12 Tips to Survive Your First Day at Work

August 24, 2015August 22, 20158 Comments

It’s official: I’m a real adult now.

Aka I survived my first day at my big girl job.

It was stressful for sure. But also super exciting and kind of exhilarating. Of course I hit some bumps along the way (as I’m sure everyone does…right?), so I thought of some tips I learned on my first day to help you on yours! Welcome to the real world.

Pack a lunch

Sure there’s a Chipotle only 0.67 miles from your office (not like you checked…) but that first day, you don’t know how long you’ll have for lunch or what your company’s policy is about eating out. So be safe, make a PB&J and proudly rock that brown paper bag.

Wear comfortable shoes commuting & change at the office

I learned this the hard way… I don’t care how cute those flats are, they’re going to give you blisters in the 10 minute walk between getting off the train and into your office. Then you’ll be cringing in pain/begging any of your new co workers for band aids. Instead, wear flip flops or comfy shoes while you commute/walk to the office and the change into your flats/heels once you get there. That way you also have another option when your feet are absolutely killing you at the end of the day.

Ask where the bathroom is

And the supply closet. And the kitchen. And your desk. Better to ask the secretary/office manager than wander around like an idiot.

Bring a notebook

Sure you can scribble down every detail about how to set up your phone on a tiny post-it note OR you can look professional AF and show up with a notebook, ready to work.

Make friends with the IT department

More likely than not, you’re going to meet with IT to get your email, phone, etc. set up on the first day. Ask them how they’re doing. How long have they been there? Do they have kids? Make small talk because they’ll be the people who will save your life when your computer crashes at 4:49 pm and your report is due at 5.

Keep your morning routine

If you usually have coffee in the morning, see if they have a coffee maker in the office or grab some Starbucks before you get in. Usually have a snack around 11 am? Grab something small from your packed lunch and munch on it at your desk. Of course you’ll develop a new work morning routine, but incorporating little things you usually do can help you feel more at home.

Do some research & read up

On my first day, one of my supervisors told me where the shared drive was on my computer and suggested I look through it. There were A LOT of folders. However, actually reading the majority of them gave me an idea of the projects my team was working on, the company’s organization system and the format of its files/reports. Ask if you have access to what your team is working on. Or start Googling your company & stalk it on LinkedIn. You’ll feel a little more in the loop of what’s actually going on.

Change your computer’s background

If you’re allowed to, change your computer’s background from the boring default screen to tasteful and office appropriate picture. Start making it feel like YOUR desk instead of just a random place you sit for 8 hours.

Walk around

Seriously. Don’t just be chained to your desk all day. You’re going to get antsy and stiff and no one expects you to stay stationary the whole day. Go take a walk. Say hi to people. You’ll feel better after you take a stroll.

Start organizing your inbox

The real world comes with a lot of emails. Like more than you can ever fathom. You look away for 2 minutes and suddenly your inbox is full again. That being said, start organizing your inbox so in three weeks you don’t have 467 unread messages that you should have read, well, yesterday. Even if you don’t really know how to organize your folders or what to delete, just do something. You can always reorganize or categorize once you have more of an idea what you’re doing but at least you’ll feel somewhat productive.

Stay until at least 5:15pm

Or just watch to see what people do at the end of the day. Does everyone shut down exactly at 5pm? Or do most people linger until 5:30/6? You don’t want to be that newbie that peaces out at 4:59 when people stay for another hour.

Be patient

The first day may be weird, exciting, scary, stressful, overwhelming and awesome all at the same time. But you’ll get it. Just hang in there and know that everyone started where you are. And one day you’ll look back and remember how clueless you were and be thankful because you finally figured it out.

You’ve got this. Go rock the real world.

A Wonderful Surprise!

August 22, 2015August 22, 20153 Comments

When I got back from my third day of my real girl job (more on that later), I saw that my WordPress app had a notification. Turned out that one of my followers, Haley, author of Hey Now, Haley Now (def check out her Do’s and Don’t’s For Freshman Year, so accurate!) nominated me for the Liebster Award! I’m so honored to accept and now nominate five other writers to spread the blogging love.

What is the Liebster Award you ask? Well I had no idea until I was nominated, but here’s how it works for those who haven’t heard of it. If you’re nominated and accept, here are a few rules that you need to follow:

Thank the person who nominated you.
Display the logo for the award on your blog
Nominate 5-10 other bloggers who have less than 200 followers. To nominate, let them know they have been nominated by commenting on one of their posts.
Answer the questions that the person who nominated you has set and pose new questions to your nominees.

Here’s the pretty award badge for the award! I’ll also be displaying it on my homepage.

And now… for the questions Haley asked me. And then the bloggers I nominate will have to answer questions I make up! Here are some things you may not know about me…

1. Where are you currently living? Well right now, I’m sitting on my couch in New Jersey, but I’m moving to Philadelphia literally tomorrow! (Seriously, I just finished packing and all my worldly belongings are sitting in my kitchen, ready to be packed in the car).

2. What’s the best book you’ve read lately? I’m re reading The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult. So so good. If you like her old stuff, it’s the same flawless writing but with a totally different theme. (Also, *~shameless plug~* Ampersand will be releasing a Best Reads list super soon!)

3. What sparked your interest in blogging? When I studied abroad in Italy, I started a blog to share with my family so they could keep up with all my fun adventures. (Check out Summer In Siena if you want!) After that, I totally fell in love with blogging and Ampersand was born. I have been & always will be a writer.

