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10-10-2014 10:45 PM
Unregistered
Quote:
Originally Posted by Unregistered View Post
this.

tho the pre-req is u must be good at ur job, then u do all of the above. if u're competent in ur work and always doing the right thing (work-wise and morally), then u're on the right track. it doesnt matter if someone or even ur boss tries to screw you, the good ones will side you. worse case, just quit as it's the company's loss and it shows that u deserve to be in a better place.

to TS:
i'm a fresh grad too, working for ard 6 months. cant really help u on ur work competency, but these are some advices which may be helpful.

- have an honest conversation with ur boss, ask him what are his/her expectations of you and discuss how u can meet his expectations. dont be afraid to share which areas u may/will fall short in and the unmentioned areas u think u'll like to take up responsibilities in
- read up as much as possible on ur work, product and company. scan through all the folders available to you and read any documents u find important/interesting, these knowledge will def help in the future
- find out exactly what each of ur colleague does, at least the ones who somehow appear in ur emails
- dont confine urself to only one clique in the office, mingle ard with everyone. esp at pantry/canteen and during company functions. these connections are important and u'll always learn sth during the conversations
- dont try too hard, if u are, u're not doing things right. dunno, just ask. and be urself

This is my fifth month in the work force. I would say this is very true.
10-10-2014 09:55 PM
Unregistered
Quote:
Originally Posted by Unregistered View Post
I don't play politics.
I remain kind to everyone.
In the working world, you need to learn how to make compromises even when things don't turn your way.
find ways to prove your worth to your company, not arguing over petty small project issues.
I feel completely at ease at work, I walk around like I own the bloody place.
I work hard when I want to.
I relax when I want to (not the fake take newspaper and pretend to read type), I completely stare in the blank and relax
I argue based on intelligence and work. not based on politics
I shout at you if you are unfair.
Always remember to have a kind heart, when you are kind, you automatically forget all the negativities from nasty people, and you still walk coolly and steadily in the office (no avoidance)
All these leads to confidence in the office.
Your directors will notice you are very comfortable and confident every day and they will chat you up.
this.

tho the pre-req is u must be good at ur job, then u do all of the above. if u're competent in ur work and always doing the right thing (work-wise and morally), then u're on the right track. it doesnt matter if someone or even ur boss tries to screw you, the good ones will side you. worse case, just quit as it's the company's loss and it shows that u deserve to be in a better place.

to TS:
i'm a fresh grad too, working for ard 6 months. cant really help u on ur work competency, but these are some advices which may be helpful.

- have an honest conversation with ur boss, ask him what are his/her expectations of you and discuss how u can meet his expectations. dont be afraid to share which areas u may/will fall short in and the unmentioned areas u think u'll like to take up responsibilities in
- read up as much as possible on ur work, product and company. scan through all the folders available to you and read any documents u find important/interesting, these knowledge will def help in the future
- find out exactly what each of ur colleague does, at least the ones who somehow appear in ur emails
- dont confine urself to only one clique in the office, mingle ard with everyone. esp at pantry/canteen and during company functions. these connections are important and u'll always learn sth during the conversations
- dont try too hard, if u are, u're not doing things right. dunno, just ask. and be urself
09-10-2014 10:41 PM
Unregistered Playing politics can be emotionally and mentally draining.

Sometimes i wonder is it that important to climb up the corporate ladder? Is it worth all the trouble and stress playing politics to move up or gain more power?

Won't the world be a nicer place if people can treat each other better rather than engage in a zero-sum game.

Well I guess I am too idealistic.. that world does not exist
09-10-2014 09:37 AM
Unregistered
Quote:
Originally Posted by Unregistered View Post
I don't play politics.
I remain kind to everyone.
In the working world, you need to learn how to make compromises even when things don't turn your way.
find ways to prove your worth to your company, not arguing over petty small project issues.
I feel completely at ease at work, I walk around like I own the bloody place.
I work hard when I want to.
I relax when I want to (not the fake take newspaper and pretend to read type), I completely stare in the blank and relax
I argue based on intelligence and work. not based on politics
I shout at you if you are unfair.
Always remember to have a kind heart, when you are kind, you automatically forget all the negativities from nasty people, and you still walk coolly and steadily in the office (no avoidance)
All these leads to confidence in the office.
Your directors will notice you are very comfortable and confident every day and they will chat you up.
Utter rubbish. TS please refrain from following.
08-10-2014 11:51 PM
Nik
Quote:
Originally Posted by QXP View Post
The smiling and ever helpful colleague could be the most dangerous one.
....
usually there is an undercurrent on how the game is played
These 2 sentences couldn't be more true, and I'm speaking from experience.

To the poster who says he doesn't play any politics and is kind to everyone, how is that possible? Actually yes, it's possible, I've tried it before, but the result is you get trampled on by everyone.

