I’ve met some of you who were born a whole decade after me, and I guess this means some of you are starting your internships, part-time jobs, and a few of you are looking for your first real job.[break]
Here are a few personal lessons I’ve learnt that I thought I’d share with you guys. Especially when looking for a job, all we seem to focus is on holidays, perks, and pay.
Well, mostly pay. But if I’ve learnt anything in my two years of working fulltime, what is more important than pay is, well, the workplace itself.
Seeing the world as a global village, Nepal is tiny. And in Kathmandu, everyone knows everyone. So it’s entirely possible to do a thorough background check on any employer: No, not the individual but the office/organization/company.
My first job raised the bar for everything I did thereafter. But in an ideal world, you wouldn’t have to worry about these.
Number one: Pay. I know I said pay isn’t the most important thing, but when I say “look at pay,” I mean look to see if your friends who work at the place or friends of friends who work at the place ever – or, more appropriate to the Nepali ways, often – complain about being paid late.
Not just a day or two late, but as in a month or so.
This should worry you because this indicates the office is mismanaged and/or under-funded – both of which are warning bells! If they aren’t paying their staff on time, they either don’t care to respect the work the staff are doing for them, and/or they just don’t have the money.
If your friends often are told “next week, next week,” then I’d suggest you look elsewhere.
The only reason I’d suggest you sticking it out would be if and when your supervisor will be fighting for you to get paid on time. Or in Nepal’s case, relatively on time. This way, if not the office, at least your supervisor knows and appreciates the work you do.
Number two: Growth opportunity. Unless you take on a job bigger than yourself – like I once stupidly did – you should look forward to join an office where hard, sincere, and good work is noted.
A simple pat on the back isn’t enough, nor is a “thank you” scribbled on a post-it and slapped on your desktop.
Growth opportunity can be found where raises are given – without having to be haggled for when both parties know it’s about time – but more importantly, where supervisors acknowledge the contributions you make.
Workers ought to be receiving more responsibility, trust – so that less and less has to be run by your boss – and a promotion.
I lucked out in my first job because it was only when I got there that I realized that every semester, a very few of the best interns would be offered full-time “real” jobs. Of the fifteen-plus who started out the internship, two of us were invited to come back as staff.
This is probably why that office was so popular with smart students nearing the end of their academic career: they knew if they worked hard, they would be going somewhere. The same rule goes for staff: Staff work harder, employer is happier. Just remember there’s that catch!
Number three: Credit is given. Nothing’s worse than a colleague or boss taking credit for work, ideas, or plans you came up with.
Do some background research to see if the big and little guys at the office give or take credits where due – no matter how low on the run or junior in rank, for any good contributions they make.
I can’t think of this ever happening to me, so allow me to refer to this week’s episode of Fashionista – don’t judge me for watching trash television every once in a while, please! – where one intern steals credit for naming sandwiches at a, er, fashion party – let’s just call it that – from another intern.
What this does in the long run is to make workers hoard their ideas, not collaborate – whereas teamwork is kind of essential.
Number four: Harassment. As Nepali “keti,” you must be wondering if by this I’m simply alluding to sexual harassment. And to that, I’d have to respond in the negative.
Of course, I mean sexual harassment, too. If a staff is sexually harassed and the guilty let go off with little punishment – like getting fired or an office notice being sent out! – then you know that it’s maybe not the safest place for you to work late into the evenings, or as openly as you’d like.
As Ujjwala Maharjan pointed out the pathetic truth in The Week this week, “There are still no separate laws that can protect women from sexual harassment at work or in public places.”
Harassment also comes from colleagues and seniors who feel the need to verbally shame you, mock you, or lower you.
There’s no joy in working at a job where you have to fear someone’s verbal wrath because they failed to complete their court-prescribed course of Anger Management.
So that’s it. If you’re looking for your first real job, don’t jump at something because it’s the first thing you’ve been offered after months of scouting.
Nothing’s worse than being stuck in an office where you aren’t being paid on time, where growth is clearly not possible, credit is stolen, and you’re sexually and/or verbally harassed!
In the meantime, try and do whatever you’re doing exceptionally well and keep on hunting! That’s what I’m doing, too.
For more of Nepali Keti visit nepaliketi.net
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