First Job Chronicles: Being "the kid" and Getting Adult Recognition
8:30 AM
My current boss turned 30 less than a week after I turned 21. Aside from the fact that she's my boss, I don't see her as being much older than myself. She binge watches Pretty Little Liars, shares my love of wine and spends half of the summer lounging by the pool. I probably wouldn't even notice that I was so young if she didn't mention something about her age every other day. Oh and my work environment doesn't help too much either. I’m surrounded by people who've been at the company for at least five years, are married with children and own their homes. It's hard not to be known as the kid in the office. In the last five months, I've learned a LOT about being an adult and about being recognized as one as well. Here are my tips on how to be recognized as an adult when you're clearly not old enough to have a mortgage:
- For Goodness Sake, Sit up Straight: body language is one of the most important giveaways. Young people have a tendency to slouch, which gives a "submission" effect. When I'm sitting across from my boss and she's asking me to work on something, I subconsciously slouch. Hunched shoulders and big puppy dog eyes make you look like a kid. I'm not saying posture is the end all, be all, but give it a try and tell me it doesn't make you feel more sophisticated.
- Language Is Just as Important as Body Language: Unless the sentence is a simile, try your hardest to refrain from overusing the word "like." It's really hard, I know. But one thing that my boss encouraged me to work on during my 3-month evaluation is stepping up my professionalism in the speaking department. Hearing the words "like" or "cute" over and over again is not only really annoying, it makes you sound like Alicia Silverstone from Clueless. You are not Cher. Stop it. Oh and believe me, I'm being just as mean to everyone as I am to myself. (After my boss pointed out that I say "BRB" and "probs" on a daily basis, I had to make some lifestyle changes.)
- Dress for the Job You Want: I love dressing up. Heels, jewelry, dresses - the whole nine yards. I'm not a fashionista like Zaria from A Dose of Fab, but I do what I can. Working in a semi-medical environment, most of my coworkers wear scrubs and sneakers. However, most of the other administrative people wear similar clothes to what I wear. Recently, I got my own cubicle space located near the physician offices. Which means that now, I am surrounded by people in comfy shoes and stretchy pants. Do I feel out of place walking in 4-inch heels and business casual dresses? Extremely. But guess what? You dress for where you want to be, not for where you are. Sure, I could get away with throwing on oxfords and dressy-ish pants, but I'd rather be recognized for my professional and dressy attire.
- Understand the Company Culture: At this company, we always have meetings. We have meetings to prep for meetings and sub-committee meetings to plan the agenda for the prep meetings. Personally, I hate meetings. However, I understand that if I need to talk to someone important, chances are they will be at the meeting. There's a 50% chance I'll catch them at their office but there's a 100% chance they'll be at the meeting. If said person only responds to emails, don't leave them a sticky note on their desk or a voicemail. Understanding how to communicate with the individuals in your workplace show that you have a greater understanding of the organization and, yes, are an adult with sound communication skills. It might not seem like a huge deal but when you're trying to coordinate company-wide events, those things are important.
- Be an adult! Gone are the days of partying every single night. (Every other night should suffice by now, guys.) Coming to work with a hangover is not only unattractive, it shows everyone you work with that you're just another college kid, even if you graduated a whole 6 months ago. You don't have to watch CNN every day to stay up to date on current happenings! theSkimm is an excellent resource for getting the news. Be open-minded: if you're in a workplace where everyone is at least nine or ten years older than you, there is a huge age gap. Open your mind to understanding their viewpoints. While you might not agree wholeheartedly, you've just showed your coworkers that you can have an intelligent conversation without pouting and having a temper tantrum. That, my friends, is adult-like behavior and kudos to you.
Are you the youngest at your job? How do you get your coworkers to see past your age?
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