4. What’s your go to drink at Starbucks or the coffee shop of your choice? Oh don’t ask a barista this question… haha. I have seasonal Starbucks drinks so it’s hard to pick (#basicproblems) but I will always love a tall skinny caramel latte.

5. Which animal is your spirit animal? Why? An otter because they hold hands while the sleep. (And I like cuddling.)

6. If you could have one super power what would it be? Stop and slow down time. Not rewind or fast-forward because I don’t need to mess with the past or future, but I would love to slow down the present.

7. If money, timing, and logistics weren’t a question, what is the one thing you wish you could be doing right now? Being a full time blogger and buying a nice house filled with items from Pottery Barn.

8. What are five words that can be used to describe yourself? Probably enthusiastic, dramatic, ambitious, fun-loving & caring.

9.What’s your biggest pet peeve? Slow walkers. Or people who don’t use their blinker. ugh.

10. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? Siena, Italy. 100%.

11. What’s your favorite late night snack? Microwave popcorn or mozzarella sticks.

Enough about me… let’s get to the fun part! Here are the 5 blogs I’m nominating. These ladies are extremely talented and I absolutely love reading their work. Check out what they’re up to!

If these bloggers accept my nomination (which I hope they do!), they’ll have to answer the following questions.

1. What’s your favorite childhood memory?

2. *NSYNC or Backstreet Boys and a compelling argument why.

3. Describe your college experience in three sentences.

4. What is one short term goal you have?

5. What’s your morning routine?

6. (Because I liked this one so much from Haley!) Favorite Starbucks drink? (Or if you’re not as basic as me, what do you order at a coffee shop?)

7. What’s the most important quality in a friend?

8. What’s your favorite color, animal and dessert?

9. Where do you love to write?

10. Random fun fact!

Thank you again Haley for the nomination! It was such a wonderful surprise to be acknowledged for my blog & writing. And a big thank you to everyone who continues to read! Y’all are the best.

Everything I Know About Being a Writer

August 14, 2015May 14, 201811 Comments

I’ve been a writer as long as I can remember. In 5th grade, I started my first of three volumes of poetry. Somewhere in my closet there are upwards of nine completely filled journals, and my college essay was about writer’s block. You would think with the thousands of words I’ve penned and the sentences I’ve typed, writing would be something I could easily explain.

It’s not.

In fact, it’s probably one of the hardest things to articulate. There are no words to describe writing. However, that all changed when I took my Writing for Magazines class.

Second semester senior year, I decided to take an english class with a man named Jeff. I hope he never reads this post because it will be littered with clichés (and he hates clichés), but he is the only person to describe how I feel as a writer. On the very first day of class, I literally sat in awe of this crotchety, hardened journalist with his wide-rimmed classes and faded baseball hat. Throughout the semester, he found the words I had been searching for, ripped my work apart and taught me everything I needed to know about writing.

And since his class, I’ve learned a few things too. So for all you writers out there, here’s everything I know about being a writer.

There are shades of words, pick the right one.

When I wrote in-class essays in high school, I would tap my nose. Not all the time, just when I couldn’t think of the right word. The more I write, the more I realize how many different words there are & how fun/frustrating/rewarding/infuriating it is to play with them. Words have connotations. They have emotion. There are thousands of different shades between “good” and “extraordinary,” so pick the right one because it could change everything.

You might be a writer, but you’re also a psychologist.

This particularly applies to when you’re interviewing someone. It’s hard. Like way harder than you would think. You’re in a completely artificial situation, yet you have to make it seem like a natural conversation. You have to uncover hidden desires and feelings without being too pushy. Surface information is great, but people’s true personalities live way beneath that. As a writer, your job is to figure out your interviewee like a detective, but treat them like a friend.

You have to lead readers through a piece, but they’re not stupid.

Jeff emphasized the importance of a focus in a piece. You need a clear sentence or topic that you entire piece will revolve around. Readers like focuses. It helps them stay on track.

However, you don’t need to spell everything out for readers. They’re smart. They will pick up on hints, innuendos and subtle foreshadowing. But you also have to make sure you give them some sort of resolution at the end. You can have a plot twist in your story, but your readers have to be able to make sense of it afterwards.

**First drafts are sh*tty. Let them be.**

Nothing is more intimidating than a blank screen and a blinking cursor. Jeff once said, “The first word you write eliminates half of the possible directions of your piece. The second word cuts them in half again.” Talk about pressure. I would get so paralyzed by my need of perfection that I couldn’t write my first drafts. That was until Jeff tore up a first draft of mine in front of my face.

His point? First drafts suck. Let them suck. First drafts are for getting your thoughts out on paper. Who cares about first drafts, no one is going to see them. Sometimes it’s hard to get it out, but once you get rolling it’s easier. Then re-writing is where the fun begins.

There are rules. And you can break them.

Grammar is important. Cohesion is important. Intros, bodies and conclusions are important. Starting a sentence with a conjunction or adding a period for emphasis? Not a big deal. Since middle school we’ve learned the ins and outs of formal writing, when in reality it’s only good for college assignments and academic literature. Develop a voice and play around with rhythm. Know the rules well enough to break them.

You’re going to hate most of what you write.

It’s true. I do hate most of the things I write. Even the things that multiple editors look at and publish. But there are always those few magical sentences in every piece that make it worthwhile. Writing is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I can’t imagine pursuing anything else.

May your writing be effortless and your writer’s block be brief.

Featured image by Krista.