While there is a lot of excitement that comes with your first job or internship, there can also be a level of uncertainty that can make you nervous about the upcoming milestone. Given that these are first-time experiences for a lot of people, it is natural not to know exactly what to do and what not to do in these new professional settings.

At WayUp, we help thousands of young professionals land their first job so we are no strangers to the missteps and errors made during these early days. To help make sure you don’t make the same mistakes some of us did, we interviewed a few WayUp and Yello employees to highlight some things to avoid doing in your first job or internship.

Cramming Doesn’t Cut It

Something many of you will learn going into your first job or internship is that the habits that worked in college don’t always work in the professional world. One particular habit that doesn’t cut it anymore, is cramming. 

While a college course often only lasts for a couple of months, a job will hopefully go on for much longer than that. This being the case, it becomes even more important to take the necessary time needed to complete your work. If not, you might end up in a nightmare situation like Jimmy did. 

One way to avoid this is by setting completion goals for yourself. Instead of having one deadline, have multiple, with each one coordinating to a certain percentage of your upcoming task.

Don’t Take on Too Much Work

Another important thing to keep in mind is not to take on too much work. Although you may be eager to show your new employer how much you’re capable of doing, keep in mind that your responsibilities may take some time to get comfortable with.

While it can sometimes be advantageous to overachieve in your work, it is wise not to aim too high when you’re just starting a new job. In the aforementioned situation, Carter tried to take on too much and his work ended up suffering for it in the form of sore arms, likely impacting future shifts, and a messy uniform which most likely made him seem unprofessional. 

Instead of biting off more than you can chew, start observing what other people are doing and maybe take the time to ask some more senior members how they manage time. This way, you can start grasping and comprehending what it takes to get more done in your position.

Stay In Your Lane

This next hazard to avoid is very specific and has to do with the interview process. Applications and interviews can be incredibly stressful with lots of anticipation. However, you never want that stress and anxiety to lead what this person did

In this situation, this individual likely came off as both uninformed and probably a little bothersome. Not only did they make themselves look bad, but unfortunately, they also brought Luis down with them! 

As Luis mentioned, the best way to find updates about your application is to go through your HR recruiter or the hiring manager for the role. Check out this blog to find more great ways to follow up after an interview!

Don’t Ignore Your Sleep

When you’re starting your first internship or job, you’re likely going to have to get used to a new schedule. This means that you’re going to have to start valuing your sleep a lot more and getting a more refined schedule. If not, you might end up falling asleep in a meeting like Jess did during her first big internship in NYC.

This incident is nothing short of a horror story and clearly has remained a lesson with Jess throughout her professional life. At times, it can be very hard to stick to a tight sleeping schedule, especially if you have other things going on in your life like school or family obligations. 

Our recommendation to you is to rid yourself of the unnecessary things that consume your time. That means no more back-to-back Netflix episodes, no post-dinner espressos, and definitely no scrolling endlessly on social media when you’re in bed!

Don’t Be Afraid To Ask Questions

Our last piece of advice when it comes to things to avoid in your first job or internship is something that you should keep in mind throughout the entirety of your professional career and not just when you’re first starting out. While some situations vary, asking questions will always be beneficial – especially when you’re just starting to familiarize yourself with a new role.

The intern in this situation was likely feeling pressure not to come off as needy or uninformed. Instead of clarifying what she was supposed to do and the deliverable that was required, she went ahead with what she thought was expected and ended up making more work for herself in the end. 

As you make your way through your first professional experience, there very well might be mistakes you make that are specific and unique. The most important thing to keep in mind is not to let yourself get discouraged by those shortcomings and instead make it a learning experience that you improve from.

For more career insights and professional development tips, make sure you keep up with the WayUp blog!

The post 5 Things to Avoid in Your First Job or Internship appeared first on Job and Internship Advice, Companies to Work for and More | WayUp Blog.

It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for your whole life. In addition to weddings, having kids, and graduating, your first job is one of the biggest life milestones. With so much pressure on that first job, or “first grown-up job” as some people call it, there are a lot of things to keep in mind.

You want to impress your boss and co-workers, you want to learn and grow, you want to get along with everyone, and you want to put your best foot forward. With so much to consider it can be helpful to have a list of tips to keep handy for your very first day.

