Five Tips for Starting a Career or New Position

Here's a great article I stumbled upon which hits home as I recently started a new position at AMD. I'm sure there are a few of you guys out there that are also in this situation.

Five Tips for Starting a Career or New Position

Jeanne Sahadi has a few tips for getting ahead in the first few years of your career. It’s also appropriate for starting a new position anywhere, new career or not. Here are the take-aways.

Ask for help, then take charge. Ask for questions when necessary, but not much more. Show initiative and independence in solving problems without going to the manager.

Know the boss. “Getting to Know You” is a song Mister Rogers used to sing, which was actually from the musical, The King and I, written by another Rodgers (Richard and his partner, Oscar Hammerstein II). Anyway, know what your boss wants and what she considers important. Seek performance feedback often.

Cultivate good relationships. “Act like you’re running for office…” but not too much. Humor, respect, and grooming are three important aspects of getting along well with people.

Don’t watch the clock. 9-to-5 is a myth. The director of my department is very watchful; we are not allowed to be in the office after 5:00 unless we have requested overtime, which is usually not granted. This is a chance from my last department, in which occasional overtime was expected.

But know when to go. If you’re no longer learning anything from your job, then it’s time to move on. Don’t just settle for a promotion if it is in title only.

How to Handle a Boss Who Takes Credit for your Work

How to Handle a Boss Who Takes Credit for your Work

This is an article that covers a topic that most of you have faced or know someone who has. While I agree with most of the authors points about being civil and not over reacting, I also believe that preventing it from happening in the first place is key.

If you know your boss is taking credit for work or ideas, think back to when you first discussed this idea. It's most likely you had this conversation in a casual one on one or email. A great way to resolve this type of problem as an alternative to confronting your boss is to make sure that your ideas are heard by other people. They can bear witness to the fact that the idea came from you. The same applies to email. If yout boss asks you for your opinion on something, reply to him/her and add additional people to the CC. To avoid problems with improperly following the chain of command, make sure you only CC peers. If you have an open relationship with your bosses boss and you feel comfortable doing so, add that person to the list as well. Your boss will not try to take credit for something that was well publicized in front of other people because it will be very obvious. I find that this method seems to correct itself in a less confrontational way.

Dave Chappelle Season 3 Episode 1 - Night Club Skit with Tupac

I just love this skit from Dave Chappelle's Season 3 Episode 1. I need to find the actual audio track to this. Basically, Tupac has been dead since '93 but many people think it's not true and that its all a conspiracy. All the while, many 'unreleased' tracks keep coming out well after his death. If you read the lyrics, you'll notice that a lot of what he mentions in Tupac's song occurred after his death so there is no way he could've known to mention it. Check it out!

[DJ: Exclusive, this is that new 2pac!]

Listen close, as life turns its pages
Makaveli here, kickin' rhymes for the ages
Seen things in stages, wise words spoken by sages
From SkyTel to BlackBerry pages
Your crew don't phase us, we'll make you bustas pay us
Run up in your spot like CJ from San Andreas

I wrote this song a long time ago
A real long time ago
Feel me!
I wrote this song a long time ago
It was the dopest song I ever wrote... in '94

What can a nigga do, when half the people voted for George W.
It's a bitch, Fuck George W. -- can't be true --
I wanna choke him, because he's a snitch
I'm talking about George W. Smith
From city council, he ran in '93
Out in Oakland, you probably didn't hear about him

I wrote this song a long time ago
A real long time ago
Way before Slim Shady was in demand
Way before we dropped baloney on Afghanistan
I wrote this song in '94

How am I doin' this?
Look around the club, see everyone in the place
Showing 'Pac love got a smile on my face
The girl in the miniskirt has bad taste
Because her shirt don't match
And there's a puddin' stain on the back
What the fuck is that?
It might be doo-doo

And you in the back, you ain't shit
You bought a gin and tonic but you didn't even tip
And if you hit the table one more time then the record might skip-might skip...
I told you, stop hittin' the table.

Tupac Shakur,
I wrote this rhyme in 1994
I'm not alive!
Thug life!
Dave Chappelle, that ain't your wife
A married man, you've got two kids
Go home!

I wrote this song a long time ago
A real long time ago
Way before Beanie Sigel had to do a bid
Way before Dave Chappelle had two kids
No friends, and no future.

[DJ: 2pac, rest in peace.]

Okay, I will!