I wrote several weeks ago about why corporations and law firms should think hard about a new employee’s first day on the job.
I was promptly asked, “What about the other side of the coin? I’m a new employee. What should I do?”
Good question. This column’s for you.
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Here’s the answer: Be exceptionally conscientious.
(You can stop reading now. That’s the rule; the rest is commentary.)
It is extremely hard to develop a reputation for being good. On the other hand, it is extremely easy to develop a reputation for being bad.
And reputations are sticky things.
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When you start a new job, be unusually conscientious. Strive to be very, very good. Because you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. (When I searched the web to create that last link, I expected to find an old advertising slogan. I guess you can’t always get what you want.)
Don’t let your first project be mediocre. Do the best work you can possibly do.
Here’s how it works:
First project: “Esther Summerson started work last week. She just handed me her first project. She’s great! Really spectacular work. She’s a keeper!”
Second project: “Esther did great work again!”
Third project: “What a great hire Esther was!”
Esther stinks up the joint on her fourth project: “Well, anyone can make a mistake. No problem.”
Esther’s forgiven.
Here’s the other side of the coin:
First project: “John Jarndyce started work last week. He just handed me his first project. He’s a moron! I’m going to be up all night fixing the damned thing. Why can’t we find any good people to work here?”
Second project, which is the same quality as Esther’s second project: “John did okay on his second project. I guess even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every once in a while.”
Third project: “What do you know? The blind squirrel found two acorns in a row. It’s like lightning striking twice in the same place.”
Like Esther, John stinks up the joint on his fourth project: “Another disaster! I can’t believe it! Another night flushed down the tubes to fix this guy’s mistakes. How can I avoid working with Jarndyce ever again?”
I know that’s not fair.
No one said life was fair.
But it’s true: Once people believe that you’re competent, they forgive your mistakes. If people decide that you’re incompetent, it’s very hard to change that perception.
(That’s one reason competent people don’t like to change jobs: “I’ve been working here for five years. Everybody knows me and trusts me. If I go to a new place, I’m starting all over again. I have to develop my reputation from the ground up. Who needs it?” It’s not just inertia that keeps people at their jobs. Good people also stay put because it’s hard work to develop a reputation, and many people avoid imposing on themselves the burden of going through that process repeatedly.)
That’s not to say that you should do bad work after you’ve been on the job for a few months. You can always ruin your reputation.
But, early on, when co-workers are watching you carefully, be exceptionally conscientious.
That lays the groundwork for all your later days on the job.
Mark Herrmann spent 17 years as a partner at a leading international law firm and is now responsible for litigation and employment matters at a large international company. He is the author of The Curmudgeon’s Guide to Practicing Law and Inside Straight: Advice About Lawyering, In-House And Out, That Only The Internet Could Provide (affiliate links). You can reach him by email at [email protected].