To find out what early career professionals can do to crush their first job, we hosted a Job Searching 101 event with 5 experts from top-quality organizations across the globe such as Jerome Warfield, Senior Recruiter, University Relations at Lumen Technology, Oscar Cid del Prado, Senior Consulting Campus Recruiter with RSM US, Jamilla Smith, Diversity Recruiter at Bloomberg, and Annie Roden, Lead Recruiter, University Relations & Talent Acquisition at Lumen. In our conversations, they highlighted tips for crushing your first job that include everything from how to dress for your big debut to setting goals.

Dress to Impress

College is now over and unfortunately, sweatpants and hoodies will no longer fly as your daily attire. Depending on the company you work for and the industry you’re a part of, the dress code may vary. The best things you can do is one, ask your hiring manager what the dress code is, and two, observe your fellow coworkers and try to wear something that is in a similar class.

What you wear and how you present yourself will shed light on how much you value your job, position at the company, and yourself. Coming in with messy hair, a stained shirt, or otherwise unpresentable makes people think you don’t really care about putting in the effort, even if you do. A safe choice is always a pair of chinos/dress/pants and a casual collared or button-down shirt for guys, and a dress, black pants, and a nice top for girls.

Be Yourself

You’ve heard it time and time again – be yourself. This is a rule that needs to be followed right from the interview and going into the job. Yes, you want to present yourself professionally and as a serious candidate but that doesn’t mean you need to be a robot with no personality!

During the interview, if the timing is appropriate or your interviewer asks you, don’t be afraid to talk about yourself outside the scope of professional work. Who knows if you might even have something in common with the person you’re interviewing that might push your name to the top of the pile! 

When you actually start your first job, it is important to carry the same attitude and personality you had into your work life. Most people can tell when someone isn’t being authentic and just saying what they think people want to hear. Don’t be a yes person, don’t try to suck up, and don’t be someone you’re not! You’re going to be working with these people every single day, so why wouldn’t you want to bring your true authentic self while also having fun and enjoying every day at the office?

Learn how to Converse Professionally

One thing that a lot of people fail to do when transitioning from college to the professional world is learning how to converse professionally. Chances are you’ve spent enough time around friends and family that you’ve developed a relaxed and more carefree style of dialect. While there is nothing wrong with that, you need to know how to switch it on and off when speaking with someone professionally.

That means no slang, doing away with calling people “dude” or “man,” developing an advanced vocabulary but not an excessive one, and working on your body language! For example, slouching, pacing, and fidgeting are all things that will make you seem less professional in a conversation.

Confidence is Key

Right from day one, you need to exude as much confidence as you can carry. First jobs can be scary given that they are new environments with work that might be a little unfamiliar. What you need to do when things are looking a little uncertain is remind yourself that there is a reason why you got the job you did! Your employer saw your potential and now you need to also.

If you aren’t confident your work may suffer, your manager or senior leader might not consider you for other opportunities, and you won’t feel satisfied with what you’re doing. Imposter syndrome isn’t rare, especially for first jobs, so if you’re ever not feeling confident in yourself it’s important to identify the reasons why and either reach out to your peers or mentor for advice and try to grow your skills!

Additionally, it is important not to get too overconfident. While it’s important to be sure of what you’re saying, you need to stay humble and portray a mentality that is willing to learn.

Set Goals for Yourself

Last but not least, one of the most important things you need to do in your first job is set goals for yourself. This is the beginning of your career! When you set goals for yourself over a 6-month, 1-year, 5-year, and 10-year timeframe you allow yourself to be challenged and motivated to grow. 

Maybe you want to land a spot on that project you’ve been eyeing. Maybe you want to get to 6 figures by the time you turn 30. Or maybe you even want to become your boss’ boss! As you observe your goals over time, you will become better enabled to identify the necessary steps to accomplish them. With no goals, you won’t have any way to measure how well you’re doing. So if performance is important to you, objectives must be made!

A few ways to set objectives for yourself include making connections and asking people how they got to where they are. When you identify what people to do to get where they are you become better enabled to get there yourself.

Your first job is an incredibly exciting and momentous occasion. What you need to do going into that experience is take all the happiness and excitement from securing employment and using it as momentum to crush your job! Chances are other people have experienced the same hurdles and hesitations that you’re going through – like us! Another thing that might happen is you realize that a job is not right for you. And that’s ok! More often than not, your first job won’t be your last. So don’t be afraid to hold your wants and needs to a high degree!

Using the tips in this guide will ensure that you are making the best impression possible and doing all you can to grow yourself professionally and personally. So when that first job arrives, and it will, make sure you are prepared to do your very best!