I think in order to survive, one needs to at least be aware of the politics being played and don't be kind to everyone.
08-10-2014 09:20 AM
Unregistered Fret not. I majored in finance, joined the industry a year plus ago. During my first 4 months, i lost my voice constantly, due to stress (according to 4 different doctors). Sleep early, do not think about work when you get home. Do whatever you enjoy doing during non-work hours. You'll pull through. You do not have to speak to anyone, just yourself. You will get use to it, your body will get use to it, your mind will too.
05-10-2014 10:03 PM
Unregistered TS, I've read somewhere that for a new guy, 95% of the time, should be listening. I guess you've got plenty of advice along these lines, so you have some idea.

You also need to work for a while to find out if the job and/or workplace fits you, i.e. if the fit is no good, that may also be the cause of your struggles, and not just due to inexperience. Don't take too long to find out, though. As a fresh grad, hang around for 2-3 years before you come to your conclusions.

My personal experience was such - worked for 8 yrs plus, over 2 employers, and progress was slow, overtaken by my peers... then on my 3rd employer, things started to pick up, and was advanced regularly, definitely faster, over the same period of time! Still the same old me (except older and maybe wiser), but different job scope and employer - made all the difference.
04-10-2014 06:02 PM
Unregistered
Quote:
Originally Posted by QXP View Post
I am a line manager and have experience managing several large teams before and have seen a couple of cases like you before.

As I see it, most likely you are having the issue is because you are typical exam smart (which explains your NUS degree) but little experience or competency beyond that. You are now venturing outside your comfort zone and basically your mind is still in a type of brain freeze trying to adapt and comprehend what the heck is going on.

In the working world, you have to play politics, manage customers, manage internal colleagues and all this manifest in the way you write email (eg who to CC who to BCC), how should you write your report, how to angle the thing to look bad to A and look good to B in order to promote you / your boss interest etc.

Some things you need to say it at the right place at the right time to the right people etc, otherwise nothing seems to get done. You are still figuring out how to do that. In terms of analytics and language skills, I assume you should have them since your studies should be good to get into NUS.

My advice for you is first thing calm down, listen more, observe more and talk and think less. You are in the jungle and you must spend the next few months knowing your surroundings first. Don't think of career progression, impressing people or even "doing the job well", all these are secondary. You must discern the actual landscape in the office first before you can figure out how the game is played.

The good thing is so far, your boss and colleagues are not nasty and remain professional. But a lot of times when you gain experience, you will realise things are not as simple as it looks on the surface. The smiling and ever helpful colleague could be the most dangerous one.

Make use of this good luck of a good office environment to spend a few months to observe what's going on - usually there is an undercurrent on how the game is played, don't do anything silly until you figure out who is powerful, who is not, who is really good, who is not, who is your ally or enemy, and how to work with all of them to get things done. Some will call this playing cynical politics, but in real life this is the way to survive, compete and climb the corporate ladder.
Best honest advice you can get. As much as it sounds bad/negative.
04-10-2014 12:08 AM
Unregistered
Quote:
Originally Posted by QXP View Post
I'm not quite sure whether you were quoting me out of convinience or was the post directed at someone else because I can't see what you have said has got to do with FreshGradStruggles's (FGS) problem.

FGS is having difficulty figuring out email communication nuances, report writing and how to get things done in the office without relying on colleagues. You are presumably advocating him/her to follow your various unorthodox examples of completely staring in the blank and relax, shouting at others when it is unfair, "have a kind heart" and worse of all to walk cooly and steadily with the logic that somehow senior management will think that's confidence and chat you up.

I don't usually respond to this sort of juvenile nonsense, but seeing at how FGS is quite confused and lost in the workspace, I really need to step in and rebut this kind of misguidance which can cause career damage to the undiscerning.

You can say whatever you want.
Maybe you are jealous. I have had enough jealousy shoved at me.
99% of people in the office are HIDEOUS, are AVOIDANCE with people who they have FARKED with in politics before. BECAUSE they are in different CAMPS.
Why am I the most relax person, I gel with everyone. coz i don't messing around with stupid politics.

So what if he is a fresh grad, he can still practise what I told him. HOWEVER, when you need help, you better ask properly with kindness and courtesy as the other person's time is precious.
03-10-2014 11:03 PM
Unregistered
Quote:
Originally Posted by FreshGradStruggles View Post
I am in FMCG, in a role that is somewhat of a cross between business strategy and marketing. Not quite sure how else to describe it.
i see.... seems like all fresh grads nowadays want to get into strategy roles. truth of the matter is that is not easy, especially for a freshie whose world view up to the point of joining the company is idealistic and text book based. there are exceptions to the case (think top tier MBA students) but i always think that you need some years of working in functional areas before getting that MBA and going into strategy.

it is a very envious position you got there.. so i sincerely hope that you get over this bump and work it out!
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