IT’S OKAY TO MESS UP ON YOUR FIRST JOB. WHAT’S IMPORTANT IS THAT YOU LEARN FROM PAST MISTAKES AND MOVE AHEAD
First jobs are much like first loves: a self-appraisal forum not to be taken seriously at all. All the hype and hoopla simply obscure logical inference from view and force one to persist in no-win situations and feel an element of guilt and failure. And, much like first love, first jobs aren’t usually the best and weren’t supposed to last any which way, endorse most senior personnel across industries.

Nine times out of ten, one’s first job ends up a disaster. Now, here’s the important part, just as the first job’s dismal end isn’t as alarming as may seem at face value, one’s subsequent reaction to it may make or mar one’s career.

Different employees react differently in the same situation. While it’s this very reaction that will spell out the employee’s future prospects, humility and maturity go a long way in augmenting one’s career especially at the onset.

Remember: it’s for the very first time that you’ll actually be out in the real world working for your keep. And then, if your expectations are high and the first job just doesn’t match up to it, don’t fret. In the real world, things aren’t as hunky dory as it might seem while doing a classroom assignment.

ERROR OF CHOICE

“Sadly, the smallest of reprisal faced on your first job can go on to scar your professional side for life. After all, it comes at a time when you’re naïve and most vulnerable,”maintains senior economics professor Dr Sunanda Patel who personally had a dismal start to her career.
“And, if you’ve made the wrong choice, it takes a lot of gumption to admit to it and move on. Sadly very few do that and continue to toil away with something that doesn’t actually grab their fancy,” adds colleague Malati Khot.“That is, only until the frustration shows by way of a slip on the job and a subsequent rap by your boss,”adds Malati.
“It’s the emotional content that comes associated with one’s first job,” says 26-yearold accounts manager Renuka Dey.“Very often,with one’s first job come a lot of hope and expectation. After hearing what everyone else has to say about his/her job, it’s time for you to embark on your career and the anticipation sometimes gets the better of you,”she says.

SYMPTOMS AND REACTIONS

While you’re most likely to make a faux pas; land in departmental deep-waters or simply tick off the boss on your first job, your reactions will pave the way for your career ahead. And, the reactions to first-job related jumbles are quite predictable. An employee may become completely withdrawn owing to a dent to his ego and confidence; another might become defensive and get brash in attitude and in turn thwart his own career prospects. Either way, it’s how you deal with the situation that will spell out your prospects in the future.

SOLUTIONS AT HAND

As city-based psychologist Malini Chakraborty puts it, “In their peer group, a lot of youth also develop attitudes that harm instead of help.” Very often, when a person finds himself in a career limbo following his first job fumble,a peer group is known to help him overcome an ego-crisis. “Now, this one is a tight-rope walk,” says Ms Deshmukh.“While on the one hand, peer-chat helps - on the other - it endorses an erroneous attitude that could itself have caused the problem on the first job,” she says. Finally, it’s upon the employee to place things in proper perspective and move onto another job after addressing personal issues that needed tweaking. Failures are inevitable,especially on one’s first job where expectations come crashing down and egos ride high. However, learning from mistakes is a skill that one hones only with experience. While it may seem like the end of the world for you when your first job-place treats you like a nobody, it’s only a matter of time before you find your footing in an industry where experience over time matters not just the faux pas on your first job.

1) SITUATION:

On his very first job, Sanjay Khalsa had found himself struggling to open savings accounts for the bank he was employed with.The string of pretexts that came his way such as “Not today, I’m unwell,” and “sudden” accidents that thwarted things provided him with the perfect platform to switch to insurance.” REACTION: And, in no time, he landed himself the vocation he was looking for. “I found selling a policy a lot easier and interesting as people had more health and wealth-related problems than time for anything else. Insuring them against
risks pays of,” maintains Mr Khalsa.

2) SITUATION:

On her first job at a small-time local newspaper office, 36-year-old Sulekha Ghaswalla was “treated like a peon” till she was sacked for “back-answering the boss.” REACTION: “When I left the office in a huff, I realised that I needed a fresh start and that this was a mistake I’d rather forget about,” she says. Today Sulekha works in a senior position at a news agency. “Today, the very same editor speaks to me with a lot of respect. I sure feel vindicated in this situation,” says Sulekha.

3) SITUATION:

21-year-old Cory Thomas swiftly realised on her first job as a production assistant with a news channel. “Besides being backbreaking it was a huge dent to my inflated ego,” she says.“I had poor little by way of audience to appreciate ‘my’ work which I felt was excellent till date,” admits Cory.
REACTION: “It’s only now that I realise that recording movies on a handy-cam with the help of your professor and showcasing it before your class, isn’t production,” she says. “It’s only when you’re actually on a job that the reality of failure sinks in,” she says. Cory, however, has learned to swallow her pride and learn on the job. “Living in a fool’s paradise all this while, I didn’t realise that there was so much to learn,” adds the production assistant.


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