No matter if you’re in high school or about to graduate from college, starting your first job can be scary. Even if you have had a job in the past, starting a new job can can be intimidating. You probably don’t know what to expect. Plus, you want to do your best so that you can keep your job. But, if this is your first job, you might not know what is expected of you or what is acceptable in your workplace. Guest blogger Emma Sturgis gives us four tips for individuals with new jobs.

Guest Blog by Emma Sturgis

Congratulations, you’ve scored your first job! But then the panic sets in – perhaps you’ve never had any kind of job before, and you have no clue how to adjust to professional life. Relax – read on for some useful tips on how to get accustomed to your very first job.

Don’t Be Afraid To Ask Questions

Managers would much rather you ask questions than continue to do something incorrectly. Especially when you are new, a good office environment will be more than willing to help walk you through the steps, even more than once, if necessary. Take detailed notes and print out examples of what you’re doing and you’ll eventually get the hang of it.

Understand That Your Work Might Be Boring

Especially at the beginning, it’s pretty typical for the “newbie” to take on the boring, bottom-rung tasks. Don’t get discouraged because you aren’t out there doing bigger and better things. Once you handle the “lowly” tasks well and without grumbling, your manager will likely start assigning you more work.

Watch For Warning Signs

Employers often misrepresent a job, just as job seekers often embellish their resumes. Most of the time this ends up working out, because none of it is too far removed from reality. But occasionally you might find yourself in a job that was entirely misrepresented to you. Young people get taken advantage of a lot in regards to this, because they are often desperate for a job, don’t know what questions to ask or how to interpret the answers, or don’t know what warning signs to look for during interviews. If you find yourself in this unfortunate situation, you have two options: either make the necessary adjustments to make it work or start looking for another position.

Have Reliable Transportation

Especially if you’re young, you might not have needed dependable transportation in a while, but you do now. Without reliable transportation, you drastically increase your likelihood of arriving late, which is a much bigger deal at your office than it was in a college classroom. Do it too much and you will start being viewed as unreliable, which will severely limit your opportunity at the company and, worst case scenario, get you fired. When buying a car, consider buying used cars like those offered at Bay Ridge Nissan, to save money and still have a reliable form of transportation to get to work.

Scoring your first real job is always extremely exciting, but it takes some adjusting too. Be sure to understand the nature of your job, ask questions and have reliable transportation, and you’ll be sure to grow and find success in your new role.

Emma is a freelance writer currently living in Boston, MA. She writes most often on education and business. To see more from Emma, say hi on Twitter @EmmaSturgis2