8 tips for the workplace

Whether you are about to graduate and find a job or are just headed for summer employment, these tips can help you network. A as you were celebrating your achievement of attaining a higher education qualification, the reality of having to find a job brings you crashing down to earth. As a fresh graduate you've got to be savvy and smart and strategic in how you find employment so that you are the one having to choose from many offers instead of having to settle for something not suitable for you.

You may not realise it but it's the little things that count like manners, courteousness and communicating effectively that get your foot in the door.

Follow these eight useful tips and you will be well on your way to success:

- The writer is a UAE-based adjunct management faculty, research scholar and a communication skills trainer

1 You must have good work and study habits as well as laser beam focus. All this eventually translates into good work habits.

2 Take advantage of school services such as the Career Centre, Alumni Centre, career exhibitions and workshops. If your university doesn't offer programmes, ask for them.

3 Assess your network and that of your parents, relatives and friends. Draw up a list of the people each of them knows.

4 You must be good at communicating via email and text message as also over the telephone and face-to-face.

5 Manners count and there is no way around it. "Please"; "thank you"; "I appreciate…"; "it was so nice of you to make that call" are just some of the phrases to adopt. Write a thank you email soon after you are given a lead, an interview or an introduction and follow it up with a handwritten note of thanks.

6 Ask for help from family and friends, alumni, instructors or current practitioners in your chosen field. When you attend a meeting of the local branch of a professional association, ask if there is a mentor programme for college students and join it. Most professions have national and international associations and they have student members.

7 Apply for internships and work hard. Companies tend to hire interns for open positions because they are a known commodity, fit in to the company culture and have a track record.

8 Don't waste your time worrying about the fairness of the 'who you know' aspect of life or jobs. Just be sure that you do know people and that they want to know, recommend, hire and mentor you. Follow the seven tips listed above and you will be savvy, smart and employed.

- Compiled with inputs from the Susan Roane web collection