Stay tuned to the WayUp community page to stay on top of all career advice and job searching tips.

The post Industry Experts Reveal 5 Keys to Success In Your First Job appeared first on Job and Internship Advice, Companies to Work for and More | WayUp Blog.

As a freshman, Sophie Akbasli was accepted into the nursing program at Florida State University. But she quickly realized nursing wasn’t the career path she wanted to take.

What she also realized was how much she enjoyed working with technology. As the youngest in her family, she was always the go-to person to troubleshoot any piece of tech that wasn’t working the way it should—a role she happily accepted. So, when her family suggested she switch her major to Management Information Systems, she thought it was a great idea. Her new major would let her learn about technology, business, and management, while getting a strong understanding of how the IT industry works. It turned out to be a smart move.

Still, after graduation, she felt stuck. “I didn’t have one specific company I wanted to work for,” she says. “I was watching my friends get jobs and started to feel like I wasn’t qualified for the positions I was applying to.”

Then, Sophie interviewed for a Technology Analyst role with Accenture. Though she was talking to several companies at the time, it was an introduction to a talent acquisition lead that convinced her Accenture was the right company to join. He didn’t just answer all of her questions, he also shared his own experience as a new employee, and offered advice for navigating the company. That ultimately helped Sophie realize that she’d feel at home.

Sophie was hired about two months ago and assigned to her first project a month later—faster than most other people from her training class. Since then, her job has been pretty fast-paced. Her team is implementing a new case management system so state workers can easily access information from many different sources, all in one place. Sophie acts as an accounting liaison, putting coding terms into everyday language and relaying issues from state workers back to Accenture’s developers so the project goes smoothly.

Sophie’s biggest piece of advice for anyone starting their career at Accenture? “There’s a lot to learn, and it’s sometimes hard to believe people when they tell you that you’ll figure it all out,” she says. “In the beginning, there’s a surplus of information and you’re not sure where it all fits in. You may not even be 100 percent clear about everything the company does. But two months into starting my first project, I can honestly say that everything has started to click.”

Her second biggest piece of advice? Get involved with everything. “It sounds simple, but it makes a big difference at a company as big as Accenture,” Sophie says. “For example, I got an email about an office fantasy football team. I’m not good at it fantasy football, but I joined anyway so I could meet more coworkers. To build a successful career here, it helps to be visible. ”

When Sophie thinks about building a career at Accenture, she’s excited about the opportunities she’ll have to figure out what success means to her. “I’m in a position where I can utilize my tech experience without being focused on coding and very technical projects. Accenture is a place where you’re able to build your career without feeling stuck doing something that doesn’t make you happy.”

Ready to start your career at Accenture? They’re hiring now! Head over to WayUp, explore Accenture’s open positions, and apply.

The post The Unexpected Way Sophie Akbasli Found Her Perfect Career Path appeared first on Job and Internship Advice, Companies to Work for and More | WayUp Blog.

Stephanie Cruz started as a business major at the University of Florida. However, part-way through her college career, she decided business wasn’t the right path for her. She knew it was a risk (and a lot of extra work) to switch to a dramatically different degree program, but computer science was calling her name. It turned out to be a very smart move when she landed a job with American Express after college. Here are five reasons Stephanie knew she found the right career path and company.

1. A Small Company Feel

When she was starting her post-college job search, an open software engineering role at American Express caught Stephanie’s eye. Some of her friends had interned there and loved that it had the feel of a small company—despite having over 50,000 employees. When she started working there, it was immediately clear that her friends were right. “I never feel like I’m not allowed to approach someone,” she says of the team environment. “It’s such a big company, but we’re all interacting with each other.”

2. Room to Grow

Stephanie’s job at American Express revolves around writing code for software that will impact millions of people. She also has a lot of flexibility with her career path since her role combines both creative and analytical thinking, something Stephanie knew she wanted in her first job.

“If you want to explore another interest of yours, they’re definitely supportive,” she says. “My manager has given me other responsibilities, from project management to UX and UI design to working with our interns. It never feels like I’m tied down to one career here.”

3. A Top-Notch Training Program

Training recent college grads at the start of their jobs is one thing. Building out a training program that lasts the whole year is another. Stephanie—along with all engineers hired out of college—went through the company’s Engineering Development Program. The program teaches new engineering team members a mix of technical, mentorship and leadership skills through sessions scheduled throughout the year.

This approach to training also helps employees feel included from day one. “It provided an immediate community to be a part of,” Stephanie says. “I started building a professional network and even developed friendships through the training program.”

