Twentysomething 5 ways people get screwed early in a career

Twentysomething 5 ways people get screwed early in a career This guest post is by Susan Johnston who is 24 years old and blogs at The Urban Muse. By Susan Johnston Its easy to get screwed when youre fresh out of undergrad and starting a new job. Nobody tells you this, because it doesnt make a particularly inspiring message for a graduation speech or greeting card. But its true. In college, you had professors to encourage intellectual exploration and advisors to make sure you stayed on track for graduation. Unfortunately, in the workforce your boss is looking out for the bottom line and you dont automatically get assigned to someone who will look out for your best interests (you have to find your own mentors and even then they could have their own agenda). I graduated a year early, so I was especially eager and open to managerial manipulations. So, class of 2008, here are some situations to look out for. 1. You could get screwed on a project basis. If you dont know what you want from your job, then how can you expect anyone else to know what kind of work to give you? Its not your employers job to help you find yourself, so if you dont have a clear picture of what you want to do, then you are an easy target for tasks that no one else wants to do. Not every manager is good at delegating or figuring out other peoples strengths, so the employees who know what they want and ask for it make their managers lives easier. Those who dont, get stuck with the leftovers. 2. You could get screwed out of money. In the past, Ive been promised raises, and I failed to get it in writing because I trusted my bosses. The first time, I was working at a taco stand over the summer and my manager got fired a week later, meaning I missed out on that extra 25 cents an hour (tragic, I know). The second time my boss gave me a verbal raise but never told accounting. I straightened it out a few paychecks later, but I should have emailed him to confirm immediately after our meeting and avoided the confusion later. Another unfortunate salary manipulation is what I call the preemptive raise. Basically, you get a small raise when youre not expecting it and they know that you wont try to negotiate. But you should always negotiate so that you establish yourself as someone who knows what theyre worth. 3. You could screw up your image. People worry about the stigma of job hopping, but sometimes its the only way to gain respect. Say you were interning somewhere and got offered a full time job at the company. Your parents would be elated, but I would caution you not to jump in without weighing your options. First of all, youll always be remembered as the Intern, so people will continue asking you to fetch coffee and locate office supplies. My first job out of college was as an admin but a new position opened within a few months and I grabbed it. Even a year after Id moved up, people still treated me like the receptionist because thats what I was doing when they met me. If your company thinks youre worthy of a full time job, then trust your abilities and someone else will offer you a position with more money and more respect as well. 4. You could get screwed into working evenings and weekends. If you dont have 2.5 kids and a spouse waiting at home, then in many industries, youll be expected to put in extra hours (and no, you dont necessarily get comp time or overtime). Its not fair, but thats just how it is. Take it from someone who didnt have time to date her first year out of college, because she was running around helping at events on Friday and Saturday nights. I suggest you put in the extra time when you can so that no one can fault you when you have a family commitment or a friends birthday party. After all, you have outside obligations, too. Dont let your eagerness to please prevent you from having a life. 5. You could get screwed by lack of feedback. Lots of managers are uncomfortable giving feedback (especially negative), so theyll avoid it if at all possible. For example, I once had a manager say to me annual reviews are coming up in a month, but since you just started, well wait until next year. Fourteen months passed before I had a performance review, and I was blindsided by some of the comments I got, because no one brought up issues that had been going on for over a year! You cant fix it if you dont know its broken, so you should take it upon yourself to check in with your boss periodically and avoid any surprises at your review. You could even ask what you need to do in the next six months to qualify for a raise. They may not give you clear directions, but at least youll show that you want to excel in your job. Susan Johnstons blog is The Urban Muse.