The Student Worker [Part II]

This is the second and final part in a series about students going out into the working world. Read Part I here.

Many people let their guard down after going through the ritualistic hassle of finding a job. It's tempting to do so, since the job is now yours for the duration of the contract, and the technical requirements of the job may not be particularly challenging. 

That's also the most dangerous thing you can do. 

There are pitfalls in every working environment, from the corporate office, to the tuition center, right up to the McDonald's cashier. It doesn't matter whether you are working for a friend or doing purely professional part-time work - when it comes down to profits, reputation and income, only money matters. 

Here's some good practices you can adopt or modify to fit your needs:

Keep Records

This is relevant no matter what kind of job you do and for how long, but I'd venture as far as to say that it is absolutely crucial for people working on an ad-hoc part-time arrangement. Many people often overlook it because they believe that their employers will already keep a record, or that they can remember how many events they've gone for. Good book-keeping can help avoid many awkward or confusing situations where your liabilities come under question. You can use a simple excel document (or even a ruled notebook), or if you have a lot of records to keep and can afford it you can use specialized software. Since I'm using OS X I use a program called "Billings".

Keep track of things like the date, reporting time, location and duration of work. If you consistently work with different people at different locations and everyone meets at the execution venue, record who was with you. Doing the above allows you to know how much you should get paid, and if there is suspicion that you did not report for work, you know who you can ask to verify your presence. I also keep track of expenses and costs incurred in the form of scanned receipts, which I find helps when making claims.

Keep Client Confidentiality

The term "client confidentiality" might sound like something that came out from the banking sector or the civil service, but it actually applies across the board. This means things like not discussing the performance of one tuition student with another, or not discussing the details of Event X for Company X at Event Y for Company Y where different employees are present, even if they are both handled by you. 

There can be occasions when you are asked to comment on your work experience when at a scholarship or admissions interview. Always be sure to generalize and keep client confidentiality in mind. Chances are that the people who are interviewing you will know the importance of maintaining confidentiality, and it's not going to come across as a good impression if you scream bloody murder and paint gory pictures about how a specific, named, client made exorbitant requests of you.

Keep your calm, and play nice

You're bound to meet different types of people in your job. Super-on individuals, mindless workers, unreasonable bosses. The golden rule is to BE NEUTRAL. As hard as this might sound, you have to learn to play nice with all of them. The working environment is unfortunately not a place where everyone will be friendly to you, but you have to be friendly, or at least cordial, with everyone.

I say this because there's a chance this can affect your future prospects. Here's a case study. "A" interned at a prestigious, well-known and well established organization, but while there he gave a bad impression to his immediate superiors. Some time after that internship, A applied for a job at another organization. As luck had it, the person in position to made decisions decided to make an unmentioned poll of the guy at the previous organization, and promptly learnt that A was hardly the gorgeous, responsible individual his CV made him out to be. It goes without saying that A was refused the job. 

Keep your bridges connected

Most people our age work only for short periods of time before we move off for further studies. I like to think that when it's time to leave your job you aim to do so on the most amicable terms you can afford. Even if you haven't had a pleasant time at work you should aim to make a positive impression on the people around you, because you'll never know when you might require their assistance in the near future. Sometimes it's as simple as an employer's recommendation, but in other cases you might just end up working back in the same organization. The saying rightfully goes that you should not burn your bridges behind your back, which is very true.