Video
Learn English With Podcast Conversation Episode 7 | English Podcast For Beginners #englishpodcast
HOW TO START RUNNING *and actually ENJOY IT*: from someone who used to HATE it
Calibration - Blue Horizons Inc.
Common Workplace Issues and How to Deal With them (Part 1)
Episode 10: Canadian Career Stories.
Why not CBI? CBI Sub Inspector Powers salary of CBI SI CBI officer training SSC CGL CBI SI GOVT JOB
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)