4. A Dedication to Innovation

You might think hackathons are reserved for small startups, but Stephanie says they’re an important part of the tech culture at American Express. “Some of the coolest projects have come out of our hackathons,” she says. And there’s nothing like a 24-hour coding session with the goal of building a prototype to make you feel connected to your coworkers!  

5. The Chance to Give Back—in a Big Way

American Express has a range of employee networks, but one in particular made the biggest impact on Stephanie’s time there so far: Women in Technology. Through Women in Technology’s CLIMB student outreach program, Stephanie and her coworkers head to local middle schools to teach girls how to code or help them learn a new programing knowledge.

In fact, American Express was named a “Top Company for Women Technologists” by the Anita Borg Institute, which runs the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing—the largest gathering of women technologists in the world.

“I’m able to have an influence on the younger generation.“ she says. “It’s one of the most rewarding things I’ve done.”

Interested in a career with American Express? They’re hiring. Head this way to check out open positions and apply!

The post Why This Software Engineer Chose American Express for Her First Job Out of College appeared first on Job and Internship Advice, Companies to Work for and More | WayUp Blog.

Busy professionals often work through their breaks in an attempt to optimize their minutes in the workplace, but are they actually shortchanging themselves?

According to Right Management, the answer is yes.

Their 2012 study found that only one in five workers take a real lunch break, while two in five workers report taking their lunch break at their desk. 28% say they rarely take a lunch break at all.

When swamped with a full load at the office, employees may feel guilty or unable to walk away from their work, even for a short time. Pushing through breaks may seem like a way to increase productivity when, in reality, it can diminish efficiency and quality.

On a basic level, the body and brain require fuel for optimal performance, so remember to keep that blood sugar level stable. No one does prize work on an empty stomach.

But merely nourishing the body is not always enough. Trying to multitask between the job and eating ultimately leads to an inefficient use of both work time and break time. It’s better to stand up, step away from the screen and change up the view.

It doesn’t have to be all about food, though. Just going for a quick walk outside or even through the building helps unclog the mind and free up space for more creativity and problem solving. Just like a phone battery drains throughout the day, so does one’s physical and mental energy. A quick break to grab a snack, get the blood flowing and experience a change of scenery can be enough to recharge one’s mental state when its battery is running low.

Can’t commit to taking an hour-long lunch break everyday? Cut it down to thirty minutes or even twenty if necessary, and make that time enjoyable. Listen to music, chat with coworkers about non-work related topics, or watch a YouTube video or two. When you get back to work, you’ll be happy you did.

The post Are Lunch Breaks a Thing of the Past? Here’s What You Need to Know appeared first on Job and Internship Advice, Companies to Work for and More | WayUp Blog.

“For every complex problem, there is a simple solution that is elegant, easy to understand, and wrong.” H.L. Mencken

Well-developed critical thinking skills will go a long way in impressing a potential employer.  A survey done in 2012 by the American Management Association polled 768 managers and executives, and found that critical thinking skills of their employees are considered crucial for the future success of their organizations, but 49% of those surveys reported that their employees’ critical thinking skills were either average or below average (www.amanet.org).  To put it short, employers want people whose skills are above average. The report states: “Today’s employee’s need to think critically, solve problems, innovate, collaborate, and communicate more effectively…They must excel at the ‘four Cs’: critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity.”

We all know communications skills are essentials, and the skills needed to communicate well have been given a lot of attention. We also all know that we need to have team spirit, to work well with others, and to “think outside of the box”. Because of this, pretty much everyone preps to go into an interview ready to demonstrate these skills. But, most people fail to acknowledge the importance of demonstrating their critical thinking skills.

It’s become trendy in our culture however for judgmental criticism to be considered thoughtful analysis. Critical thinking is not faultfinding, derogatory, disparaging, or judgmental. But  often times, in the employment world, it’s commonly seen in a proposal meant to show that someone has found the weakness in something, and as a result, is worthy of a raise, promotion, or some other form of personal gain. The solution might sound elegant and might work in the short term, but because it lacks genuine analysis, it is usually wrong and won’t work in the long term. You would get noticed for this, but not necessarily in the way you want to be noticed.

Working well together – collaboration – is a proven way to test ideas. Employers want to promote people whose contributions add value to the organization. People who are collaborators and work well with others can build on people’s ideas and encourage a higher level of innovation,which takes on a much higher level of critical thinking than simply pointing out the faults in other’s work. Therefore, critical thinking is not only fair-minded and analytical, but also judicious, diagnostic, and decisive.

