Do you currently have a job or an internship but feel you are not getting the most out it? Are you partially dissatisfied with your work because you feel you have not reached your full potential even though you feel confident that you have the capacity to do so? Well, I definitely have. But before you start looking for a new job and go through that annoying application process all over again, why not take a moment to reflect on yourself to see whether you have done everything to immerse yourself in your work experience. Look for things that could improve your productivity and effectiveness as an intern. Really question yourself. Have you really tried to engage with your co-workers or boss? When you go to work, do you actually go in with an open-mind and readiness to learn or do you constantly look at the clock when you are there because you wish it is the end of the day so that you can leave? It may be hard at first to look for flaws in yourself, so here I have listed three examples of work habits that you should avoid. This is important because these habits may not just make you feel dissatisfied now (and you think you can get over it), but after a while they may jeopardize your work and affect your relationships with your boss and co-workers.
1. Being late
Although people tend to overlook this after they have settled down in their workplace, tardiness to meetings can prove disastrous. So don’t let your guards down even though you may have become quite close with your boss and know him/her quite well by that point. If you avoid this, you may find that you are feel more prepared for that day’s agenda because you are not rushing to get to your seat when everyone else is waiting for you. Because you are more prepared, you may even find yourself enjoying and engaging more with your peers at that meeting.
2. Not communicating
You may come across times when you disagree with another person’s opinion. Although it is fine to disagree (in fact, this is good because now you can form an even better solution by working it out with the other person), you shouldn’t stop communicating with those people who may have different opinions from you.
3. Procrastinating
This may be something you are more familiar with because it is what we occasionally do in school when we think we have plenty of time to study for our exams. In an actual work setting, if you wait till the last minute to finish your part of a project, not only will your teammates get annoyed at you, but you will most likely not produce your best work because there is no time to make changes or receive feedback from others.
Looking at this list, even though some of you may view them as intuitive, a lot of times we still can’t avoid doing them. Of course, this is far from being a complete list, but this is just to give you a start before you identify some of your own habits. Give it a try. Maybe breaking your bad habits can change your opinions about your work and allow you to get more out of your experiences.
Tammy Petlerkwong is a Peer Career Advisor from Duncan College. She is a junior studying biological sciences.
