The job

You’ve done a good job, when you’ve achieved the following:

1. Discovered and developed your potential because you’ve been willing to try new things and got more focus about what you’re good at and passionate about, and what you didn’t like
2. Created a positive reputation from the start because you did every tasks with pride, ensuring your reputation says the right things about you
3. Made good future contacts and friendships with the team and the company’s networks.
4. Gained future work opportunities within the company or their networks, making applying for future opportunities easier.

You’ve done a good job, when you’ve achieved the following:

• Before starting, list 5 things you want to achieve - to inspire and motivate you to ensure it’s a successful job and act on seizing opportunities that present themselves.
• Always arrive 10 mins early each day. If you are running late, call your manager as soon as you can, to apologise and let them know you’re on the way.
• Put 100% of your effort, enthusiasm and a smile into each task– it’ll mean better results, plus it will impress and be appreciated by your team.
• If unsure of anything, always ask for clarification or advice. This honesty is respected and avoids wasting people’s time in having to fix a mistake, which may take them longer and cause serious problems.
• Ask if you’re doing a complicated task right and if there’s any tips to do it well, before getting stuck to the task – your team’s advice could save you a lot of time and mean a better result.
• If you complete all your tasks, be proactive – either by: asking if you can help anyone else in the team or if you can work on an idea from your 5 goals.
• Introduce yourself to the rest of the team (depending on the length of your job this can be one new person a day). Ask team member if they can give you 15 mins of their time over lunch or break to find out more about their role and background – people love to talk about themselves and it’s a great way to make some friendships that often become good work contacts
• Always leave your work station tidy at the end of the day, ready for the next day. It not only helps you stay organised, others will appreciate it (even if their desk is chaotic!).
• Be friendly and helpful to all those you meet (whatever their status). All successful professionals respect the saying “be good to all those you meet on your way up, as you’re likely to meet one of those people in the future, and they might have the power to give or take away a dream job”
• Always ask for a written reference at the end of the job, which can be used for future applications. If you’ve done your best, the reference will be worth hanging up in a gold frame!