This is how you DO want to be noticed: If you can lead the group to make a solid decision that can be backed up with a well-considered evaluation, you will impress your supervisor in a good way. To lead however does not mean to dominate; it means making sure ideas are free flowing and everyone’s voice is heard. Critical thinking encompasses the ability to gather relevant information, interpret the information’s significance, clarify its meaning, examining it from different perspectives (this means asking questions and looking at the big picture not just the immediate situation), and then evaluating what you’ve learned and considering multiple options, all before arriving at your final conclusion. If that sounds like a lot of work that’s because it is. Just remember that critical thinking is elastic, it’s a process which allows for unexpected variables. In other words, it’s open to changes in the plan to ensure successful outcomes.

Potential employers want to know if you have the thinking skills that will give them a competitive edge. You may be wondering how you should get the message across that you have honed your critical thinking skills and that you are exactly the type of person who can help the organization reach its goals. Well, you know those common interview questions, like tell me about yourself, tell me about your strengths, what was your biggest accomplishment, why do you want this job, what challenges and problems have you faced in a job and how did you handle them? All of those questions give you golden opportunities to provide proof of your critical thinking skills.

You know where else you can make your critical thinking skills shine? Networking. You may have heard the advice to follow-up with professionals who have agreed to network with you by sending them articles of interest to help foster a working relationship. Instead of simply forwarding an article of interest to your contract, write two or three lines that show you’ve given the article analytical thought and have drawn meaningful conclusions. If you meet a professional for coffee or lunch, when you discuss a topic of interest don’t just “pick their brains”, show them how well your own brain works. The people who are impressed with your critical thinking skills will refer you for interviews, tell you about openings they know, and may even hire you themselves.

Nowadays, some colleges and universities offer full courses in critical thinking. This would be a perfect way to get started on building your skills, or asking a professor or advisor what courses might be beneficial for you to take. It takes time to develop critical thinking skills, and no one expects a recent graduate starting a career to have the level of expertise that can swiftly provide an elegant, yet efficient solution. But if you take the time to careful examine the problem, you can arrive at a solution that is both easy to understand, and, most importantly, correct.

The post How Critical Thinking Skills Can Help Improve Your Future appeared first on Job and Internship Advice, Companies to Work for and More | WayUp Blog.

This is a guest post by Ashley Bender for Student Stories. 

Looking for your first real job can be tough. Most companies want you to have experience, whether it’s flipping burgers at McDonalds, following an interest to work for a newspaper, or working in a warehouse. That first job fuels the formation of a good resume and begins the metamorphosis from a dependent kid to an independent adult.

As a freshman in college it became apparent that I couldn’t live off of microwavable Mac and Cheese, which I often messed up, and I was up to my waist in loans. I needed a job, even if it was only in the summer to help with finances during the school year. During high school I used to dog sit for my neighbor and worked as a gate guard at my neighborhood pool. I earned less than minimum wage and had no real company experience. So I searched both through the internet and in person for a part-time job near where I lived. I sent out application after application to various different companies. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t get a positive word and if I managed to get an interview, I still didn’t get the job.
Applying is the first step into the job field. Some companies will never respond and some might shoot an email or give a phone call, but that acceptance letter is hard to come by. Don’t get discouraged though, there is hope. There are many companies looking for part-time employees and are usually flexible with school. Just remember, anything worth having is worth fighting for.

I almost gave up looking for that summer, but at the last second I got an interview with Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia. This was the second interview that I received from this company. The first time I didn’t make it past the interview. This time, I told myself, would be different. I reviewed the history of the company, looked up common interview questions, and dressed to impress. After this interview I got accepted for the summer of 2013 to work in the Admissions Department for Kings Dominion.

Take it from me, finding that first job can be tough without any experience, but it can be done. Stay strong, research the companies, keep applying, and never give up. Someone will find you and you will be on your way to becoming independent.

About the Author:

Ashley Bender is a junior at Longwood University. She will graduate in May of 2015 with an English Major and Creative Writing Concentration. She is originally from Pennsylvania, but now lives in Virginia. She has a horse, two cats, and likes to be outside. She is a hard working individual who is involved in her college community. She likes to learn more about whatever she does and strives to keep getting better.

The post Snatching Your First Job appeared first on Job and Internship Advice, Companies to Work for and More | WayUp Blog.