🖐️ 5 Rules to Follow 9 to 5
Corporate America is a club like any other: designed to exclude with jargon and unwritten rules. You could breeze through academia, and those booksmarts won’t necessarily translate to certain professional roles. We’ve synthesized five rules to remember as you acclimate to 9 to 5 politics.
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✅ You’re Always on Interview Footing
Don’t be fooled by your cool boss in your cool office with a ping pong table and on-tap kombucha — you’re always on interview footing. Remember to bring your A-game etiquette on company property… yes, that includes the parking lot.. Corporate America can be precarious and unpredictable, and your continued professionalism will help avoid slip-ups, like bad mouthing your manager to a client who happens to be their friend.
✅ Do the Homework Assignment
Don’t shy away from take-home assignments when interviewing. Companies are investing tens, sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars in your potential, and you’ve gotta make the ROI worth it. Gorgeous portfolios only tell half the story. Take-home assignments demonstrate your abilities applied to their product and under a deadline.
✅ Reconsider Remote Work
No amount of Slack channels and email chains will ever replicate face-to-face interactions. Relationships are built through repeated (usually innocuous) interactions in the hallway, the elevator, and yes, the boardroom. Think about shows like “Veep” or “Succession” or even “Hamilton” where tycoons mingle with their direct reports, and move the plot along through passing conversation. Get yourself in the room where it happens!
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✅ Close That Loop
Don’t take your chances when it comes to internal communication. Air on the side of annoying when liaising with your manager—especially under quick deadlines. Let them know what you’re working on, third party roadblocks, and how they can help. If your manager doesn’t know it happened, it may well not have happened at all. To be clear is to be kind.
✅ It’s Not Personal, It’s Business
Studies show that Americans' first question is usually, “What do you do?” However, you are not just what you do. Develop a sense of self outside of your job title because companies evolve, economies crash, interests change, and so will you. Lay the concept of a “dream” job to rest. People certainly love their careers, but dream bigger!
Rules to Follow
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